A4 B9 - Creaking / Tapping noise from rear

[IIGAZI360II]

Hi All,

Have been a long term viewer of the forum, previously owned an A3 saloon and managed to find plenty of answers on here when needed - Fantastic info and advise, has been really appreciated! Hoping you might be able to help me on this one...

Purchased an A4 saloon back in February and have been very happy with it, apart from one annoying issue...

There appears to be a creaking/tapping noise coming from the rear, around the parcel shelf/D pillar trims area. Having asked passengers in the back where they think the noise is coming from, nearly all of them have said it sounds like it's behind the near side D pillar trim.

I've spent quite a while searching for possible fixes, came across this thread - A4 B9 Creaking from rear (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/178357-A4-B9-Creaking-from-rear) , but never really managed to find a definitive answer regarding what needs to be done to remedy the noise.

The noise uploaded in this recording is pretty much spot on to what I'm getting - Audi A4 B9 Rear Windows Rattle - Clyp (https://clyp.it/uhv01p0z)

Also managed to find some possible TSB numbers - 2046397/1, 10091076, A641639 2046 - Unfortunately, although the titles of those TSBs include something along the lines of 'Creaking from rear', then don't elaborate on what the Audi technician would need to do to solve the fault.

Think a lot of people took their cars straight back to Audi when the fault appeared, and as they were still under warranty, the fix was sorted there and then. Having checked with the Audi garage where I purchased the A4 from, they confirmed that rattles are only covered for the first year of warranty, any investigation work and fixes would now be chargeable.

Decided a few weeks ago to try and track down the noise myself. Removed the D pillar trims and parcel shelf - Managed to find a few clips/fixings that were loose, applied some foam tape to stop them moving. The sub bolts also got tightened as they weren't overly tight. However the next day on the way to work, the noise reappeared pretty much straight away, no difference in frequency (Was hoping I may of at least dulled the noise slightly).

So that's about where I'm at. Have taken some photos to see if you kind people might be able to pinpoint the bits I need to be looking at - From the descriptions that some people have given, there's some sort of fixing above the D pillar trim, going into the roof lining that rubs against the rear glass, but I can't find anything that looks like it could be rubbing? Have circled a popper/fixing in red, does anyone know if that's the offending piece?

34971

34972

34973

Would really appreciate any info or guidance on this, absolutely love driving the car, but the noise is driving me mad!

Thanks for your time,

Gareth

[jds68]

I have experienced similar tapping type sounds from the rear and although I have had a general look around to see if there is anything obvious have not found anything yet. Interested to read your findings so far and looking on other forums it seems to be a not uncommon complaint.
I have also noticed that it is more noticeable when the outside temperature is between about 8°C - 15°C. When its hotter it seems to go away and I don't remember noticing it during the colder weather either.
If I can't find a solution I will probably wait until the next service is due and ask the dealer to look into it then, although like many intermittent noises it'll probably be not doing it on that day!
You've obviously been more determined than me to try to track it down, so if you get any further I would be very interested to know what you did. I wasn't brave enough to pull the C (or is it D?) pillar trims off as you show in your photos. How did you manage that without damaging them?

[krysus]

Same here regarding temperature, mine has stopped now that it's warmed up, didn't do it when it was really cold either.

[jds68]

Been noticing this more of late in the mornings and I am increasingly wondering if it is not really a trim related issue at all but more something to do with the actual rear glass itself, or the installation of it, and relates to expansion and contraction.

Been having a good look around the roof lining and where it meets the rear glass, but have never found anything that reproduces the ticking noise. Even tried checking the rear interior light but I don't think this has anything to do with it. You can fairly easily feel where the glass is bonded to the metal of the roof and there is nothing that feels like it would cause a tapping or clicking noise. Also tried removing the rear centre brake light in case that had anything to do with it, but it made no difference.

In my case when it is very hot you don't hear it, but the following morning, when the temperature might still be 17°, but had been maybe 30° the previous day, then it is noticeable for awhile. So I think it is more related to temperature difference, which of course has been happening a lot of late.

[jds68]

Finally sorted this annoying issue.

Decided to remove both D pillars & parcel shelf (which is not too tricky if you use plastic trim removal tools, not screwdrivers) and of course, as the OP said above, the noise still occurs.

So I closely examined the plastic location pins that you can see in the OPs picture and found that, in my case at least, they seemed to be adhered to the metal of the car. With some gentle pressure using a flat screwdriver I levered the metal around them away from the plastic base of the pin, at which point there was a loud crack! For a minute I thought I had broken the glass, but this was only the sound of the "seal" between the paint and the plastic base of the pin. Did the same on both sides then snapped the pins off too to make doubly sure that there was no contact between body and pins.

