S3 Saloon Rear Suspension clunk

[DataScientist]

Hi all,

I've read a lot of threads about the rear suspension knocking / clunking sound but I was wondering if anyone has had this replaced by a dealer in the UK? I've taken my car in twice to my dealer in Stockport and although they admit they can hear the noise, they say it's just normal for the S3 and they all sound like that? There has been no physical inspection because they don't feel they need to carry one out?
I was given a regular A3 when I dropped it off for the service and that sounded so much better, bumps sounded like a nice confident thud rather than a hallow clunk.

I tested drove the hatch because there was no saloon available so my first drive of it was when I bought it and I noticed the cluck as soon as I drove out the car park. I've never heard anything like it, apart from some old bangers I had years ago. I thought there was something in the boot knocking on the lid but unfortunately it wasn't.

I've got screen shot of TSB's but these were all from abroad and for some reason the dealer seems to think they might even be fake?? I told them there are literally dozens of posts online where people with mag ride have had the same issue and had it sorted but they say...oh well people post all kinds of things online?

I figured if I can find a dealer who's actually fixed the issue I can speak to them and either go there if it's local, or get my dealer to call them.

 

[Mark_86]

I'd contact Audi customer services and see what they say?

 

[Gugne]

I'm not sure if it's any help but I had an annoying clunk coming from the rear.
I found out it was the rear seatbelt buckles tapping on the wheel arch liner every time I went over a bump big enough.
There is no strap on them so you can slide and hold the buckle higher up the belt avoiding this so I just tucked them into
the gap between the seat base and wheel arch and the clunk disappeared.

 

[DataScientist]

I'd contact Audi customer services and see what they say?

I did that and they said try another dealer. They had no knowledge of any TSB's for the rear suspension so were pretty rubbish to be honest.

 

[Mark_86]

I did that and they said try another dealer. They had no knowledge of any TSB's for the rear suspension so were pretty rubbish to be honest.

Humm... I guess the only thing you can do is try another dealer and insist they check it over... Good luck

 

[DataScientist]

I'm not sure if it's any help but I had an annoying clunk coming from the rear.
I found out it was the rear seatbelt buckles tapping on the wheel arch liner every time I went over a bump big enough.
There is no strap on them so you can slide and hold the buckle higher up the belt avoiding this so I just tucked them into
the gap between the seat base and wheel arch and the clunk disappeared.

I've noticed that and sorted it. The noise is loud and does not sound healthy at all. It's like something is going to come crashing through the boot lid.

 

[Ormesome]

Sounds stupid so state, but have you taken everything (spare tyre, jack, false floor) out of the boot and then driven it? i got massively paranoid about a click from the rear until i realised it was 2 spray cans clicking together! stupid little things like that can drive you mad! take out everything and narrow it down. get a mate in the back with seats down or boot to see what area its from?

 

[micloi]

Some people with the superb 280 (very similar haldex setup) had this issue.

The rattling noise in the rear of the Superb depended on a faulty casting of the wishbone bushings.

In a certain period of manufacturing, there were bubbles of air in the rubber mixture, which could give a rattling noise in the rear.

Skoda issued a bulletin and is replacing the faulty bushings.

Based on the sharing of parts between the vag group this could also be a possibility for the S3 noise?

 

[DataScientist]

I

Sounds stupid so state, but have you taken everything (spare tyre, jack, false floor) out of the boot and then driven it? i got massively paranoid about a click from the rear until i realised it was 2 spray cans clicking together! stupid little things like that can drive you mad! take out everything and narrow it down. get a mate in the back with seats down or boot to see what area its from?

I've taken everything out including car seats etc as that had a rattle. It's perfectly fine most of the time and it's a fairly muted sound on most road surfaces but as soon as you hit a pot hole or go over a rough surface it's very noticeable. The speed bump at the gym is especially bad and I literally have to crawl over it otherwise it sounds like the back end is going to fall apart.

My wife has an ST which has rock hard suspension but it has a completely different tone when going over bumps. Maybe it's the car, I've had BM's for the last 7 years and I never had anything like this in any of them.

 

[steverobertsbbc]

This is going to sound utterly implausible, but bear with me...

My A3 was silent until the first time I washed it and then literally every bump I went over it sounded like somebody had undone all the suspension bolts. The cause was silicones from the shampoo getting onto the door and boot seals, causing them to stick and then give suddenly once a certain amount of force was applied to them by a bump. It sounded ****** awful! However, an application of Gummi Pflege to the rubber seals restored wonderful silence once again. It should be a part of every Audi driver's toolbox!

Honestly, you would not believe that the noise I was hearing could be something as simple as door seals... I'm not the only one to have found this either.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nextzett-...930485?hash=item3a89f97635:g:tq0AAOSwlfxXGn3A

 

[Mark_86]

I hate noises in the car that I can't explain (wife excluded of course). Drives me nuts! Everything is tied down in the ST, but it creaks like an old barn in the wind... but it's a Ford so I can forgive it. I will not be so lenient with the S3.

