Hi guys,

So I bought my A4 about 2 months ago, and already I've had a handful of problems...fortunately, they haven't been too costly. However, I feel like this one might break my bank account.

I have not one, but TWO noises that I need to have diagnosed. For background, I blew my front passenger-side tire last week, and I'm still rolling around on the spare (I'll be putting on the replacement this weekend).

Noise #1: this has been going on for a few weeks. A little bit before I blew the tire, but it's becoming more noticible now (or maybe I'm just paying more attention to it). It's a steady, high-pitched squeaking noise, and it's present when I'm going above 30mph and the wheel isn't straight (ie: changing lanes, driving down a curved road, or even just minor adjustments to stay straight). I've seen a noise described as "two balloons rubbing together" on other posts, and this could be a good description of it. I can't be certain, but I think it's coming from the passenger side. This noise is intermittent, and sometimes it's louder than others.

Noise #2: This is even more troubling, because suddenly started happening this morning. It's a loud scratching noise coming from the passenger side of my car...almost sounds like a chipmunk stuck inside my door. The noise is present when the car makes a sudden change to cause vibration (like accelerating from a stop), but it's most noticable when I go over a bump...then it's REALLY loud. Is this a ball joint? Any ideas what brought this on so suddenly? Could the blow tire have anything to do with it?

So here's my situation. My car is CPO, and I'm still on the original warrenty for a few months. This is not the first problem I've had with this car. Any chance that repairs will be covered under warrenty? Or are they going to tell me that it was damaged when the tire blew? Also, are the lower control arms/bushings covered under a recall? I've seen this referenced on other posts, but I'm unclear on the specifics.

This sucker won't stop costing me money...welcome to the Audi family, I guess [&o]

Thank's ya'll

 

jazz, first of all, GET OFF YOUR SPARE, the audi spare is not full size and it's not good for the quattro....don't ask me why audi supplied us with a harmful spare...[:@].....


1. sounds like a wheel bearing

2. no idea, sorry......"chipmunk stuck in the door" doesn't help much though

there is a recall on the lower control arms for the B5s..... if you're still under the original warranty, then i would think both of thse problems should be covered under warranty...if the dealership refuses to do it under warranty you can try contacting Audi USA...but you'll need to have a valid argument before you call...

 

Sounds like another love hate Audi relationship. Some days I'm thrilled driving this car, other days I want to drive it off a cliff.

 

Well, it's actually the spare tire mounted on the normal (not-spare) wheel. When I took the spare out of the truck after I blew the tire, the thing was darn near flat. Turns out my spare wheel was bent to the point where it couldn't hold air, so I yelled at my stealership (Certified my ***) and they're fixing it. It took my tire place more than a week to get my Dunlop in, but I'm getting it mounted tomorrow, then I'll have the stealership mount my spare tire back on my newly-repaired spare wheel.

So I'm curious...what do you mean it's not a normal full size spare?

Yeah, I wish I had a better description of noise #2....but it wasn't really metallic, more of a clucking/scratching noise, so that was the best I could do.

HOWEVER, I do have some good news: Noise #2 seems to have magically fixed itself between driving to work and driving home yesterday. I have no idea WTF that's all about. I checked the door, tires and undercarriage for pieces of debries, and I didn't see any.

(Throws hands up in apathy/confusion)

 

my spare tire is something like 125/90-15

 

Last weekend I took my tiny spare tire out and replaced it with a full size spare. I have to take the black plastic trim off the ***-end to get it in and out, but figured it was worth it.

 

Hi guys, I've got some followup on this one...

So yeah, that really loud scratching noise has disappeared like a fart in the wind....works for me!

Regarding the intermittent rattling/rubbing noise when I turn my wheel:
I observed a few other things - First, it appears to take some time to "warm up"....ie: it's not dependent on speed, but it doesn't start making noise until I'm halfway to work. Second, it disappears as soon as I tap the breaks.

I took it to a mechanic I trust, and he observed that my passenger-side wheel is noticably hotter than the other wheels after driving....250 degrees compared to 190 on the other wheels. We then observed that the break pad on that wheel appears to have come loose from the rotor plate. It doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the caliper. I figure this has got to be the source of the noise.

So here's my question: I've got an appointment with the stealership for something unrelated. Bought the car 2 months ago, still under the original warrenty. Fingers crossed, I'm hoping the repair will be covered. And REALLY hoping that's the cause of the noise, not a wheel bearing.

My dealership hates me....I've been in there 4 times since I bought it, and everytime they fix something, I come back with something else...gonna milk those bastards for all I can!

Thanks

 

No doubt. They hate you? I hate them for hating you. F those bastards. Get everything you can. I would be halfway tempted to break some **** just to make them fix it.

 

Yeah, so far I've had them:
-fix a bent piece of exterior trim
-replace the mechanism in the truck because it was opening/closing too hard
-replace the mounting brackets in the drivers seat because it was titling forward a little when I braked
-fix the rim on my spare tire, which was bent to the point where the spare couldn't hold air (which they tried to deny)
-replace a lightbulb in the truck
-replace both rear speakers

My appointment tomorrw, I'll tell them about the brake pad AND it appears the button on side-column to disable the interior motion sensors has been removed/broken....so we're adding that to the list too! Screw 'em!