GCab Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Didn't mention this before because it was intermittent and I was hoping it would go away (it did when I got to the dealers ) Getting worse, though: a distinct creaking rattle (sometimes sounds like a squeak, other times more of a clatter) coming from the area around the main rearview mirror. By which I mean it could be inside the mirror housing, or up in the roof lining, or even in the hood catch area. It is there when the roof is down, though, and raising/lowering makes no difference. It's apparent on rough road, but when it's there it's easy to elicit just as the car flexes over a speed bump (doesn't seem related to vertical motion but rather to flexing - i.e. it happens even when driving very slowly over a bump). Other times it goes away. It can be very loud - you can hear it (faintly) with roof down, or over the radio with roof up. Other times (more commonly) you only hear if you listen for it. But even the wife notices it - even though she's been in a "don't you dare find anything wrong with this one" mood ever since I changed cars ANyone had a rattle from this area before ? I also notice more wind noise and external sounds (other people's radios etc) through the roof than I used to in my previous cab, plus the inner lining rucks up sometimes (both sides) halfway back (approx over the B pillar) on closing the roof. I may be imagining the former, but not the latter. What gives ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Haven't experienced the noise you're getting (which is surprising as I seem to get every other annoying rattle / squeak ever recorded), but I may be able to help with the inner roof lining 'rucking' I assume you mean it's catching on part of the metal structure when closing the roof. If this is the case, I had the same problem. The dealer asked for advice from Audi Technical (whoever they may be) and were duly sent a couple of plastic fixings in the shape of a 60 degree V which clip onto the roof mechanism. This solved the problem and just guides the roof lining into the correct position. I did notice that on a loan A4 cab, these parts were already fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Gcab, remember the weird knocking I had? Wonder if it's the same as mine was the second cab they'd had in with this issue, both times the hood locking mechanism in the header rail. It did it with the hood up or down and it was going over bigish bumps when the car "flexed" slightly as one wheels went up seperately to the rest. Sounds a little familiar with your issue. [ QUOTE ] Quick, and slightly bizarre, update. Went back over this morning as knocking still there. Went for another test drive with the cheif technician. This time he drove and we went a bit further. This time (thankfully) he could hear the knocking. But to my surprise he says that he thinks it is coming from the soft top locking mechanism in the windscreen header rail! Now I'd put money on the fact that the noise was coming from the front offside suspension/wheel area but he says that the noise seems to travel. Said they had another cab with the same kind of issue and one of his technicians tracked the noise down and cured it, and that he was as surprised as anyone where the noise was coming from as it so clearly seems to be coming from low down and forward on the right. So we take the car back and he goes out with this technician for another listen. They get back, other technician agrees with him, and they ask if I have a spare half hour for them to take a look. I say yes and they take it into the workshop. Half hour later they're back, "all done, see how you get on". And the noise is gone! So seems they were right! My only slight reservation is that whilst they were out the second time it started raining hard and was as I left. There is a part of me still convinced vthat it is something in that wheel area, and maybe the dampness has lubricated it and stopped the knocking. Will only find out when the rain stops and it dries out. But for now, silent cabrio once more and if they are right (and I really hope that they are) then top marks for finding and solving the problem, it was about the last place I'd have thought the noise was coming from! Also top marks for getting the car straight in and spending time on it both times I visited despite me just turning up announced. Seems the service ethic has been turned around completely from this time last year. [/ QUOTE ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCab Posted April 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 Interesting! Certainly same area, and behaviour on 'flexing' over bumps sounds identical even if the sound itself is not. What exactly was the nature of the fault with the hood catch, as it turned out ? Two different service advisors at West London Audi tried to convince me that rattles and creaks are "inevitable" with a cabriolet - you tell them you've had the car for only a month, and they assume you're a clueless newbie who can be led to believe that Audi don't need to bother about build quality in open-tops. Lucky I had my (completely solid) previous new-model cab for 8K miles, and read this forum, or I might have believed them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hants_Cruiser_UK Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 [ QUOTE ] Two different service advisors at West London Audi tried to convince me that rattles and creaks are "inevitable" with a cabriolet - you tell them you've had the car for only a month, and they assume you're a clueless newbie who can be led to believe that Audi don't need to bother about build quality in open-tops. Lucky I had my (completely solid) previous new-model cab for 8K miles, and read this forum, or I might have believed them. [/ QUOTE ] Sounds like the same responses that I used to get from Southampton Audi I had a rattle in my header rail, which was quite a heavy knocking, but it went away when the hood was lowered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdehoogh Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 This is exactly the problem I faced for some months and which they could not solve... Three weeks ago they finally managed to get rid of it by using some grease. Worked well. Appears to be a problem of the head bar locks that rattle during torsion of the car. Seems that there is a service note on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chav Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 I have a similar rattle along the top of the windscreen. I then noticed the passenger side header of the windscreen had a small gap from the chrome bit at the top on the inside. when i push the lower bit of the header upwards against the chrome bit to remove the small gap, the noise seems to quieten. the other noise that annoys is the creeking of the front seats. cant seem to fix that yet. they creek far more than the seats of the saloon. also have to remember to check the seat drawers are shut all the time so they dont bang in and out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCab Posted April 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 thanks everyone... frustrating that it seems impossible to get them to actually have a look at it without being able to "demonstrate it" - bit like going to the doctor and having him say "well unless you collapse with chest pain right here and now in front of me, I don't believe you have angina and I'm not allowed to do anything" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 [ QUOTE ] Interesting! Certainly same area, and behaviour on 'flexing' over bumps sounds identical even if the sound itself is not. What exactly was the nature of the fault with the hood catch, as it turned out ? [/ QUOTE ] I'm not entirely sure I'm afraid, other than the knocking was coming from the header rail. I think it was a case of greasing something in there but I might be wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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