wlaudi

I'm experiencing a really annoying noise in the front end of my 2011 a4 and the dealer and their regional "expert" technician is stumped. It's a 2011 Audi A4 with the sports suspension. The car has 15,000 miles on it and the noise started without incident about 2-3 months ago. The noise appears to be coming from the front driver's side of the car. It's hard to know for sure because the driver is sitting on that side of the car which may explain why it sounds like that's where it's coming from, but let's say I'm 90% sure that's the source of the noise. The noise occurs when moving slowly over uneven pavement such as moving about 5-10 mph in a parking lot at the supermarket or backing up out of a driveway. Sometimes it seems more prominent when the car has to dip, such as moving backwards going up a slope or downward into a driveway, however it sometimes happens on the street if the road isn't smooth. On smooth roads it never makes the noise even at low speeds. Once the car is moving more than 20 miles per hour or so it's gone or at least I never hear it. Potholes and bumps in the road do not recreate the noise. 99% of the time it seems to only be audible when you're moving slowly.

I brought the car into my local dealer twice in the past two weeks. Both times, their technician went for a ride with me and heard the noise. The first time I brought it in, they changed the wheel bearings and ball joints on both sides of the front end and said it was better. I drove off and in 2 minutes I realized nothing had improved. I brought it back. On this second trip, they had their shop foreman drive the car with me for a good 20 minutes or so and he confirmed the noise and said that is definitely not normal. They kept the car for a week and he worked on it. He couldn't figure it out, given that the computers said everything was fine and they had already changed the wheel bearings and ball joints.

They called in a regional Audi service manager who said he thought it was the front struts. They ordered one type of strut from one of Audi's part manufacturers, swapped them out, but the noise continued. Then they ordered the struts from another of Audi's part manufacturers and the noise still persisted. They went over and over the car again and held onto it for 3 extra days, driving it and testing it. Finally, they told me they went over virtually everything in the front end, lubed it, tightened everything and said they can't figure it out. They told me I could leave it with them for a few more days, but the service manager said they've done everything they could think of and (of course) their computers say that everything checks out normal.

They completely acknowledge that the noise is still there, but they say they have no idea what it could be and don't know what to do. I decided to take my car back from them as there was no point in keeping it there. The service manager was very pleasant and said I could bring it back again if it persists or gets worse, but he said he's not sure what they can do because they replaced everything they think it could be. If anybody has some thoughts I'd be very happy to hear them.

uberwgn

Damn it! My car is doing the exact same thing, rough surfaces, low speeds only. Super-annoying and getting worse.

Two weeks ago I took the shop foreman for a ride and he could hear it but it wasn't bad on the surfaces where we drove. He said he wanted to replace the "two lower ball joints" with the admission that there has been a problem and he wanted to fit the updated part. When I first departed the dealership I was convinced the problem had been corrected, but that was wishful thinking.

The noise originally was coming from just the passenger side of my car. Now it appears to be coming from both sides and is growing worse. I'm not at the point where I'm going to permit them to randomly start replacing parts when they don't know where the noise originates. To me, it seems like a strut noise or top strut mount. Don't know about the design on these Audi so I can't comment beyond that.

I think the noise started at about 5k miles...it definitely didn't do it when the car was new. Now the car sounds like an old Buick with a creaky suspension and 150k miles. Somewhat discouraging since I've got just 13k miles in a year of ownership.

My car is a 2011 A4 with sport pkg, 18" wheels. Ohhh, and welcome aboard, WL !!

uberwgn

Maybe a moderator will be kind enough to move this to the A4 B8 forum in the hope that others see it and may be able to share more info....


thx.

MP4.2+6.0

...tires? From the first post they changed and did about a zillion things, but what about tires? And then, what about brake pads and rotor related issues? Seem like about the most obvious noise and rolling related things, besides the wheel bearings already mentioned and changed.

uberwgn

No, it's not tire/wheel related. It's a tired, worn out suspension type of noise.

Discussion x-posted here:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2827120

audi01a6

please try something for me,when it starts hit the brakes and see if it goes away,not hard brake but soft apply,then pm me

Just Me

Rather than guessing, i think you need to begin diagnosing. This means, for starters, testing whatever can be tested with the car in teh air - move parts and feel for looseness, or for something loose hanging on them. For example, i once had a brake caliper slide bolt screw back out. So, under hard cornering, the caliper slid slightly out and rubbed on the wheel. under normal circumstances it was silent.

You have lots of possibilities:

eliminated via replacement if i read properly: struts; wheel bearings,

1. control arms
2. swaybar links
3. sway bar bushings
(note sway bars make sense since they would make more noise at low speeds, and if the movement was the same on both sides)
4. brake calipers
5. Strut mounts (top, rare to fail)
6. unrelated parts in the same general area

For the record, i had a kind of groan that could not be located - it seemed to come from everywhere deep in the front chassis. turned out to be the sway bar bushings - which bolt to the chassis. 10 cents of graphite fluid solved this (but took a full daty to work its way into the entire rubber bushing).

Stop throwing parts at the problem - identify it first.

Describe the noise more completely.

Grant

Just Me

See my comment above. Lubricated sway bar bushings? You must take them apart first....