Creaking interior...with only 10,000kms...

[hatmeow]

Hi all,

My A3 SB is suffering numerous creaking noises mainly from the windows and the doors as I go up a curb, up ramps, through bumps etc. (i.e.torsional forces on chassis). Anybody else have this problem? My car has only 10,000kms on the dial and have never been in any accidents...
I though Audi has better build quality than that!

I suspect its the doors and the windows rather than problems with the chassis....

Any insight or experiences to share?

 

[Amchlolor]

The 3 door A3's are notorious for having creaky door seals, but never heard of a sportback with the same problem.
Mine didn't have the problem , in three years ownership.
Anyway, I remember people saying some BMW silicon grease stuff works best, smeared around the door seals.
Do a search on this forum for 'creaky doors' or 'door seals'.

 

[L60N]

Get some vaseline slapped on your door seals.

 

[richjohnhughes]

i have had this very same issues on my 3 door s line.

audi had it back in for two day which sorted it for a couple of months and now its back again.

sounds a bit like the windows are moving around a little.

 

[bacardi]

Mine's been "torsionally" rattle free - apart from the rear parcel shelf

 

[JamS3]

Mine does this too when I drive up the kerb onto my drive and turning right at the same time!

 

[khalil]

i had the same problem i it drove me nuts, took it to dealers number of time but they did not have a clue, after so many weeks of trying to figure out what it is i solved it!!!, its the fealt seal around the door, you can see it when you open the door, the noise is from the top seal, i rubbed kids black crayon over it the the noise went away totally,

 

[sat1983]

sounds a bit like the windows are moving around a little.

That is exactly what I get. Thought it was normal (a pothole will make a window shake a little?).
Only trouble I've had **touch wood**

 

[rich32uk]

DOn't drive up kerbs!!

My back seat is squeaking a bit but I think it's because I've not pushed it back into position properly!!

 

[rich1068]

A quick search through the forums will show that many suffer from this 'feature' but as Bowfer said, I'd not heard of a Sportback doing it. I get the seals greased at each service. Not bad for a £24k car eh?

 

[hatmeow]

... noise is from the top seal, i rubbed kids black crayon over it the the noise went away totally,

Black Crayon! How original!. Gotta try it out tonight!! Wont you get black crayon marks on your glass?

 

[sleep envy]

A quick search through the forums will show that many suffer from this 'feature' but as Bowfer said, I'd not heard of a Sportback doing it. I get the seals greased at each service. Not bad for a £24k car eh?

if you think that's bad how about squeaky windscreen and seals on an £85k 911 when the silicone lubricant dries out

 

[Brookie-S3]

hi all

right i have a few issues 2 with creaks so hear goes
1. rear seats creak ( spray silicone spray into rear seat locks )
2. front doors creak arond frame ( silicone spray all seals)


myn is due a service in 1800m, and going to get teh stealer to sort

1. front brakes squeeking
2. steering wheel not straight when driving.
3. twice my radio/nav has froze
4. bluetooth started to disconnect/re-connect

part from that its a pleasure to drive,,( i am very picky )

 

[sleep envy]

not too sure the silicone will sort out the rear seats - maybe a heavy grease will be better

also, how do you use your brakes - do you brake light and lengthy or hard on the stoppers and short?

it could be your pads are glazing from lack of hard use

 

[Redwing289]

A quick search through the forums will show that many suffer from this 'feature' but as Bowfer said, I'd not heard of a Sportback doing it. I get the seals greased at each service. Not bad for a £24k car eh?

My sportback also had this 'no cost option' so not just limited to the 3-door...... fortunately for me the sound of this was masked by all the other rattles coming from the dashboard & glovebox.....

 

[cdb2]

My Sportback has creaked from the front door\window area on and off for the last 3 years, always worse after it has been washed.

 

[khalil]

Black Crayon! How original!. Gotta try it out tonight!! Wont you get black crayon marks on your glass?

no you wounlnt because you only rubbing it on the other frame of the door NOT behind the window, when you open the door its that felt at the top of the door frame, trust me!!!

 

[katsumoto]

Experiencing the same problem now. It started about 2-3 weeks ago after going in for detailing. Possibly the "lubricant" on the seals get washed off somehow and therefore the need for new lube.

