ctdogman

Hi all,

This will be a long post, so bear with me:

My 2005 A6 (80k miles) is making a weird, high pitched squealing noise-I can hear it coming from the wheels when the car is moving. Now here is the REALLY weird part:

1) The sound will go away when I tap the brakes, as soon as braking stops, the noise returns!

2) It doesn't happen all the time; I can go days without hearing it!

3) It's most likely to start up when driving on the highway. Then when I get off the highway, the noise will still be there, but often goes away!

I have no warning lights, brakes NEVER squeal when braking.

I have no idea at all what it could be. I want to take it to my local independant 4 rings garage, but last time I did that (see my post about corroded wires causing parking brake to cycle) they weren't able to figure the problem out but I still had to drop $80 for diagnosis!!!! So I'm trying to get a feel if I should bypass my indy guy and just go to the dealer.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

KevinGary

Take a look at the wheel bearings.

beep-beep

second that. Does this sound comes from one or both front wheels? Does it change when you drive in left or right bend or straight line?

ctdogman

The sound doesn't vary when turning or anything. I'm going to call the dealer on Monday, I'll post when the problem is diagnosed & repaired.

ctdogman

Ok, today I called my local Audi dealer and spoke with one of the service managers.

I explained in detail about the noise. He said there is no reason at this point to bring the car in because:

1) If it was a wheel bearing it would make the noise all the time.

2) If it was brake related it would happen when applying the brakes, and/or an idiot light would be lit up on the dashboard.

He said it sounds like dirt or a pebble or something is getting lodged somewhere in the brake area. I asked if I should bring the car in to have the brakes inspected, or anything else looked at, and he said no, not to worry about it.

Given the $$$ Audi could have charged just for looking at the car, cleaning something, etc, I have to agree with the service manager that at this point, there is no problem.

If anything changes, I'll either update this thread or start a new one. Thanks to all who gave feedback!

KevinGary

Find a new dealer. Any dealer who tells you not to bother with a possible brake noise is an idiot.

ctdogman

That thought did cross my mind, but I've dealt with the same service manager before, and he is (in my opinion)a nice guy, and VERY competent at Audi repairs. Plus, he could have had me bring the car in and charged $$$ just for diagnosing nothing, but he didn't do that. So at this point, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Philrs4

Next time you need to change your brake pads. Should try look into Carbotech Performance Brake Pads the Street Compound #1521. CT915 I have a similar problem, at the time my A6 was under warranty. The dealer change the pads, the problem went away for about a month. It came back, make a long story short. The dealer basically said live with it. I wouldn't care if I was driving something els like my wife's MDX, but this is my Audi. Audi shouldn't sound like this. So, I came across a blog talking about how great Carbotech is. So I gave it a try, no more noise!!
Worth every $$$. spend. I bought the pads through Amazon.com I would recommend Street Compound #1521 CT915 cost about $146.00 + Shipping. For my A6 they cost me more I paid $183.00+ Shipping, worth the price.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007GALYR0

ctdogman

Thanks Philrs4, I'll check those pads out. In a month+ I'll be getting new tires (going with ContiPro Contact), so it might be worth it to have the pads done around the same time.

mmarcski

If there is a rock or pebble between the rotar and pad I am thinking it would cause damage to the rotar's surface if not removed. Perhaps the dealer knows this and will charge you over $1500 for a full brake job with rotars and pads. When your car develops a noise or a new sound it is trying to tell you something. I would have it looked at immediately.