Help! Drone front drivers side

Jon a4 3.0

Jon a4 3.0

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Hi
Can anyone suggest any other possible areas to check...
I have an a4 b6 avant 3.0 six speed Quattro. I hear a drone from front most noticeable when slowing from 30 to a stop its driving me crazy ! Like something winding down. Sure I can feel it slightly thru pedals etc.
Work done so far ; brand new 18" wheels and tyres all round, new front wheel bearings(main dealer) new front discs and pads, new front driveshafts genuine, main dealer also checked all front suspension as have I. Brake calipers stripped, cleaned, greased sliders, checked caliper mounts etc all ok.
Update re suspension ... Although an audi main dealer supposedly checked front suspension .... Whilst changing the drivers side driveshaft I noticed a lot of play in the inner bush of lower rear control arm .... Could this be allowing my wheel to move and also transfering suspension vibration to the chassis hence feeling it through the floor by pedals ??
Any one got a similar noise ?
It's cost a small fortune so far ... Any help deeply appreciated.
Jon
 
Hi thanks for the suggestion ...
The vibrations I can feel through the floor correspond with the noise of the front drivers side. I can def feel changes of that feel between different road surfaces so I'm convinced it's suspension linked.
I found no slack or play or noise from driveshaft outputs in gearbox when I checked them when I was swapping both front d/shafts. No noise from rear diff .....
I'm going round in circles lol
 
vr6gordy said:
Tyres maybe
Click to expand...
No I ihave ruled out the tyres. They are brand new tyres 2k ago and checked by specialist last weekend and all good. Plus I have rotated them and noise stays in same area also to rule this out.
 
Apologies i wasn't clear enough in my first post. The noise is def coming from outboard on the drivers side front wheel. It's a rotational noise related to road speed and surface .... Just what you may expect from wheel bearing failing but Audi main dealer replaced both fronts approx 1500 miles ago :-/
 
Just because audi did your bearing dose not mean it's been done right sounds like they tightend it to much take it back
 
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Rather just replace it myself as I have no confidence in the dealer really. They did the wheel bearings free of charge to cover another **** up over an Audi recall on the coil packs .... They told me and receipt of work showed they had replaced all six coil packs but when I got home and checked .... They hadn't been touched !!!! Let alone renewed !
So yes I share your thoughts re wheel bearing
 
Mine has a drone too.... notice it between 40mph -60mph... thought it was wheel bearing, changed front bearings still there. Ive decided its tyres!!! Ive only recently brought the car a month ago and the previous owner has stretched 215/35/18 tyres on (does look cool though) but there all matching budget tyres. A good friend of mine has a b7 and recently fitted budget front tyres and noticed the same noise straight away... changed them for better tyres and noise dissapeared!! If it isnt tyres on mine ill deal with the problem when it gets worst!!! Im already fed up chasing it!!!
 
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Lee liptrott said:
Mine has a drone too.... notice it between 40mph -60mph... thought it was wheel bearing, changed front bearings still there. Ive decided its tyres!!! Ive only recently brought the car a month ago and the previous owner has stretched 215/35/18 tyres on (does look cool though) but there all matching budget tyres. A good friend of mine has a b7 and recently fitted budget front tyres and noticed the same noise straight away... changed them for better tyres and noise dissapeared!! If it isnt tyres on mine ill deal with the problem when it gets worst!!! Im already fed up chasing it!!!
Click to expand...

I know just how you feel ... My tyres are new but why would it only come from one side .... I'm resigned to same thinking as you, wait till it gets worse but it doesn't seem to be yet.
I'm going to replace the front lower rear control arm inner bush that I have found to be very worn. It maybe transmitting normal road noise and amplifying it thru to the chassis hence me feeling it thru floor/ pedals and not a dicky bird on my steering wheel ??? Confused dot com.
Lots of reports of tyres causing excessive noise even branded ones on Audis. Tyres can also feather on the inner edge causing a saw tooth type wear on the side of the tyre, this can also cause a wheel bearing like noise.
I've rotated my new tyres and my noise stays put on same front drivers side corner so I'm pretty sure
 
Hope you sort it dude... but I know what you mean about the noise being aggrivating!!! Bugs the life out of me!!!! I swore blind it was my o/s front bearing, even my audi techs did, but changed that one first!!! No change... changed the other side..... no change!!! Let us know if you beat this noise!
 
