# Rattle [solved]



## ThePhoenix (Mar 14, 2016)

I have a rather annoying rattle; it has been there since I took delivery of the car a couple of weeks ago. The car is 7 months old.

I understand that this sort of thing is covered by the warranty for the first year?

Before the hassle of taking up to the stealer, I was wondering is anyone else has had a similar experience, as these things very often are not isolated cases? Here is a short recording of the sound, captured by a mobile phone placed in the driver's footwell: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gfr8bcge6pegn ... e.wav?dl=0

My other question is re. advice on how to track it down. I think it is coming from under the dash, but sometimes it sounds like it is behind me. A passenger has also given me the opinion that it may be behind me, but I am not convinced.

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers.


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## Mr R (Mar 1, 2015)

Woooa... you can definitely hear it, a sort of fluttering noise.

I would have suggested taking someone with you on a drive to see if they can spot it, even ask them to sit in the back. Alternatively ask someone else to drive to give you the chance to look about. What speeds does the noise start (which gear), have you tried moving the seats and headrests, does it change when the windows are up or down? If you try recording again with phone in a different location in the car does it sound louder?

I once had an irritating rattle in a BMW Z4 and after a long process of eliminating the seats, headrests, passenger windows and roof I eventually tracked it down to passenger door trim! It can take a bit of perseverance.


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## leopard (May 1, 2015)

It's certainly not a light rattle like the classic A pillar/dash interface.

This is more like a loose back seat/iso fix.Might be seat belt clip against door trim...could be much more obviously...but I echo Mr R's advice.Take somebody with you and try and isolate that way.


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## LEIGH-H (Feb 24, 2016)

I haven't listened to the file, but the description of 'fluttering' rings alarm bells from older VWG turbo engines. Does it make the noise all the time? Faulty diverter valve gives a fluttering noise when coming off boost.


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## LEIGH-H (Feb 24, 2016)

Just listened. It's not you DV. As Leopard says, it sounds like a seat rattle.


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## ThePhoenix (Mar 14, 2016)

Thanks for the suggestions on tracking this down. Due to the consensus I have been concentrating on the seat. After much driving around with towels stuffed infront, behind, down each side and under it, I think I have now ruled it out.

I an now pretty sure that the rattle is just above the pedals. I can see that the lower trim panel has an 8mm bolt each side but does anyone know for definite what else (if anything) needs to be undone to remove it?

Cheers.


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## foxmeister3 (Sep 5, 2015)

I have a rattle which sounds exactly the same as the audio sample you've posted. Its taken me two weeks to trace and eliminate the source so I thought I'd share my experience. The source of my rattle is the seat belt connector. I've found that the driver and passenger side seat belt connectors can rattle when there is not enough side tension on the buckle. Its most noticeable in my car at slow speed on a bumpy road. I've eliminated the rattle by pushing a rolled up scarf between my hip and the seat belt connector. Doing the same on my wife's side eliminates the rattle when there's a passenger in the car. Not a very elegant solution but it works. I've concluded that this is more likely to be a problem with slim drivers/passengers which probably explains why its not been noticed more widely. Hope this helps others with the same problem.


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## ThePhoenix (Mar 14, 2016)

foxmeister3 said:


> I have a rattle which sounds exactly the same as the audio sample you've posted. Its taken me two weeks to trace and eliminate the source so I thought I'd share my experience. The source of my rattle is the seat belt connector. I've found that the driver and passenger side seat belt connectors can rattle when there is not enough side tension on the buckle. Its most noticeable in my car at slow speed on a bumpy road. I've eliminated the rattle by pushing a rolled up scarf between my hip and the seat belt connector. Doing the same on my wife's side eliminates the rattle when there's a passenger in the car. Not a very elegant solution but it works. I've concluded that this is more likely to be a problem with slim drivers/passengers which probably explains why its not been noticed more widely. Hope this helps others with the same problem.


Got quite excited when I read this and just rushed out to take the car round the block. Unfortunately it's not the cause of mine.  After some experimentation I can get my seatbelt connector to rattle like yours, but only if I relive the tension on the diagonal belt and 'jiggle' it about - a similarish rattle, but mine is definitely in front and low of the driver.

In my case the tension on the belt is easily sufficient to load the buckle up enough for it not to rattle in the way you describe. I even plugged the passenger side in, without a passenger and no rattle is made. I would think your buckles are in some way defective and would seriously consider getting an opinion from your local dealer. I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to post the details of your experience though. It ruled it out for me and hopefully will be helpful for some other drivers.

The update on mine is that I have exhausted all ideas as to what it could be. I am pretty sure that it needs to have been driven for a few miles before it starts rattling though - which is odd. It is now booked in next Wednesday for Audi to take a look, though when I took their chief mechanic out for a listen he was completely flummoxed! They want it for two days, so let's hope it is resolved by next Friday and that they don't damage any trim, or introduce a new problems. :roll:


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## Matrix (Apr 11, 2016)

Please don't tell me that TTs rattle. I am getting rid of my A1 because the doors creak, the seats creak and the seatbelt stalks creak. [smiley=bigcry.gif]


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## Dreams1966 (Oct 27, 2014)

Mine doesn't.... It's as tight as a drum


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

For who has the noise from inside the car, just a coincidence maybe but, after I took out the mmi last days, it happened to hear this famous vibration from the glove box...a lot of cables are in there..
Worth a try to pull it out
Anyway, if I hear it, is in dynamic as far as I remember so maybe are the cables or maybe not


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## ThePhoenix (Mar 14, 2016)

Anyone with the same rattle as attached in the OP:

After lots of listening and placing a recorder in various places in the cabin, I decided the noise was probably being generated in the engine bay, or underneath the car.

Took it to Audi and drove round with a technician; he'd never heard anything like it. Booked it in for a couple of days. Three different technicians couldn't decide on the source, but before stripping the dashboard had a good look in the engine bay and underneath for loose brackets, pipes, cables, or the like. One of them tapped the lower heat shield and noted that it was very close to the upper heat shield; in fact so close that a slight lateral rocking of the car caused them to knock together.

A little while later and after a bit of adjustment to the lower heat shield, the rattle was gone for good. Bliss.

So there you have is, if you have anything like to sound in the attached audio file, tap (or get someone else to) your heat shield and see if this is your problem too.

Cheers.


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

I think, if you can, a picture of the area would be great for who has this problem..


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