duplicate. Even though I gave them pretty explicit instructions on how it happens Rockville, Porshce Audi couldn't make it happen. I could get it to do it about 90% of the time I wanted so I guess I'll have to go and have a drive with one to their techs. Mike over there sounded like a nice enough guy though. BTW this is a very loud squeeling noise when letting out the clutch in 1st.

I had a real similar thing with my '99 (currently at about 9.5k miles). After a bit of stop & go driving, it would let out this horrific sqeal (sounded almost like a hydraulic drill) as I let out the clutch in first. (I could never get it to do it in reverse - I figured if it did it in both directions, it was probably a clutch problem.)

It was quite frequent by the time I brought the car in for its 5000 mile check up - I showed the service guy how to make it do it. He said "I dunno... Maybe the throttle bearings?" He clearly didn't have any idea. Naturally, they didn't reproduce it again and claimed that they didn't want to rip apart the tranny to track down the phantom noise that they couldn't reproduce. Sounded reasonable enough to me...

Anyhow - the noise has now nearly completely gone away. In the last 2000 miles or so, I don't think it has done it more than once, and that was after sitting in an hour of some of the worst Boston bumper-to-bumper you could imagine.

I suppose there is little point to this anecdote, other than to suggest perhaps that it might go away on its own. If you ever do figure out what is going on, I (and others) would probaby be well served if you could post your solution...

- Mark
'99 1.8TQM w/ dormant phantom clutch/belt-tensioner/throttle-bearing/whatever squeal

this is usually an indication of a problem. We aren't the only ones with this noise; I'm hoping it's nothing serious. I'll definitely post again if I get it solved. BTW I wonder if any of our techs have tried to look up this symptom in their information systems. Probably too much trouble. :)

Yeah, I doubt mine will ever get fixed now that it is not making the noise consistantly.

I find comfort by just believing that the problem has gone away, never to return, even after my warantee has expired.

*sigh* - ignorance is bliss, maybe?

- Mark
'99 1.8TQM

I've had the same problem. It almost sounds like a loud ghost, or a child wailing. It only happens on very hot days (I live in West Palm Beach), and after the car has reached a high engine bay temperature. My dealer, Braman, thinks it is the clutch for the radiator fan, or something related to one of the cooling fans. We were unable to reproduce it at the shop, and they felt it wasn't serious enough to start replacing parts.