Case Study
Audi A4 Creaking Noise Fault
Our customer came to us with an annoying creaking noise from their Audi A4. They had already visited another garage, which couldn't pinpoint the cause because the noise only happened under certain driving conditions. Without the right equipment, the only option would have been to start replacing parts by process of elimination, which could have been costly and wasteful. Our Audi specialist technicians used NVH testing to find the exact source.
Fault Codes
No fault codes – the creaking noise was a mechanical fault, pinpointed using NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) testing
Common Symptoms
- Creaking noise from the front suspension
- Noise only occurring in certain driving conditions
- Fault hard to reproduce or locate by ear
- Another garage unable to find the cause
NVH Noise & Vibration Testing
We have invested in the latest noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) test kit, along with the training to use it, so we can accurately diagnose even the most elusive noises. We placed two sensors on the car, one at the top of the suspension on the side the noise was coming from and one at the bottom of the hub, then drove the Audi until the creak appeared. The waveform showed the lower sensor reacted a split second before the upper one, confirming the fault was in the lower suspension. We then moved the sensors onto the two lower arm ball joints and repeated the test. The front ball joint reacted 0.28 milliseconds quicker than the rear, proving it was the source of the creak. A difference this small is impossible to detect by ear.
Vehicles Affected
Audi A4
- Audi A4 2008
- Audi A4 2009
- Audi A4 2010
- Audi A4 2011
- Audi A4 2012
- Audi A4 2013
- Audi A4 2014
- Audi A4 2015
- Audi A4 2016
Audi A5
- Audi A5 2007
- Audi A5 2008
- Audi A5 2009
- Audi A5 2010
- Audi A5 2011
- Audi A5 2012
- Audi A5 2013
- Audi A5 2014
- Audi A5 2015
- Audi A5 2016
Audi Q5
- Audi Q5 2008
- Audi Q5 2009
- Audi Q5 2010
- Audi Q5 2011
- Audi Q5 2012
- Audi Q5 2013
- Audi Q5 2014
- Audi Q5 2015
- Audi Q5 2016
- Audi Q5 2017
Lower Suspension Arm Replacement
With the faulty front lower ball joint accurately identified, all that was needed was a single lower suspension arm replacement. Because our NVH testing pinpointed the exact component, our customer avoided paying for parts that weren't faulty, which is exactly why accurate testing beats guesswork.
Resolution
After replacing the lower suspension arm, the creaking noise was gone. Our customer left very happy with both the result and the final cost, having avoided an expensive round of trial-and-error repairs.
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