So the issue was the expansion/contraction of the metal body causing a binding on these plastic location pins (which serve no purpose once the window is installed).

Hope someone else finds this useful if they have the same problem.

[Stagnite]

Hi, I have an A4 Avant that makes a very annoying creaking noise I have been trying to track down to no avail so I decided to ask on this site and came across your interesting thread.
The creaking noise seems to come from the rear of the car as you state above but I assume your 4 is not an Avant.
Any other ideas? I thought it was the roof panel creaking.
I'll pop off the rear tailgate trims and have a look to see it there are any of those pins in the tailgate.
Cheers.

Update, I have had a quick look but was unable to remove the C post cover or the tailgate window surrounding cover. Are they just a very firm push fit? I do have a trim removed tool but was not happy using too much force without knowledge.

I have out one of those Chassis Ear Listening kits which I used to track down a couple of rattles in my Jag. One was the A posts having a poor weld causing an irritating clicking sound at certain angles and the other turned out to be the plastic gaiters on the front shock absorbers not being a tight fit on the top mounts. I changed the damper bottom bushes before I bought the Chassis Ear then one of the shocks which is how I found the loose gaiter!

Rattles and clicks are very irritating so any help here will be gratefully received.

Update 2. Having now listened to the recording on here which sounds to me like an old fashioned typewriter, this is not the same creaking sound I am hunting. I have lubed all the door rubbers with special rubber lube to no avail. I think the sound is from two panels rubbing together when the car is on the move so I have pushed all I can reach whilst the Mrs is driving but not found the problem area yet. It seemed to go away when the sunroof was open so I lubed all those rubbers too but the creak returned. I have tightened up all the screws holding on the panels and transit eyes but it STILL creaks!

The only help I get from her of the indoors is to turn the radio up or chill out!

All tips, regarding the creaking, are welcome.

[jds68]

Yes mine is a saloon, B9 model. From the date of yours I'm guessing it is a B8/B8.5?
Probably makes no difference as the assembly methods for the glass panels will be mostly the same I would think.

Yes the rear D pillar trims are held on quite tightly and I had several abortive goes before I plucked up the courage to use enough force to remove them. I didn't want to damage them, but by this time I had exhausted everything else and I was convinced it was to do with the glass and body joint.
Have you tried getting someone to press outwards on the glass when driving and the noise is evident?
Ambient temperature made a big difference for me too as to whether you could hear it or not. In hot conditions you couldn't hear it, but in cooler, not cold, conditions you could hear it a lot.

In my case there was a plastic clip on one side and then two metal clips in the middle. I took a good look at spare parts on ebay first as often the pictures show what they are like on the underside, so you can see what the fixing method is.
I used the trim removal tools too, but also used body weight to remove them, by lowering the rear seats, sitting with my legs in the boot and getting my fingers in the gaps on the sides, once the first clip (nearest the side window) had been released with the trim tool.
Of course yours will be different as it is an Avant, mine is the saloon, but I would think access is better for you.
I also suspected the roof lining and tried all sorts to insulate it. I even removed the high level brake light in case it was that.

The issue is not specifically the plastic location pins but more to do with how they are adhered to the metal body I think. Breaking the seal between them and the metal before snapping them off is the key. It's nearly a year since I did mine and it hasn't come back.

I know from another forum https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/a4-b9-creaking-tapping-noise-from-rear.374654/#post-3373323 which seems more active than this one, other owners have solved the issue in the same way.

Hope this helps you.

[Stagnite]

Hi David,
Than you for your reply.
https://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p621/stagnite/IMG_4846_zpsxhchn7sf.jpg (https://s1159.photobucket.com/user/stagnite/media/IMG_4846_zpsxhchn7sf.jpg.html)

This is a shot of my Audi. I am not sure which model it is though i.e. B9?
I had a go at removing the B post trim this morning but gave up after a real fight to pull it off, afraid that I would bust it! However, I have now removed all the trim from the tailgate so I could have a good look for the glass alignment pins you speak of but there are none. Perhaps the tailgate is assembled off the car on a bench or similar so the lrobot can locate the glass position using another method - it does protrude at the sides.
Having removed the rear trim panels I am going to see if the creaking remains or has gone so perhaps its a good thing that the B post trumps are still insitu. One panel at a time will help identify which area the creak is coming from.

