I already posted something about this topic but I'll start from the beginning to clarify as much as I can. Here goes:

-I took my B6 A4 3.0 ultra-sport into the dealership 3 times because of a rattling coming from my exhaust. The first two times they weren't able to hear it let alone pinpoint what it was. The 3rd time (last week) the mechanic heard it slightly (when revving in neutral).

-I brought the car back yesterday (Thurs) and left it planning to pick it up today. They said it sounded like something had broken off and was loose and rattling in the resonator (behind the cats, before the two mufflers---keep in mind it's dual exhaust). They installed the new resonator and piping leading to the mufflers (parts were $1300 by the way...Thank God I have the factory warranty).

-The rattling was even louder than when I had brought it in. The head mechanic/technician took the car out today, after they adjusted/tightened a few things, which returned the rattling back to where it was when I brought it in. So....basically the new part did no good whatsoever.

-They somehow brought in another B6 3.0 S-Line and compared it in their warehouse. The other 3.0 was rattling too, and had higher mileage than mine. (I have 27k miles, and started noticing the rattling around 20-23k miles). He said he/others found that it was worse w/ the other A4 with higher mileage, and that it wasn't rattling w/ the 1.8T.

-The service rep. basically told me they did everything they can do, and that the parts weren't the problem. He said the sound is most likely from the air coming down from the engine, through the headers, and meeting in/near the resonator (where the two pipes meet), and from back-pressure.

-The climax is when I asked if the rattling would get worse, because of the other A4 3.0 with higher mileage rattling more than mine did when brought in/taken home today. He said "Yes, most likely it will get worse."

-Getting a new factory or upgraded exhaust he said wouldn't necessarily fix the problem. I had asked if getting the Super-Sprint exhaust would fix it. He said no, and I was hoping they'd cover the cost of the factory exhaust and I'd pay the difference for the upgrade, but they wouldn't do it because it must be factory parts. I understand that.

-But I feel totally helpless here. Is this basically a breach of contract? I have 23k miles/ 18 months left on my warranty. And the car should not sound like this. But he said as long as the car won't break down/something go wrong from this, that they've done all they can do, and gave me a 1-800 number to call to plead my case and get a claim number, and eventually get an Audi rep to come to Portland and drive the car and determine if they look into the matter more or not.

--------------------What do I do????????????????????????/

 

I had a similar rattling from my exhaust after a few miles in the car. The issue I had was the pipe came untacked from a support under the car. After that was spot welded the sound never returned. If Audi won't fix it, take it to a muffler shop and let them see if there is a spot weld loose or maybe they can even add another to support the pipes. That is the direction I would go.

 

good advice - I agree - take it to a muffler shop....

 

Try another Audi dealership.

 

bump

 

remove the complete exhaust system and refit with new rubber hangers and shake any lose rust from inside, ensure all the heat shields are secure and not rating and exhaust doesn't touch the underside

 

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My best friend Silver_B5S4 and I found out what the problem is. On AudiWorld.com, Silver_B5S4 found that 20 people reported the EXACT same problem as I have. 6 of them took the car to the local Audi dealer and they said there's nothing they can do, and had their exhausts replaced and the problem was gone.

Apparently there's a metal sleeve that fits somewhere between the cats and mufflers that isn't fitting right, creating an air-leak that gets worst as mileage increases. And get this................19 of the 20 reported on AudiWorld are 2004 A4 3.0 Ultra-Sports!!! The other was an '02 A4 3.0. And they're telling me nothing's wrong? That they can't do anything? They're full of sh*t, and they're gonna find out I'm one persistent *****. They want me to give up so they don't spend $1-2k to replace the exhaust. The resonator and piping leading to the dual mufflers cost $1300 alone.

Well..they said if they had to replace the entire exhaust it'd have to be OEM parts. But maybe it'd be in their best interest to install the from Audi Factory Super-Sprint upgraded exhaust system which runs $1000. They'd spend less money, and I get an upgraded system. We'll see. If anyone has advice, as always, feel free!!!

 

bump.