Update !
I have replaced both front wheel bearings myself ..... Oh and they hadn't been renewed as the Main Dealer told me they had !
The bearings where worn and both sides had sideways play. Def improvement of noise pitch ...
The drone persists !!!!! It has now got worse and under heavy braking to a halt it really hums/drones and you can feel it thru the car and steering wheel!... Could it be the make of brake pads or maybe engine mount.
I have renewed snub mount today just for kicks lol .... Help !
 
does sound like diff bearings, if you knock out of gear then brake to a stop does noise change
 
Ovid said:
does sound like diff bearings, if you knock out of gear then brake to a stop does noise change
Click to expand...
No it doesn't make any difference to the noise at all. I have tried it in neutral braking from thirty or so the harder I brake the heavier the noise gets!
 
Don't use Apec they are notoriously noisy as they are hard pads.
 
I've got a similar sounding problem on my 02 2.4v6 cab. Sounds like a whirring that is consistent with road speed. Front tyres have done a few thou so I doubt that they are responsible and I suspect a dif bearing, but only by the sound. I haven't done much in the way of investigation save giving the tyres a visual. As it's an auto, I can't knock it out of gear etc. at first it sounded like an ABS ring type of whir but from the drivers seat appears to be inboard rather than outboard. Anyone experienced anything similar? I'm resigned to a huge void appearing in my savings. (Not giving it to a main dealer though!)
 
Any one know how to change the diff bearings??
Can you remove the side plate on the passenger side to do it from there or dies the whole box have to come out ?
 
Ovid it does sound almost like stopping on down to the metal pads but with out the harshness. It sends a slight feel they the car but mine def sounds outbound.
 
Drone vibration persists ... Driving me mad.
Can anyone tell me if it is the diff bearings ... How could I test this when driving ????
I was out in her tonight ;
I can feel resonance thru steering wheel when I put my hand over the centre of the wheel. I also can feel the same thru pedals and floor. It corresponds with the noise exactly.
It is persistent at all speeds but changes tones from a whirring at 60 , drone at 40 and sounds like winding down as braking to a halt.
It is def a rotational noise and this sets up the resonance.
It does not change at all if I am in gear or free wheeling , it does not change if in gear from acceleration to deceleration so for instance if I brake at say 20 the noise deepens but it does not change if then brake or accelerate.
 
Did anyone figure this beast out? My '03 3.0 avant is doing the same and it's breaking me. Even with the music blasting then I can still hear/feel it.
I've not changed the bearings yet as I'm still trying to pin point the issue so I limit the amount I'm spending on the car.

Many thanks guys.
 
I had a similar problem with the N/S/F on mine, turned out it needed a new wheel hub eventually.......

The other problem could be with the ABS control module, if one of the valves is sticking then it doesn't fully release the pad......
 
PROBLEM SOLVED
and to say I'm still in disbelief is an understatement .... Droning vibration everything was all due to my TYRES !!!!
New set of non directional tyres with a 71db noise rating and I'm coveted silence once more.
Although they had only done about 2000 miles.
I recently bought an A3 3.2 3dr sport that needed stretched timing chains replacing so while it was immobile I swapped wheels over to test.
I am 53 and I've never experienced tyres make such huge problem throuhout the car.
 
cjmcgrath said:
Did anyone figure this beast out? My '03 3.0 avant is doing the same and it's breaking me. Even with the music blasting then I can still hear/feel it.
I've not changed the bearings yet as I'm still trying to pin point the issue so I limit the amount I'm spending on the car.

Many thanks guys.
Click to expand...
I can't quite believe it but it was my new tyres all along !!! Put new tyres with low db rating and noise vibration everything all gone !!
 
What make were the tyres. ? I suspect that there is a small difference in camber or toe on the front wheel making the tyre sing.
 
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