TOTALLY love my car but I have a new issue. 61000 miles on an 02 Quattro. When I slow down in gear I hear a very loud "winding down" noise that sounds exactly like a Jeep on fatty knobby tires on the highway. I don't have fatty knobby tires on my TT. I can still hear it when braking in neutral, but when I let the gears slow me down (or just take my foot off the gas) it's pretty dominant. Also, it is mechanical, as I can hear it from inside the car vs a noise that you can find with your windows down. During acceleration everything's fine and dandy. Any ideas? Thanks.

I would also like to add that I read just about every one of these posts and you all are so good about knowing all about your cars. It amazes me and I think it is quite admirable. Someday I will be able to conversate on that level...

 

sounds like gear wine, nothing to be worried about if it is, but if you think it isnt and want to get it checked out i would thats about all the advice i can give you, good luck

 

he says he hears it in neutral though, dunno about it being gears. I'd love to help, but i dunno know on this one....

 

Thanks for the help, but it is not limited to engaged gears only. The only time I don't hear it is when I am on the gas. In neutral, if I am going down hill and maintaining speed, I can barely hear it. As I slow down it gets louder. But it's not in the brakes - it's in the decreasing velocity of the car. Weird.

 

I know you said you dont think its the tires, but thats what i think it is. I have a 2001 TT and I almost have the same thing happening. My situation is a little different. I hear it slighty at higher speeds, but when I'm slowing down I hear it more. In my case its at its worst at about 15 mph. But you said it sounds like tires, and it also decreases your velocity, so that would point towards tires making noise. Im no expert by any means, but thats what it sounds like to me.

 

alignment, wheel barings, rotors might need to be re-surfaced, treadwear, shocks, struts???? just listing out anything i can think that might be related to what you are describing

 

Thanks for all of the info... This is the weirdest part - it just went away! No more noise. Period. That leaves me with a small bit of uncertainty but I'll have to live with it.