The short answer
A new noise from a Bosch WQH dryer is a location problem before it is a parts problem, and the drum is where most of them are. On the three models below the noise that arrives gradually is almost always a rotating support wearing, while the noise that arrives suddenly is almost always something that should not be in the machine at all. Those two stories separate in the first minute, without tools.
What you observe on these models
- A scraping sound that changes when you press on the cabinet — Cabinet contact rather than an internal fault: the machine is touching something it should not.
- A noise that only happens at the start and end of the cycle — Speed changes and reversals load the drive differently, so a marginal part shows up there first.
- A grinding that has got steadily worse — The one that should not be left: grinding means metal is wearing metal.
- Vibration through the floor more than noise in the room — Levelling, feet and what the machine is standing on, before anything internal.
- NEAR MISS - the noise follows the load rather than the drum — Zips, buckles and coins in pockets sound like a machine fault and are not.
Causes, most likely first on the WQH family
- Drum supports: rollers, glides or bearings — First on the WQH family. They carry the whole weight of a loaded drum through every rotation, they wear gradually, and they give exactly the rising rumble owners report. The wear is slow enough that owners adapt to it and only call when it has become obvious.
- Foreign objects in the drum seal or the air path — Second, and the most satisfying to find because it costs nothing. Coins and clips work past the drum edge and then rattle at a frequency that has nothing to do with rotation.
- Belt, idler or drive components — Third. A belt that has hardened or an idler that is stiffening produces a squeal that changes with load, and it tends to be worse when the machine is cold.
- Installation: levelling, feet and cabinet contact — Last as a cause of true noise, but first as a cause of what owners describe as vibration. It is worth ruling out early because it needs no parts at all.
Check in this order, and why
- First: name the noise — Rumble, squeal, thump or rattle. Everything below branches on this, and a recording made on a phone at the machine is worth more to a technician than any description.
- Second: turn the drum by hand with the machine isolated — Switch it off at the breaker first. Roughness, notchiness or a grinding feel confirms a support before any panel comes off.
- Third: run it empty, then run it loaded — Noise that scales with load is a support or a bearing. Noise that does not is usually loose material or installation.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the dryer off at the breaker before reaching into the drum to feel the seal, and before turning the drum by hand; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Do not run the machine with a panel removed to locate a noise. A drum that is supported on worn parts can move unexpectedly once a panel is off, which is why this particular job is not an owner job past the inspection stage.
Models in the WQH family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| WQH235**AU | bosch:dryer:wqh |
| WQH235B8AU | bosch:dryer:wqh |
| WQH235BFAU | bosch:dryer:wqh |
When to call a technician
The line on the three models below is whether the noise survives an empty drum and a properly levelled machine. If it does, and particularly if it has grown over weeks, the machine needs opening. Stop using it if the noise is a grind: a support that has worn through damages the drum it carries, and that turns a modest repair into a larger one.
Sources — The symptom-report corpus recorded against Bosch WQH dryer pages for this fault is cited below. No share is quoted from it anywhere on this page: the snapshot reaches this page as a provenance chain without values, so every ordering here is technician judgement rather than a measured proportion.
Documented- amazon-reviews — amazon-reviews, fetched 2026-09-02
Other faults covered for the WQH family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