 

[MartS300]

I've had same trouble as you complained to my local dealer and they say the noise is normal .. Not impressed

 

[pburv]

Contact North Wales Audi and ask the service department..They replaced the rear top mounts on my car without any issues...
http://www.sytner.co.uk/audi/dealer-locator/north-wales-audi/.
It was the service manager(Peter Jones) who told me about a technical bulletin on the RS3's that were fitted with 'magride' these suffer from the same fault....(sorry can't recall the technical bulletin) it was 12 months ago..
Personally if I was you I would take your car to another Audi dealer and ask them to check the rear mounts......Dealers love warranty work because it's a good source of income for them...Failing that keep on pestering them they usually will 'play ball' just to get rid of you...lol

 

[Gugne]

This is going to sound utterly implausible, but bear with me...

My A3 was silent until the first time I washed it and then literally every bump I went over it sounded like somebody had undone all the suspension bolts. The cause was silicones from the shampoo getting onto the door and boot seals, causing them to stick and then give suddenly once a certain amount of force was applied to them by a bump. It sounded ****** awful! However, an application of Gummi Pflege to the rubber seals restored wonderful silence once again. It should be a part of every Audi driver's toolbox!

Honestly, you would not believe that the noise I was hearing could be something as simple as door seals... I'm not the only one to have found this either.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nextzett-...930485?hash=item3a89f97635:g:tq0AAOSwlfxXGn3A

Same here. I left work and the car was silent. It rained on the way and by the time I got home it was rattling like a 10 year old FIAT over any bump.
Put the Gummi Pflege on all the seals and the noise disappeared.

 

[DataScientist]

I'm taking it i

Contact North Wales Audi and ask the service department..They replaced the rear top mounts on my car without any issues...
http://www.sytner.co.uk/audi/dealer-locator/north-wales-audi/.
It was the service manager(Peter Jones) who told me about a technical bulletin on the RS3's that were fitted with 'magride' these suffer from the same fault....(sorry can't recall the technical bulletin) it was 12 months ago..
Personally if I was you I would take your car to another Audi dealer and ask them to check the rear mounts......Dealers love warranty work because it's a good source of income for them...Failing that keep on pestering them they usually will 'play ball' just to get rid of you...lol

Thanks for that, I've called and left a message for Peter to call me back. I am taking my car into a different dealer tomorrow so fingers crossed!!

It sounds truly awful, how they can think this is normal is beyond me.

 

[DataScientist]

I've had same trouble as you complained to my local dealer and they say the noise is normal .. Not impressed

I am taking mine somewhere else tomorrow, I am not accepting that a car that cost £42k can sound as bad as this over bumps. The noise it makes from outside the car over bad bumps is really bad too. I'll keep you posted on my progress once I take it in tomorrow.

 

[pburv]

I'm taking it i


Thanks for that, I've called and left a message for Peter to call me back. I am taking my car into a different dealer tomorrow so fingers crossed!!

It sounds truly awful, how they can think this is normal is beyond me.

Glad to be of help mate..
That's what this forum is about....The right level of helpfulness and banter.....
Good luck at the other dealership..Hopefully they won't give you any hassle..

 

[rams_s3]

Had mine back for this exact problem. Audi Huddersfield told me there was a problem with the top mounts on a lot of s3 saloons. Audi had redesigned the top mounts to make the knocking quieter. Would of helped me but been a facelift it already had the revised parts. Basicallly was told there was nothing else they could do and that mine wasn't the worse they'd heard. Reassuring, not. To be fair mine has done 3k now and it does seem to be better or maybe I'm just used to it.

 

[Don76]

My saloon has done this for the past 107,000 miles. It's never gotten any worse and I don't even notice it now.

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[davc]

My saloon has done this for the past 107,000 miles. It's never gotten any worse and I don't even notice it now.

Wow that's stellar mileage for an A3 saloon mate

 

[Don76]

Wow that's stellar mileage for an A3 saloon mate

It's only 29 months old too. Chopping it in this summer

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[davc]

Seriously 107,000 miles

 

[Tom.H]

It's only 29 months old too. Chopping it in this summer

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That's some mileage in just over 2 years!

My current car is due a service in 18 days so it's telling me, I've done less than 5k since the last one lol

 

[Don76]

Seriously 107,000 miles

It's a company car mate. I cover the northern half of the UK selling tyres.

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[davc]

Thought it was a typo lol

 

[pburv]

It's a company car mate. I cover the northern half of the UK selling tyres.

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

Got any insider tips on tyre choice? Especially the 19" S3 variety...lol

 

[Don76]

Got any insider tips on tyre choice? Especially the 19" S3 variety...lol

I run P-Zero RO1 (which denotes Audi RS homologation) and Pirelli Sotto Zero 3 during the winter. Both 235/35R19.

The summers wear very well, grip is great in the dry, decent in the wet and they're not overly noisy.

