Over the past year i've made it my mission to eliminate the interior squeeks and rattles in the RS3. They were ruining my enjoyment of the car so much that I was considering selling. It was/is my dream car.
As far as i'm concerned, a German fast saloon should make dull-thuds, not sharp rattles and squeeks. Audi obviously have never driven the 8V around the UK on our crappy roads. Not acceptable.
I've been around every forum, video and guide ...i've tried everything ... from Audi to BMW fixes .... and here's what i've found.
My RS3 now sounds like it should, with no rattles and squeeks. Your car may be different, but this is what worked for me.
Here's the change I made to the sunroof screws. The end result is the sunroof sits lower when closed, exerting more clamping force on the seals and preventing noises / movement. Also keeping the seals lubed up.
Note: While looking at the sunroof, I noticed there's a small hole through to untreated bodywork next to an area acting as a waterway for rain. Water ingress was happening and there was some rust in there. I blasted a load of silicon lube down there, but I imagine that if untreated this could rust through.
Amazon sucks, but here's the products search terms:
As far as i'm concerned, a German fast saloon should make dull-thuds, not sharp rattles and squeeks. Audi obviously have never driven the 8V around the UK on our crappy roads. Not acceptable.
I've been around every forum, video and guide ...i've tried everything ... from Audi to BMW fixes .... and here's what i've found.
My RS3 now sounds like it should, with no rattles and squeeks. Your car may be different, but this is what worked for me.
- Windows/Doors:
Problem: If your doors squeek, rattle or make harsh sound over potholes, the issue sounds like it might be window rattle.
Attempted Solutions: There is play in the window mechanism, but the window is sealing correctly to the door top. I found the issue was the rubbers on the inside of the door and the contact they make with the body/metal when closed. Slight movement in the door causes the seal to snap against the metal (like clicking your thumb). At first I tried Gummi-pfledge (Liqui Moly P001132 in my case), but I found this was ineffective.
What Worked: A better lubricant was Liqui Moly 3312 Silicon Grease. Apply this to the painted bodywork and the large outer rubber door seals. This cured my door/"window" rattles and creaks. I basically clean off the rubber and re-apply every 3 months. Anywhere rubber contacts painted metal under pressure.
- Pano Sunroof:
Problem: The problem was a sharp sounded rattle/click/creak when going over potholes. Worse when going over a pothole on one-side of the car. Not so bad over speedbumps. It made the car sound like an old wooden ship.
Attempted solutions: A liberal coating of the (expensive) VAG roof lube made things better ... for a few hours. Next, I caked the runners and mechanism in LM3312 as above. This did not work. Then I tried coating the seals around the glass and any contact patches between glass, plastic, metal. This did not work. Next up I applied sticky-back felt stripts to contact patches. This did not work. On the front-side of the sunroof the rattle sounds forward of the aperture in the headliner. On the rear, it is just clicky. Next I padded the wind break thing that flips up. Didn't work.
What worked: The sunroof pane is fixed to the runners on the front and rear using Torx screws and washers (pictures below). The hole for the screw is bigger in the horizontal direction than the screw, allowing the sunroof to be adjusted when fitted. Over time, the opening and closing of the sunroof applying upwards force to the glass moves the screw in the hole relative to the fixing that joints the runner. This means the sunroof sits a few mm too high and also means less pressure applied between all the rubber seals ... which causes them to squeek and "click" when the runroof moves slightly. Adjusting these screws to bring the glass back DOWN means that the closed sunroof clamps harder in position. Readjustment is required every few months. A flawed design imho, which is also why people who have their pano roof replaced report the rattles come back after a few months (as the roof moves in the slots).
- Rear of the car:
- The seatbelt-open resting position of the buckle knocks against the plastic either side of the rear seats. Stick some felt on the back, cut to the shape of the buckle.
- Rear seat locking mechanism needs regular re-greasing to avoid minor rattling.
- The rear parcel shelf / brace (Saloon) when not snug against the rear seat causes the rear seat locking mechanism's play to lead to rattles. Padding is required.
- Anything under the boot floor in the spare wheel bay which rattles causes sound to appear inside the cabin. Ensure everything is well seated.
- Front of the car:
- If you have a small rattle coming from any door, sounding like something rattling around in the speaker ... check your outer handle trim. and inner fixing. They have tabs on them which can break, fall down inside the card and rattle around. This did my head in for ages.
Here's the change I made to the sunroof screws. The end result is the sunroof sits lower when closed, exerting more clamping force on the seals and preventing noises / movement. Also keeping the seals lubed up.
Note: While looking at the sunroof, I noticed there's a small hole through to untreated bodywork next to an area acting as a waterway for rain. Water ingress was happening and there was some rust in there. I blasted a load of silicon lube down there, but I imagine that if untreated this could rust through.
Amazon sucks, but here's the products search terms:
- Aneco 6 Pack 1 x 60 Inch Self Adhesive Felt Tape Self-Stick Heavy Duty Felt Strips Felt Adhesive Strip Roll Polyester Felt Tape for Furniture and Hard Surfaces (Black)
- Liqui Moly P001132 Rubber Care, 75 ml The lube stick used, I still apply it to the window seals at the top of the door.
- Liqui Moly 3312 Silicon-Grease Clear 100 g This stuff is brilliant. I coated the sunroof runners and use it on the door seals where they contact the metal.
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