jimmyw

I think mine may be making the noise everyone is describing but I am not sure. I've recorded a video of the car going over several speed bumps making the same exact noise each time. It almost sounds like a single creak of an old spring mattress. I seem to hear it coming from the passenger front corner.

Eric (Plug Guy)

That sounds more like something loose.

The 'whoop' noise I refer to is clearly a 'whoop' - a quick, relatively high pitched sound. It is not continuous, happens mostly at dips in the pavement, and Audi sent their techs to the house to ride along and record it.

They did authorize replacement of four shocks, however that did not resolve the issue.

We are still perplexed, and disappointed, that Audi engineers have not isolated the issue and resolved it.

derfA8L

Nope, your sound is something different, something lose, as Eric indicated. Early on, soon after taking delivery of my 2011, I had a similar noise that turned out to be a loose transmission mount. That noise/thumping sound was more centered around the center console/center dashboard area however.

jimmyw

Thank you both for the feedback. I will take it into the dealer then for a suspension inspection.

ffejrey

I believe at least some here are experiencing the same issue as me. Check out my new thread please on d4 front struts and "claimed" tire noise.

I have a 2011 a8l with 20's and i am becoming more and more confident there is harmonic interplay between the tires/wheels and front struts. When certain road surface vibration is present and you hit a bump the front struts will make a hollow "donk" like noise in a mid to high frequency range.

Audi has claimed thus far it is a 20" tires/wheel characteristic but I am learning more and more there is an inherent "design flaw/characteristic" in the front end of a8's involving the strut and potentially its aluminum construction. On southern california freeways with stock tires at 75, my car hums and donks so loud I can not comfortably talk on my phone. With 19's on the car you really have to listen closely for the hum, the hard 20" summer tires and bigger wherls definitely exploit the problem.

I am in the process of doing two things -

1. Identifying the true issue

2. Using advanced vibration/dampening methods to reduce vibration and thus harmonic noises such as paint which behaves similarly to dynamat.

This is a class action situation I am starting to realize and we all need to unite.

Listen carefully around known areas where whooping sounds occur and see if you hear a humming, it is different from flat tire noise... An analogy would be a tuning fork when you first bonk it for the donk and the hum is the hum... And please read my post, please please please.

If i am correct this is why replacing the struts will do nothing. It's harmonics rearing its ugly head and inherent to the design of the front struts. This is also why the 2015 has "taurus mass dampeners" inside the strut -- these do not stop tire noises, they lessen the transmission of the vibration to the struts and beyond. It's proof in a way Audi understands there is too much vibration (and harmonic noise) in the 2011-2014 d4's. Audi also trainstheir people what they can and can not say... If they value their jobs about this issue... I have more evidence of this but for now I am trying to not make enemies of those who still could be a resource.

Let's join forces and make Audi take responsibility! Or at least create a solution after we identify the issue. I am working with multiple mechanics and will try my best to utilize chassis ears as well.

Hope this helps others!!

needles

This is interesting, as my 2011 exhibits a similar sound as in the video -- but only at cold start. After 10 minutes or so of driving, I can take the same speed bump and it's absolutely silent and will remain so until the car sits with the engine off overnight or for several hours.

After reading about the "whoop" noise and how it disappears after 10-15 minutes, I assumed this is the same thing I have. But you're saying it might not be... ?

Eric (Plug Guy)

UPDATE

It's been a couple months since the suspension components were replaced, and after allowing enough driving time for the suspension to settle, this is nearly gone!

We still hear it once in a while, along dips in the road surface, but hardly what it was before.

Our dealer went above and beyond, as did Audi corporate - sending someone directly to our house - and then approved replacement for most of the shock/related components. We are grateful for that.

Hopefully Audi engineering will eventually figure this out.

derfA8L

Not the same as heard in the video. The "whoop" noise actually sounds like a higher pitched "WHOOP".

stickman1970

I have the same noise in my A8L.

I've seen here and on another thread that it may be the sway bar links need replacing.

I first noticed it around 65K and it seems to have gotten a little worse of the last 10K.

I'm going to get it checked out next week.

Thanks for the video.