I've always stuck with these so can't compare.

Best advice on tyres is to buy the best you can possibly afford and avoid anything you've never heard of or that's made in China.

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

 

[pburv]

I run P-Zero RO1 (which denotes Audi RS homologation) and Pirelli Sotto Zero 3 during the winter. Both 235/35R19.

The summers wear very well, grip is great in the dry, decent in the wet and they're not overly noisy.

I've always stuck with these so can't compare.

Best advice on tyres is to buy the best you can possibly afford and avoid anything you've never heard of or that's made in China.

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

Great stuff Don....
Will take that advice on board...
Have in the past always put on Pzero rosso's...So might stick with Pirelli's..

 

[DataScientist]

So I got a TPI - 2042575/4 from Peter Jones (above) who was very helpful! It covers the rear suspension noise, although it does say the noise is more of a rumbling sound over rough surfaces rather than the noise I am experiencing. Anyway they can replace the top mounts regardless using this TPI so they are currently on order.

I went for a test drive with the technician who could hear the noise but he said it could well be normal for the car. We went over some speed bumps and there was a loud clunk but he put this down to the rear shocks being at full extension - I know little about cars so I have to take his word for it.
The problem is I drive the car daily over all kinds of surfaces at 40+mph and this is where it gets really bad.

I'll see what happens when they replace the top mounts but I have a feeling it won't help.

I plan to chop it in later this year anyway so I wondering if it's even worth the effort.

 

[JohninMK]

Invaluable information here. Got my S3 booked in at the end of the month to have the top mounts replaced. Quoting the TPI and this site saved all kinds of hassle including the need to take it in confirm the problem on my car! Hopefully the clunk over bumps, we have a lot in MK, will then be very reduced or even a thing of the past.

 

[selleym]

Has anyone got a copy of the actual TPI document for 2042575? i did have a look for it on erWin with my VIN but it couldn't find anything.
Thanks

 

[JohninMK]

By coincidence my S3 is booked in tomorrow, Tuesday, to have this done. I'll see what I can come away with.

 

[JohninMK]

Couldn't come away with anything. All they would say is that they are changing the top mounts. Sorry.

Its now in for another day as they had only ordered the parts they could return in advance, all the other bits and bobs they ordered today when they got the car.

The Master Technician who test drove it with me only needed to be driven over one ridge in the road and it was back to base. Done a few of these he said, its due to the initial cars being set up with tolerances for smooth German roads, we need more play here apparently. We will see.

Still I have a nice 4500 mile S-Line A4 as a courtesy car. I'd say that its front tyres are half gone already, but then I am in MK the roundabout town.

 

[Stevier88]

Been covered many times on here back when I picked up my 65 plate saloon , seemed to be a common problem which I instantly got. took it to one dealer who were beyond useless (wont say who it was....GLASGOW) and their technical response was ''the saloon is a noisy car''. Apparently it was down to the top mounts but after having them replaced it didn't resolve it. Also changed the rear shocks which didn't fix it either. Apparently its down to the mag ride adjusting...Still have it do this day.

 

[Dan Halen]

I didn't have any luck in the US, either- no TSB, and of course there wasn't a suitable speed bump nearby to replicate with the tech. The only consolation is that it has been this way since I bought the car with 3,000 miles and has not gotten progressively worse, so it would seem to be a design issue rather than component deterioration.

 

[JohninMK]

Car collected this morning, bad clunk now gone. Very happy so thanks to those here who pointed the way.

Had another look at the courtesy car tyres, all 4 were well gone one nearly at the wear bars and these were 245/35/19 ContiSport 6 so not cheap tyres. Given even the back ones were like that I can only assume they had done a front back swap. The Service reception guy said that it was down to their customers abusing the cars.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

I find it truly weird that your original dealer stated no TSB on this issue. I can get online and find all TSB's issued for the A3/S3 and yes there is a TSB for PFL mag ride shock mount replacement. Fl S3's have the new mounts.

https://www.truedelta.com/Audi-A3-tsbs-8,201

NHTSA ID: 10106613
TSB ID: ATU 8/2016

Running gear: audi magnetic ride - knocking noises from rear shocks on s3 (8v) and tts (fv)

 

[selleym]

Anyone got access to the UK TPI document for this?
Also did anyone have a recording of the sound from their car?

 

[JohninMK]

As I said above, they basically refused to show it to me when I asked.

No recording but the 'clunk' is really a 'thud' when you go over a ridge or sharp bump in the road. I thought initially that it was the spare wheel cover in the boot, mine is a saloon too, bouncing up and down. Mine was worse on the nearside. Still silent now

 

[selleym]

As I said above, they basically refused to show it to me when I asked.

No recording but the 'clunk' is really a 'thud' when you go over a ridge or sharp bump in the road. I thought initially that it was the spare wheel cover in the boot, mine is a saloon too, bouncing up and down. Mine was worse on the nearside. Still silent now

What year is your car?