The GRRRRR noise the tensioner makes is not particularly loud. At first i thought it was just a random noise, from the A/c or something. When I stopped using the A/C it was still making the noise. my friends never noticed the noise, even when I got them to help me rev up the car while I listened carefully in the engine compartment. If your the type of guy that plays the stereo load or way loud, I don't think you'll ever notice it. I'm not into LOuD music, and often, I just like to hear the sounds of the car. That's probably how I heard the noise. It is just a noise the car was not making when it was new. It was making the noise for about a month before I decided to do anything about it. It did seem to be getting louder as time went on. Right before I took it in to the dealer, Whenever I was starting out on an incline, the noise was definatly noticable as I was letting out the clutch. That's probubly the best way to tell. Start out on an incline and just carefully listen to the engine as the clutch is slipped to get started.