Taking it into the dealers on Monday, will have them sort it out.

List of problems experienced so far (2006/8 1.6 A3 SB - 24000kms):
- Creaky doors (going in on Monday)
- Wheel bearing noise (suspected - going in on Monday)
- Noisy brakes, front and back (dealers tell me it's "normal" and even let me try another A3 they had with the same noise - I suspect the car they let me test was another persons car with the same problem that was taken in to be fixed!)
- Auto tranny is slow to respond (eg. gearing down for more power, it actually jerks when going from 6th to 4th AND its slow to engage just from P to D - with a clunk noise)

Otherwise, no "real" problems for a car that's worth so much....wish I'd gone for the GTI now!

 

[a3norwich]

Welcome to the quality of the Audi brand. Common fault. Try some new door seals... And then some more and some more or that sticky silcone crud all over the place! Seems to be their answer all the time: hide/remove/deal with the symptoms and fail to resolve the underlying problem.

 

[sat1983]

To be honest I have done my moaning about this issue, but since then I have test driven loads of different cars. Bmw 1 series- R56 Mini's etc... And when I got back into the A3 I realised how rock solid and well built it was.
I think it's the only way to realise just how good an Audi is- go drive 99% of cars out there and you'll realise how lucky you were choosing Audi!!!

 

[PNH80]

To be honest I have done my moaning about this issue, but since then I have test driven loads of different cars. Bmw 1 series- R56 Mini's etc... And when I got back into the A3 I realised how rock solid and well built it was.
I think it's the only way to realise just how good an Audi is- go drive 99% of cars out there and you'll realise how lucky you were choosing Audi!!!

I do agree with you on that. When you own a car and spend all day every day with it you become used to it and almost take it's better qualities for granted. Whenever i've had another car for the day, whether it be a Golf, anything japanese etc i'm always happy to get back into my Audi. It just does everything for me. I know some people have major complaints about theirs but i can't fault mine so far at all.
When the time comes in 18 months or so to step up to something else i'm going to have to spend a LOT of money to find a car which has a better mix of prestige, luxury, practicality, speed and build quality than this.

 

[h5djr]

I could not agree more. Hence I'm on my 6th A3.

 

[sat1983]

They say the Audi's are posh VW's and Skoda's. They're not. I have checked this personally these past few days- The Golf interior is RUBBISH!!
My A3 will be 2 years old in August/September time and I honestly do not know what to replace it with- I do like the Cooper S but it's a tiny, way over-priced motor. I may be daft enough to consider it- if I do I'm sure the Audi build quality will be sorely missed.

 

[ADEY]

Anyone any advice on how to stop the glovebox rattling? (short of removing it!!)
seems to be coming from rh side closer/fastener

 

[a3norwich]

To be honest I have done my moaning about this issue, but since then I have test driven loads of different cars. Bmw 1 series- R56 Mini's etc... And when I got back into the A3 I realised how rock solid and well built it was.
I think it's the only way to realise just how good an Audi is- go drive 99% of cars out there and you'll realise how lucky you were choosing Audi!!!

I think you are looking through rose tinted glasses to be honest. Having had 5 BMW 3 series over 9 years previously, the build quality is in another league compared to my A3 2.0 TFSI Quattro S-Line of last year and my current S3. I have personally had enough of Audi and would not buy another one. And yes, it really is just a posh Golf with a better interior - the actual intrinsic design and underpinnings are the same. You only need to read the number of daily moans and groans on the forum with new (and old) owners and they all report the same problems with rattles, failed/noisey steering racks, dodgey seats (front and rear - with noisey catches), rattling parcel shelves, creaking doors, wiper motor failures, numerous ECU software updates, TDI engines that self-destruct, excessive oil consumption, clutches that fail, folding mirrors with a mind of their own; the list goes on. OK, no car is perfect, but come on, stay a little objective...

And no, I'm not taking over from a certain member who has just bought a BMW!

 

[katsumoto]

well, having taken the car in yesterday (supposed to be on MOnday, but had free time yesterday) they checked everything that I mentioned. Wheel bearing noise, gearbox down change problem and creaking doors.