I did notice that a pair of wires that lead to the HRW have been squashed by the trim against the window frame so it could be them that creak. Time will tell.

The link to the other forum was interesting, thanks for that too.

Neville

[jds68]

Hi Neville,

Yours is a B8.5, bascially a FL B8.
The B9 was from late 2015 onwards I tihnk, and is the current model, although there is a FL for MY2020 about to become available later this year I believe.

Is it Scuba blue? If not it looks very similar to it. Mine is too, nice alternative to all the boring black/white/grey cars that seem so popular now.

It might not be the same noise that you're chasing I suppose. The one I had was really more like someone tapping on the glass, very brittle sounding.
And what was weird was that it had nothing to do with going over bumps. Normally rattles and the like sound worse when you drive over a bump or pothole. But this made no difference.
You could be in traffic, engine running, then move ever so slightly forward over a smooth road and the noise would occur.
I think most of last summer I kept trying different things as it was driving me nuts and spoiling what was otherwise a great car.
They guy who started this post confirmed on the other forum that my remedy worked for him, but his was also a B9 saloon.
Hope you've made some progress now anyway.

[Stagnite]

Hi Neville,

Yours is a B8.5, bascially a FL B8.
The B9 was from late 2015 onwards I tihnk, and is the current model, although there is a FL for MY2020 about to become available later this year I believe.

Is it Scuba blue? If not it looks very similar to it. Mine is too, nice alternative to all the boring black/white/grey cars that seem so popular now.

Totally agree about an odd noise spoiling the drive. It does your brain in trying to think what it can be rather than having the radio on and enjoying a relaxing drive.

It might not be the same noise that you're chasing I suppose. The one I had was really more like someone tapping on the glass, very brittle sounding.
And what was weird was that it had nothing to do with going over bumps. Normally rattles and the like sound worse when you drive over a bump or pothole. But this made no difference.
You could be in traffic, engine running, then move ever so slightly forward over a smooth road and the noise would occur.
I think most of last summer I kept trying different things as it was driving me nuts and spoiling what was otherwise a great car.
They guy who started this post confirmed on the other forum that my remedy worked for him, but his was also a B9 saloon.
Hope you've made some progress now anyway.
Yes, its Scuba Blue manual with AWD and a sun roof VIN FA010928. I bought it when it was 6 months old with 6,500 miles on the clock for £26,500 which has just rolled over 50K. Its been a brilliant car apart from just a few niggles which are on this forum. Apart form the creaking noise, one headlamp washer developed a leak which I seem to have cured and the irritating change of the demist default settings which seemed to have changed after it went in for a recall to have the supplementary heater changed in case it caught fire!

The creak seems to occur when going slowly over speed humps and other road issues causing the car to "twist". Anyway, time will tell now I have removed some panels in the tailgate.
https://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p621/stagnite/2D38B4F8-ADF0-417D-9273-EEFE058A11B3_zpsha2fbkxe.jpg (https://s1159.photobucket.com/user/stagnite/media/2D38B4F8-ADF0-417D-9273-EEFE058A11B3_zpsha2fbkxe.jpg.html)
Probably not too popular leaving them in the dining room lol

[Stagnite]

Well, the damn car still creaks without all the tailgate trims so its not them!
However, I did notice that the creaking appeared to have stopped when I had the sunroof fully open and the inner blind fully closed. Not a common combination. As I don't use the car much and Mrs S is not at all bothered by the creak, it takes time for me to try all the different combinations to locate the damn creak and I regularly get a sigh form the passenger seat when I turn the radio off to make the creak more apparent!!
Next time I use or go out in the car I'll carry out some more experiments. I really can't believe that I have not had the inner blind shut before whilst searching. Hey ho.
All the trim now back in and contact points Gummi Pfleged ready for the next run out.

[Stagnite]

