£600 well spent. NOT!

MartayMcFly

MartayMcFly

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Since I bought my car last year there's been an annoying tick when accelerating hard. Had it checked by Audi and they just stuck it on VAGcom - no error codes came back. Took it to my local VW/Audi specialist and the guy there said it was the flex bit on the downpipe. I've put up with the noise for months and months but I really don't like driving the car hard when it makes such an unsettling noise.

Finally, last week, I decided to go for it and get the DP replaced. Went to Audi and just got the stock part again, with bolts and gaskets, for £230 then dropped it off this morning at a specialist garage. I went to pick it up on my way home from work and, after a 5 hour labour bill, at £55p/h + VAT, the ticking is now a slightly more fluttery noise, but definitely still there. I almost cried.

I was really hoping that'd be it fixed so I could go ahead and get it remapped and millteked (probably not a word), without worrying when flooring it every once in a while.

:( Does anyone want an S3 ?
 
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Well, that would depend on how much.....? LOL.

I could have a Ming Blue S3 collection...
 
MartayMcFly said:
Since I bought my car last year there's been an annoying tick when accelerating hard. Had it checked by Audi and they just stuck it on VAGcom - no error codes came back. Took it to my local VW/Audi specialist and the guy there said it was the flex bit on the downpipe. I've put up with the noise for months and months but I really don't like driving the car hard when it makes such an unsettling noise.

Finally, last week, I decided to go for it and get the DP replaced. Went to Audi and just got the stock part again, with bolts and gaskets, for £230 then dropped it off this morning. I went to pick it up on my way home from work and, after a 5 hour labour bill, at £55p/h + VAT, the ticking is now a slightly more fluttery noise, but definitely still there. I almost cried.

I was really hoping that'd be it fixed so I could go ahead and get it remapped and millteked (probably not a word), without worrying when flooring it every once in a while.

:( Does anyone want an S3 ?
Click to expand...

Dude, seriously though, is there any way you could record he sound or something so we could hear it and try and help?

First thing I would check if you're getting odd noises under full boot is the engine mounts. May be too much engine movement causing excessive flex.
 
It's not a wooshing noise, like a leak, it's a fluttery rattle. A tick. Makes me think there's a plastic tab in the turbo hitting the blades. Definitely dependent on engine speed, and only under >80% throttle. Gets worse over long distance - louder, and earlier in the rev range... not sure recording it would work, but I could give it a go.

Any help would be really appreciated though, thanks - I feel like I haven't had a chance to get the most out of my car yet, and it's been 14 months since I bought it!
 
Why would you go to a VAG specialist, then pay Audi to do the work someone else diagnosed?

Sorry for the loss of money fella, but doesn't make much sense to me pal! :think:
 
Ouch, you could of gone a mechanics course for that much and done it yourself lol.
 
You pair of wind up merchants! LOL.

Try it and see if you can get it on audio - would be helpful.

Is the sound metallic?

The interesting thing is that having the downpipe changed has changed the characteristics of the noise.

EDIT: Any idea where abouts in the bay it's coming from? Does it do it in neutral? If it does, get someone to have their head under the bonnet, or get someone to rev and you listen.
 
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Didn't take it to Audi for the work, just asked them to look at it... guy charged me £30 for half an hour "diagnostic". The second guy diagnosed it for free, I bought the actual part from Audi, then took it to another German specialist to get it done (the second guy refused since it's such a fiddly/annoying job, and he'd rather do modding stuff that's **** easy). Audi charge something like £100 an hour up here, no chance I'm getting tricky engine stuff done there... it'd be the end of me!
 
MartayMcFly said:
Didn't take it to Audi for the work, just asked them to look at it... guy charged me £30 for half an hour "diagnostic". The second guy diagnosed it for free, I bought the actual part from Audi, then took it to another German specialist to get it done (the second guy refused since it's such a fiddly/annoying job, and he'd rather do modding stuff that's **** easy). Audi charge something like £100 an hour up here, no chance I'm getting tricky engine stuff done there... it'd be the end of me!
Click to expand...

Ah, apologies, take that back fully chap. Thank god! Still sounds like they've really taken you there :(

Ah well, you could sell the old DP? At least make some money back?

Welly, pipe down Ming collector ;):icon_thumright:
 
A click with a flutter could be busted dv diaphram.

Edit: this would also only be heard under acceleration like you state. You can test it quite easily to see if it holds suction.

Edit2: well more on lift of after hard acceleration though to be honest.
 
Last edited:
MartayMcFly said:
Since I bought my car last year there's been an annoying tick when accelerating hard. Had it checked by Audi and they just stuck it on VAGcom - no error codes came back. Took it to my local VW/Audi specialist and the guy there said it was the flex bit on the downpipe. I've put up with the noise for months and months but I really don't like driving the car hard when it makes such an unsettling noise.

Finally, last week, I decided to go for it and get the DP replaced. Went to Audi and just got the stock part again, with bolts and gaskets, for £230 then dropped it off this morning. I went to pick it up on my way home from work and, after a 5 hour labour bill, at £55p/h + VAT, the ticking is now a slightly more fluttery noise, but definitely still there. I almost cried.

I was really hoping that'd be it fixed so I could go ahead and get it remapped and millteked (probably not a word), without worrying when flooring it every once in a while.

:( Does anyone want an S3 ?
Click to expand...
****** hell 5 hours to change the downpipe....
absolute rubbish, i you sure it was a garage.. it sounds like they bought the tools to do it,and charged you for them too :no: no wonder they get a bad name
 
Last edited:
Did they have the Cats off too?... Could be a slight blockage.
Turbulence in either cat can make a ticking sound.
 
I have this, sometimes when accelerating hard, I thought I might be a stalling turbo

:(
 
Without having a slightly more accurate description of the noise, or pref audio, it's really very hard to say.
 
ey? stalling turbo would surely bring up some kind of fault. Is it a continous ticking? or just a tick when you boot it. what happens if you try kangerooing the car, does it get worse? Almost impossible to vagly diagnose with being next to the car.
 
luckydave said:
Cracked manifold?
Click to expand...

Def not, had a cracked manifold about 1000 miles after I bought it, had it fixed at Audi at the seller's expense. Doesn't make a noise anything like the cracked manifold did (that was louder, raspy and all the time).
 
s3dave said:
****** hell 5 hours to change the downpipe....
absolute rubbish, i you sure it was a garage.. it sounds like they bought the tools to do it,and charged you for them too :no: no wonder they get a bad name
Click to expand...

you ever done one on an s3?

its s **** pig of a job
 
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