Haldex question??

[OVRA3]

Hi all,

Just looking through my service book, car is a 2005 8p tfsi Quattro with 68k.. I can't find any record of the Haldex oil and filter being changed?? I am going to get it done but could this be a problem.. Car has a rumble on the road but I had put it down to the previous owner had put crap runway tyres on.. Couldn't be noisy because of the haldex? Are they prone to failure or am I being para?

Cheers guys...

 

[Nine Pack]

Is the rumble above a certain speed & not engine speed related? I was told the Haldex oil needs changing every 20k. The previous owner of my car had serviced it reasonably well but the Haldex had gone too long without an oil change. I have a whirring noise above 40mph which got worse after I had the oil changed so now I'm having to buy a new diff/haldex today.

Try changing the oil & filter first obviously but you may find that the new oil & removal of any swarf & crud in the old oil makes the noise appear louder. I hoped it would fix it (as it can do sometimes) but in my case it didn't. Either way it's worth trying (oil & filter cost me £75.00 fitted) as it's cheaper than £600 for a used diff or £1200 for a new one. Ouch!

 

[OVRA3]

Is the rumble above a certain speed & not engine speed related? I was told the Haldex oil needs changing every 20k. The previous owner of my car had serviced it reasonably well but the Haldex had gone too long without an oil change. I have a whirring noise above 40mph which got worse after I had the oil changed so now I'm having to buy a new diff/haldex today.

Try changing the oil & filter first obviously but you may find that the new oil & removal of any swarf & crud in the old oil makes the noise appear louder. I hoped it would fix it (as it can do sometimes) but in my case it didn't. Either way it's worth trying (oil & filter cost me £75.00 fitted) as it's cheaper than £600 for a used diff or £1200 for a new one. Ouch!

Thanks for the advice buddy, have you scanned the car did anything come up? I had mine scanned 2 weeks ago and there was no faults showing, does it come up on a scan? I cant really say I have noticed any difference at any speed its just noisy like road rumble but I know the tyres on it are known for being very noisy so thought it was that.. I've been qouted 70 for the haldex oil and filter by my guy who is a specialist so hopefully it should all be ok.. Someone mentioned pulling fuse 31 and then taking it for a drive to see if there is less noise is a good way to tell... Do you know if thats true?

 

[Nine Pack]

Thanks for the advice buddy, have you scanned the car did anything come up? I had mine scanned 2 weeks ago and there was no faults showing, does it come up on a scan? I cant really say I have noticed any difference at any speed its just noisy like road rumble but I know the tyres on it are known for being very noisy so thought it was that.. I've been qouted 70 for the haldex oil and filter by my guy who is a specialist so hopefully it should all be ok.. Someone mentioned pulling fuse 31 and then taking it for a drive to see if there is less noise is a good way to tell... Do you know if thats true?

I'm no expert but I'd doubt diagnostics would show up anything like wear & tear on the innards of the diff, it's just something that you notice on the road at speed. Mine's getting noisier by the day but the new one arrives tomorrow so I'm just pottering round at 30mph to be safe till I can get the transplant done.

Not heard of the fuse 31 thing..? Do you know what that fuse is supposed to be linked to? I've just resigned myself to the fact that mechanical noise means wear & tear that can only be fixed with new metal :-(

The oil & filter cost me £75 so your guy is quoting properly. Hopefully that'll solve it for you. If the rubber is noisy too I'd change them too. I have bridgestone's on mine & they are great (at least I still have to find the point at which the car will relinquish lateral grip, or mechanical grip for that matter.

 

[OVRA3]

Fuse 31 is apparently meant to disengage the Haldex I read? Might be totally wrong but if you take it out, you are in front wheel drive only? I might be totally wrong and have read it wrong but that's what was said. Idea being take it out and see if the noise disappears if it does you know it's the Haldex ???

Thanks for all your info though, sorry it's costing you a pretty penny :-( fingers crossed for me!

 

[Nine Pack]

I think even if you take the fuse out (and possibly run 2wd, I don't know if that's what'll happen tbh), then you'll still have the mechanical linkgage so the diff will still turn by virtue of the fact it's still connected to the rear wheels. If it's turning, then wear & tear on the metal internals will still make a noise. I'm no expert though as it's over 15 years since I quit being a mechanic & these systems are not something I've ever worked on.

I'm sat in now waiting for the courier to bring my donor diff...

 

[OVRA3]

I think even if you take the fuse out (and possibly run 2wd, I don't know if that's what'll happen tbh), then you'll still have the mechanical linkgage so the diff will still turn by virtue of the fact it's still connected to the rear wheels. If it's turning, then wear & tear on the metal internals will still make a noise. I'm no expert though as it's over 15 years since I quit being a mechanic & these systems are not something I've ever worked on.

I'm sat in now waiting for the courier to bring my donor diff...

Good luck hope it sorts it all out for you.. Costly these quattros :-(

 

[SiT]

Is the rumble above a certain speed & not engine speed related? I was told the Haldex oil needs changing every 20k. The previous owner of my car had serviced it reasonably well but the Haldex had gone too long without an oil change. I have a whirring noise above 40mph which got worse after I had the oil changed so now I'm having to buy a new diff/haldex today.

Try changing the oil & filter first obviously but you may find that the new oil & removal of any swarf & crud in the old oil makes the noise appear louder. I hoped it would fix it (as it can do sometimes) but in my case it didn't. Either way it's worth trying (oil & filter cost me £75.00 fitted) as it's cheaper than £600 for a used diff or £1200 for a new one. Ouch!

I’ve had a few problems in that area and a diff replacement on my S3. Your price of £1200 is VERY reasonable; mine was replaced by Audi for £2.5K and persisted till the day i sold it. What i would say is the Haldex service needs doing every 40K miles so regardless you should get it in. I have found them (A3 Quattro) temperamental to tyres, tyre pressure and oil changes. Don't scrimp it as it could be expensive!

 

[Nine Pack]

I’ve had a few problems in that area and a diff replacement on my S3. Your price of £1200 is VERY reasonable; mine was replaced by Audi for £2.5K and persisted till the day i sold it. What i would say is the Haldex service needs doing every 40K miles so regardless you should get it in. I have found them (A3 Quattro) temperamental to tyres, tyre pressure and oil changes. Don't scrimp it as it could be expensive!

Do you mean the noise persisted even after the diff was replaced? I've just had mine replaced (with a used one off a car with 34k) and the noise, albeit quieter is still there..

 

[Nine Pack]

My noise persisted after the diff was replaced. reason being, the diff wasn't at fault after all, it was a wheel bearing but the noise was transmitting through the rear axle. So now I have 2 diffs for my car! I've put the other one on the classifieds at £300.00 if anyone's interested.

D'oh!

 

[SiT]

Do you mean the noise persisted even after the diff was replaced? I've just had mine replaced (with a used one off a car with 34k) and the noise, albeit quieter is still there..

Noise disappeared after the Diff replacement and i had two in the finish! I had a lemon, but i found it prone to tyres, the pressures and also the rotation of the propshaft.