Still creaks!
With sunroof open or shut and inner blind open or closed, but it does effect the amount of creak. I think it is due to the solidity of the car changing when the sunroof is shut. Listening for the source of the creak by sitting in the rear the other day, I think it is coming from both sides around the top of the C posts, but could not really identify the source clearly
I suffered creaking on Wednesday whilst taking a return trip to Brighton for the day in the Audi so yesterday I set about my search again.
After a lot of effort, I managed to remove the C post cover by forcing the top pin out from behind the roof panel. Once I could see how the panel was fitted into the roof, I squirted the there panel fitting with some PDF spray using a fine nozzle and went for a short ride to find the creaking had gone - well it seemed to have gone but ...............
Re-fitting the C post cover was a right pain as it needs to be fitted BEFORE all the lower trip is fitted. Eventually, I managed it but there were a few swear words used especially when trying to remove the rear seat belt guide until I found out it just slides off!
https://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p621/stagnite/Mobile%20Uploads/1F61C55F-7FF7-4964-88B2-5C130759D135_zpsbmyrgrwr.jpg (http://s1159.photobucket.com/user/stagnite/media/Mobile%20Uploads/1F61C55F-7FF7-4964-88B2-5C130759D135_zpsbmyrgrwr.jpg.html)
Here is the tab that secures the cover to the roof. I stuck some more felt on the tab as the original had worn off.
https://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p621/stagnite/Mobile%20Uploads/67F1BF35-7179-4980-A9C7-742F45D038B3_zpsxvctcxoc.jpg (https://s1159.photobucket.com/user/stagnite/media/Mobile%20Uploads/67F1BF35-7179-4980-A9C7-742F45D038B3_zpsxvctcxoc.jpg.html)

I just hope I have finally cured the creak.

[mhurer]

With mine I found the problem was the rubber seals around the doors (and boot?), particularly the rear doors. Seems that when these are dry any movement of the door whilst driving e.g. on spread bumps would result in a creaking noise. Seemed to work, but need to reapply every so often.

[mand]

Got fed up of the tapping noise so just tried what jds68 did in post 7. Took less than 10 mins.
Pins snapped off with thin nose pliers and i’ve splayed apart the thin metal that was around them a little bit.
Fingers crosses it sorts it..

[Stagnite]

My creaking all but disappeared during the winter but since temperatures have increased its come back!!!!
Sooo annoying.

[mand]

Been for a quick spin, no tapping :D. Defo recommend trying this cure.
I used a stiff plastic kitchen spatula to lever the trim, then get fingers in and pull hard towards centre of car.
2 clips to unclip then wiggle lower edge of the trim out of the parcel shelf. Now put down the seat back for next bit.
Then move back the edge of the roof lining to see the tab.
i suspect the noise may be coming from the thin metal circular bits around the tabs, so with the tab gone I levered the metal apart with a small screwdriver..
I’ve put off doing this thinking it would be hard and may break the clips, but the noise was driving me mad.
It ended up being very easy and the clips are robust so should not break. Literally 10 mins to do.
Give it a go before VE drinks time :beerchug:.

[clawhammer64]

The sound from rubber door seals different - it happens during acceleration and braking. The sound of the topic is the window chattering with high pitch on the rough surfaces. I hear this sound from rear right pillar, and after i tried to eliminate plastic pin and lift up metal - my pin sticked off from the window and become travelling in "outer space". This was a biggest pain in my a** since all of my VAGs. Think twice before this procedure.

[Frankie B9]

I bought my car 3,0 TDI Fully loaded launch vehicle, First let me just say this rattle/noise is temperature sensitive,
I heard a loud cracking noise maybe once or twice summer 2016, then nothing till the following summer,
i heard this noise several times , i did take car back to Audi Liverpool but they were not interested
Since then this noise has become more frequent and is at its worst around 12 degrees,
Like yourself i thought this noise was coming from the rear,
It doesn't i had a mate drive the car whilst i took one half of the back seat down and put my head in the boot,
i could hear no rattle but my mate who was driving said the rattle never stopped,
Also check this out after a hot day, take ur car out late evening ut your passenger window down in my car its a totally different noise the rattle has gone
and its sounds like your dragging a tin can directly under your passenger door, This might sound a bit daft but this tin can rattling noise only happens after
a hot day and a shower of rain,
Im like you luv the car but this noise is getting worse as the years pass by,
,

[Stagnite]

386483864938650A couple of months ago I decided to bite the bullet and spent the whole day removing the headlining. There were about 12 hex bolts securing the sunroof to the bodywork which I’ve tightened up after which the creek has almost disappeared.
I have an Audi dog guard fitted which helps strengthen the cars structure which also made a difference when poor dog died and guard was removed.
I am convinced that if I had removed the whole pan roof and fitted some double sided tape between the pan rood and car roof the creak would be gone forever.
I might do that one day but as my Mrs drives the Audi and is not bothered, I may not ever get around to it.

[Stagnite]

FINALLY cured the dreaded creak.
39206
I wedged some blue rope in the gap between the roof lining and the black metal sunroof surround at the rear of the sunroof on both sides.

Hoorah! Silence at last. Now on 85,000 miles ����