I have found that the front passenger door is giving quite a bit of wind noise from the front, lower corner area of the window (near the wing mirror). The wind whistling noise starts after about 60mph. Also, the same door is difficult to shut properly. It takes a good slam to shut it. Wondered if anyone has experienced these problems ? My car was at the dealers over a couple of weeks ago looking into these problems (amongst many other issues) but were not able to rectify the problem (though they said they did - mmm ?). Is it easy to adjust the door catches to enable the door to close easier by a 'lay' person ? Cheers, Dan
Wind noise and door closure issue
- Thread starter Daniel43CR
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I have the same issue with the door closure and I know at least 2 other owners experiencing the same
I had the same wind noise issue on my 8V S3, and although Audi acknowledged it was there when then couldn’t fix it, it suddenly became a “feature“ of the car.
I had the car for 3 years and it was never fixed, so I wouldn’t hold your breath thinking they will fix it eventually
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Me too. And my hatch-back doesn’t seem to close reliably under its own weight either.
I've noticed a fair amount of wind whistle particularly from the passenger side but presumed this was more the wing mirror. I've not really had any issues with the passenger door but the two back doors don't close smoothly and need slamming shut. I put that down to them being quite light and not having enough weight behind them to swing shut themselves.
My main issue has been the boot. The hydraulic arms appear stiff (have lubricated them but doesn't help much) and despite shutting it with some force there's far too many occasions that it doesn't catch the latch so I have to do it again.
My A Class previously had a rear door alignment issues that caused wind noise. They adjusted it a few times but it never went away.
My main issue has been the boot. The hydraulic arms appear stiff (have lubricated them but doesn't help much) and despite shutting it with some force there's far too many occasions that it doesn't catch the latch so I have to do it again.
My A Class previously had a rear door alignment issues that caused wind noise. They adjusted it a few times but it never went away.
Also have the wind noise on the passenger side above 60mph and the boot not reliably closing. Was waiting to become a passenger until I could properly try and identify where the wind was coming from.
Same issue for me too with the front passenger door not closing properly. Took it back when I first got it and they said they’d sorted it but it’s still doing it. Needs a firm slam.
In reference to the door not closing properly all I could see when I got the car back was some spray grease on the door hinges - useless. I think it is the catches that need adjusting (either the door catch or the frame catch - perhaps loosen the catch on the frame and pull it out from the car a bit. Any thoughts on this idea (not a mechanic so not sure if that is even possible) ?
It seems this generation of particularly German branded mid market hatchbacks are not built to the same standards as their predecessors. This includes overall build quality and materials used.
If you jump from the 8Y to the previous 8V it's abundantly clear Audi have spent less money on materials and there's more rattles to be found with the harder plastics. Granted the tech is more advanced (but also more problematic) but it doesn't feel as premium as it once did.
A case in point are the rattles/distortion I have in the door cards when the music is turned up and the silver trim around the windows. The trim doesn't line up properly and isn't flush particularly as the front doors merge with the rears. This is probably causing excess wind noise at speed too. I also had quality and build issues with my previous A class too so this isn't just VW group.
However, I had a BMW 1 Series on a two day loan last year and I have to say that was better built with finer quality materials. Had the lease deals been more competitive I'd have chosen that over my A3 if I'm honest.
If you jump from the 8Y to the previous 8V it's abundantly clear Audi have spent less money on materials and there's more rattles to be found with the harder plastics. Granted the tech is more advanced (but also more problematic) but it doesn't feel as premium as it once did.
A case in point are the rattles/distortion I have in the door cards when the music is turned up and the silver trim around the windows. The trim doesn't line up properly and isn't flush particularly as the front doors merge with the rears. This is probably causing excess wind noise at speed too. I also had quality and build issues with my previous A class too so this isn't just VW group.
However, I had a BMW 1 Series on a two day loan last year and I have to say that was better built with finer quality materials. Had the lease deals been more competitive I'd have chosen that over my A3 if I'm honest.
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I’m pretty sure that BMW were also fined as a result of dieselgate, weren’t they?
Could it also be that manufactures need to reduce material / assembly costs to compensate for the price of the new tech, some of which is mandated for safety standards? Also that some of the material choices are to improve fuel economy by reducing weight; or to reduce the environmental impact of the manufacture of the materials themselves? And, in places, simply because those materials are trendy (like piano plastic which seems to be appearing everywhere, unfortunately).
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A friend of mine just bought a brand new Z4, it has plenty of modern tech (which actually works) and it doesn't feel like it has been "built to a cost" much like the current S3 does.
A friend of a friend is in sales for Audi here, he told us that they can't give away S3's. They have 4 on sale that were ex-demos and they have been on the forecourt for months without any interest.
This is the opposite to BMW, Porsche etc, They can't keep stock of used cars. I have been offered more for my 718 than I paid for it in April by a couple of dealers.
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I think the investments they are having to make in electrification of all new models is probably the biggest factor. They are spreading the costs across all their models including non electric cars and cutting costs wherever they think they can get away with it.
When you think fifteen years ago an A3 had a starting price of around £14k and was better built than the current generation you have to start asking questions. The 8Y has a starting price of well over £24k and despite obvious improvements in some areas it's hard to see how they have justified that massive price increase.
If BMW can still make cars using quality materials, fit and finish despite having higher operating costs (as they platform share on a much smaller scale to VW) then it must mean VW were hit harder by dieselgate or are better at lining shareholders pockets.
When you think fifteen years ago an A3 had a starting price of around £14k and was better built than the current generation you have to start asking questions. The 8Y has a starting price of well over £24k and despite obvious improvements in some areas it's hard to see how they have justified that massive price increase.
If BMW can still make cars using quality materials, fit and finish despite having higher operating costs (as they platform share on a much smaller scale to VW) then it must mean VW were hit harder by dieselgate or are better at lining shareholders pockets.
I'm not surprised if I'm honest. Every review puts the similarly priced Golf R well ahead of the S3 in handling and performance so unless you're a badge snob why would you get the S3?
Audi have also missed a trick with the recently released prices for the new RS3. It's more expensive and less powerful than an A45 S AMG (which I'm sure you'd be able to get decent discounts on by now) and to get the car looking anywhere near as good as the Merc you'd have to stump up £5k more and go for the Carbon Black edition to boot.
I was never a fan of the R either to be honest, if I was after a hot hatch at the moment it would be the GTI Clubsport or Edition 45. However the new golfs seem to be experiencing pretty significant issues with the infotainment system and electronics as well, some of which VW have admitted they don't currently have a fix for.
You are not wrong, panel gaps are crazy huge and as for the sealant near the bonnet hinges (see pics) well who knows what these cars are stuck together with.