Here's the outcome:
- Wheel bearing noise was put down to the tyres. Although on visual inspection, they really don't look worn - and this noise only started happening a few weeks ago. And it gets worse at certain times. So...still a mystery to me (they suggested that I needn't change the tyres and just carry on driving with them)
- Gearbox was checked, fluid level, etc etc. nothing found. Real helpful. Answer they had was - maybe i use the tiptronic shift too much ( i denied this, i've used it a total of around 5 times in 6 months of ownership - very gently too)
- Creaky doors, they re-lubricated it. Still slightly creaking.

SO overall...not a real help.

 

[sat1983]

I think you are looking through rose tinted glasses to be honest.

I am only talking from my personal experience. In 24000 miles I have had no problems whatsoever- the car took me through many european countries and started first time everytime (including many well under sub zero temperatures in Switzerland), with not a hint of any problems. Ok, the only thing it has is an appetite for oil but many diesels have this problem, including toyota's recently (they are supposed to be 100% reliable)
See:
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/214788/toyota_engine_woes.html

According to many surveys they are up there with the best- they are a mass produced car so you are evidently in the 5% or so with problems with your Audi.

 

[bacardi]

- Wheel bearing noise was put down to the tyres. Although on visual inspection, they really don't look worn - and this noise only started happening a few weeks ago. And it gets worse at certain times. So...still a mystery to me (they suggested that I needn't change the tyres and just carry on driving with them)

If I had a quid for everytime they said this to me I'd have well over 20 quid (!!)

The first few times I believed them, fortunately being a lease car I could get the tyres changed, the noise was still there - the garage could then say nothing and had to fix the bearing

Now, I don't

In my view its a serious safety issue. Don't take no for an answer

 

[bacardi]

I am only talking from my personal experience. In 24000 miles I have had no problems whatsoever- the car took me through many european countries and started first time everytime (including many well under sub zero temperatures in Switzerland), with not a hint of any problems. Ok, the only thing it has is an appetite for oil but many diesels have this problem, including toyota's recently (they are supposed to be 100% reliable)
See:
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/214788/toyota_engine_woes.html

According to many surveys they are up there with the best- they are a mass produced car so you are evidently in the 5% or so with problems with your Audi.

me too, glad we're in the minority.

In the same 24k miles that nothing's gone wrong with yours, I managed 6 wheel bearings, 2 steering racks and a drivers seat

that's really really good build quality

 

[newbiecrg]

I would say even... outstanding building quality!!! Have you checked if it is four rings on the badges? I think you only have 3 of them...

These days no matter what brand we always need to be lucky... there are lemons everywhere. What I don't understand bacardi is that if it was a defective bearing after replacing it it should sort the problem... I think the bearing issues with your car have nothing to do with the bearings themselves but maybe a more fundamental problem like chassis torsion or whatever....

Pedro

 

[katsumoto]

If I had a quid for everytime they said this to me I'd have well over 20 quid (!!)

The first few times I believed them, fortunately being a lease car I could get the tyres changed, the noise was still there - the garage could then say nothing and had to fix the bearing

Now, I don't

In my view its a serious safety issue. Don't take no for an answer

I intend on giving it another week, to have a good look at the situation. The only thing that is going for them is the noise I am experiencing is not happening ALL the time. It shows periodically and is inconsistent in noise volume.

 

[bacardi]

I would say even... outstanding building quality!!! Have you checked if it is four rings on the badges? I think you only have 3 of them...

These days no matter what brand we always need to be lucky... there are lemons everywhere. What I don't understand bacardi is that if it was a defective bearing after replacing it it should sort the problem... I think the bearing issues with your car have nothing to do with the bearings themselves but maybe a more fundamental problem like chassis torsion or whatever....

Pedro

yeah, me too, to be honest, its actually getting quite a fun sport now, not only is there a sweepstake running in my office about when my baby is born, there's another for when I'll need more wheel bearings

If I thought I'd get anywhere I'd approach Audi HQ asking why they think its ok for a car to have this many wheel bearings I would - sadly they've shown less interest than the folks on this forum, I gave up asking them after the 6th