1st car in my name

So I noticed today as I was driving in the 15-25 mph range with a building to echo off of that there is a metal on metal noise with the rotation of the wheel. It is a pretty soft noise and is by no means screeching. This is the first day I've noticed it so I haven't done too much troubleshooting (I'll be back on that same stretch tomorrow), but I did notice that it was not occurring when I hit the brakes. Has anyone ever heard this before?

Basically I'm trying to decide to go to the dealer under warranty, go to a local shop for OEM brakes, or just ignore it. I know some cars have audible wear sensors and I know ours have electronic sensors, but I'm not sure if it has both and if one would trigger before the other. The car is a 2011 and only has 19k on it so it seems early for brakes. It experiences hills daily, but we try to downshift as much as possible and I'd estimate 75% or more of those miles are highway.

It seems virtually identical to the issue in <a href="https://www.audiworld.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23997063">this thread</a>, but the answer in that thread (that it's normal) seems odd as I've never noticed this before. Admittedly this noise is not loud and maybe I've just never had the window open like I did today when driving by the spot with the echo at just the right speed.

1st car in my name

I was able to pinpoint the noise this morning and get a video. It's the driver's side rear wheel:

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BMoreB8

I'm no expert, but if I heard that sound, I would assume it was brake-related (after verifying there wasn't anything dragging on the wheel). I would definitely take it in, though I understand your dilemma: if something is amiss with the brakes, Audi will cover under warranty. On the other hand, if it is wear-related, they won't, and now you are in for a more expensive repair. Have you tried lifting the car and spinning the wheel to see if you can generate it by hand? From there, you could try removing the wheel and doing the same to see if you can pin it to the caliper, or some other, area. If you aren't comfortable with that, and you believe an independent mechanic would cost too much just for diagnosis (to determine if this is likely to be replaced by Audi under warranty), then I'd take it to the dealership. Sorry I can't be of more help, though I'm certain there will be more responses now that the video is posted.

snagitseven

Not normal - mine has never exhibited that noise. Might be a bad wheel bearing or something rubbing up against the inside of the wheel or axle. Or maybe a lube pack issue or a dragging brake caliper. In any case, get to the dealer and let them figure it out under warranty.

audi8k

Sounds like something dragging against the disc. It could be the brake pad or something else. Did you mean that the sound disappears when you press on the brakes? Then I would assume it is the pad (in which case it needs service) but you might first check for a catched stone.

1st car in my name

So I took it to the dealer and it was diagnosed as rust on the rotor. They said it wasn't a safety issue and I certainly wasn't going to replace perfectly fine brakes so I left it at that.

Does this make sense? Searching around the internet I see that rust on a rotor is very common, but that braking usually wears it off.