Hi,

Although I'm happy with my A3 and it's performance, I am a bit disappointed with the interior build quality.

I don't know what the roads are like in Germany or the US, but over here in the UK they are terrible. Full of ruts, potholes, raised/sunken manhole covers etc. Which I think may have contributed to the problems I am experiencing.

Anyway, the problems started with squeaky door seals - I tried all sorts of lubricants to try and fix the problem.

The second problem is creaking interior door panels. On opening the door, the door panel creaks from the audio speaker housing area.

I've had it into the dealer for these problems about 3 times, and they are still not fixed.

In an attempt at a solution, they changed the drivers side door panel, but the problems are still there. In fact, the panel is now loose, and creaks all over the place!

So my questions are:-

1) Does anyone else have these problems?

2) Have you solved them and how?


Thanks for any help/advice in advance.

Regards,

Alan.
'99.5 A3 1.8T MS Silver

I live in Mexico. Belive me, you have no idea how terrible a road can be!

Going to your problem, neither my A4 or my broher's A3 are suffering from rattles anywhere, even being pounded from driving in Mexico. I guess your best option is to insist with your dealer, or maybe look for another one.

Good Luck

Carlos

Regarding the roads in Mexico, I will have to take your word for it! :) But I sincerely hope your car never experiences the same noises as mine.

Cheers,

Alan.
'99.5 A3 1.8T MS Silver

Hi,

Thought I'd give anyone who's interested an update...

I have got Audi UK involved now, and they have contacted the dealer. Hopefully applying the necessary pressure.

I visited the dealer today, and explained that these problems, in my opinion, were unacceptable from an Audi car. They agreed, and said they would do everything they could to fix the problems.

I won't hold my breath :)

They senior technician said that the rattles are common on the A3's, and probably due to it's monocoque chasis and it's over-flexibility. (?)

Cheers,

Alan.
'99.5 A3 1.8T MS Silver

This appears to be a fairly common problem.Check out the door latches as I did hear of one owner who had the latch replaced under warranty. The constant 'chattering' resulted in the plating wearing away.I did 100 miles with a S3 recently and cannot say I noticed the problem.I am actually an A4 man 1.8T quattro Sport and it has a dash rattle - just not building them so well !

I have the same problems, Im thinking of selling this car, that here in mexico it is really expensive. too bad.

I have some squeaks from the door rubber sealsevery now and then but it is always related to these factors:
1 - they are dirty after driveing in bad weather and not keeping them clean
2 - temperature, wery cold&dry winter driveing

So keep them clean and use a good lubricant after washing the car and these seals.

The main source for squeaks is the top of the door. Lubricate the upper part well and you should have no problem if the source is the same as mine.
Summertime the squeaks are gone.

Marko Litmanen
A3 1.8T Wett 1.0 K&N

Marko,

What lubricant is it that you use and what do you use to clean the seals?

I have tried a few lubricants when I first started getting the problems with the seals but had no luck.

Thanks,

Alan.
'99.5 A3 1.8T MS Silver

Sorry.

Everybody please don't flame I'm not sure about words silicon and silicone etc. but it is a very common lubricant to use with rubber. I use it in making the tires shine too.

At to top of the door put your finger "inside" the seal and put the lubricant there. Move your finger from the rear to the front of the upper part of the door.

The lubricant tends to dry off so there might be some lubricant that would be better, perhaps lasting longer. Perhaps a stiffer lubricant would be better.

Marko Litmanen

Marko,

Thanks for the advice. I also think your English is excellent! So I have no trouble understanding you.

However, I have tried silicone lubricant, but on my car it made things worse. :(

But thanks again.

Alan.
'99.5 A3 1.8T MS Silver

Thanks!

I'm thinking to try some other lubricant, even vaseline. It would last longer without drying out.

I had trouble making the noice go away using silicone but then I found I had put it on a wrong place. When I finally found the correct "slot" it was not a problem. If I remember correctly there are several "slots" at the upper part sealing. Perhaps you should take a new look. It helped with me. Take a flashlamp with you if there is not enough light.

Marko Litmanen
A3 1.8T Wett 1.0 K&N

Hi,

Well my A3 went in to the dealer last week to have it's squeaky door seals problem looked at, and the creaking drivers door panel. The result?...

Thankfully, the squeaky door seals problem seems to have been fixed. I helped the dealer out a little by printing of a solution I found on the VW/Audi Technical Briefings web-page (tech.vw.com). The solution was to put a strip of felt covered tape on the inside of the door frame. From the top horizontal and down towards the wing mirror. This has worked, although it doesn't exactly follow the advice given in the technical briefing. The briefing suggested putting some tape along the actual frame of the door. Amazingly, the technical briefing was a recognised solution for Audi Of America, but not in the UK. ...Well, it is now!!

The felt tape was recommended by the Audi area manager, and is an actual VW part. Sorry I don't have the part number.

Unfortunatley, the problems with my door panel haven't been fixed fully. It still creaks under heat expansion and hard braking. But I will battle on...

Regards,

Alan.
'99.5 A3 1.8T MS Silver

So, did you keep the car ?
Let me know, I might be interested in buying it.
Armando