First off - I have a 2002 A6 Quattro 3.0 automatic.

I had my car parked in the garage for the past 48 hours. When I turned it on and pulled out of the garage, I made a left turn and immediately heard a "Whine" coming from the car and I experienced some very subtle but very noticeable vibration that I could feel on the steering wheel. The whine persisted the whole trip (about 2 miles) and pulling back into the garage it seemed even louder then before.

It has never done this before. Any ideas?

 

After some research, another post on this forum:

https://www.audiforums.com/forum/general-tech-50/help-02-audi-a4-making-whining-noise-now-weather-cold-82054/

suggested that lower power steering fluid may be the culprit! Any particular brand I need to get?

 

I believe it is a dealer item, or if you can find a shop that specializes in VW/Audi parts. It's some sort of mineral oil.

 

Sure enough the power steering fluid was VERY low. Time to order some .

 

Just spoke to mechanic, he said there is likely a leak since the fluid level is gone down. How expensive might this run me? Can I just watch the power steering fluid levels in the mean time? Indefinitely? Or is damage being done to the car?

 

i had mine go on me, it was slow at first, then it started leaking about .5 liter in 15min...so be prepared it could get worse lol, my problem was only in 1 of the preassurised hoses, and the grand total for the bill was around $560 USD

 

that is good to know. My repairs may be covered under warranty, so hopefully it won't hit my wallet too much. I'll keep an eye on the fluid levels in the mean time