motegi

Personally, I have two types of sounds from my suspension.

The first is clearly a squawk that I like to describe as a turkey-like sound. It occurs intermittently even with small dips in the road. The dealer tried re torquing bolts on some chassis cross members as a remedy but it is still there. Perhaps as has been mentioned here it is related to fluid condensation in the air suspension lines. While entirely plausible I still think having turkey sounds is completely unacceptable for any modern luxury car in my view unless you happen to be a turkey hunter.

The next is a creaky grinding metal spring sound over bumps that the dealer believes may be related to tie rods and or bushings. This occurs much more frequently and I can even feel it transmitted through the steering column when at it's worst. The replacement parts are apparently on backorder in the US at the moment and the dealer will call when they arrive. Again this noise is not acceptable for any luxury car or SUV let alone a flagship sedan.

Unfortunately since Saturday my A8 now has begun displaying "Air Suspension System Fault" on the instrument cluster display. It clears when I shut off the ignition but reappears within 2 miles of driving again.

I think a much more serious issue is at hand here... And it may very well be the last straw for my brief Audi experience.

pcc125

I have been complaining to my dealer for a while now about the noise from my suspension and the dealer was not able to find fault with the car. I did not drive the car for a while and noticed the front right side was lower than the rest of the car. Dealer replaced the front air shock as it was found to be leaking. I thought that would take care of the noise I have been experiencing but that did not happen. Took the car back to the dealer and they found that I needed swaybar end links. That took care of the noise.

jimmyw

I watched your video and I have the same exact noise! Check out my recording:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-.../#post24603921

So in the end your problem was the sway bar end links?

I have had that noise for a few months now but about a week ago I started hearing rattling/knocking noises when driving over uneven pavement. The first noise only happened when going over big speed bumps when the suspension takes a big dive. This newest noise will happen over slight bumps in the road.

Today, I took it to the best indy shop near me as recommended by at least five people on these forums and the Volkswagen/audi guru told me he was stumped as to what the noise was. He checked the control arms, ball joints, sway bar links, even the ride level control sensor. How frustrating!

Jack88

Mine creaks like a pirate ship over speed bumps, I have to go agonizingly slow to avoid it. It has been doing it more and more frequently, and when I took it to the dealer, they said it was the front sway bar bushings. When they told me the extended warranty didn't cover it, I declined repairs. I had called the warranty company directly and they said it was normal wear and wouldn't be covered. What a bunch of crooks. I'll have an independent shop take a look here soon, I'll report back with what they do.

Anybody else occasionally get a faint vibration from the front? Like you are going over some subtle rumble strips, almost imperceptible. Dadadada_pause_dadadada_pause...etc. It seems to happen between 30-50 mph, even over smooth road surfaces, but it doesn't do it all of the time, kind of random where it'll do it for a bit and stop for a while.

Kkirkg

I had the suspensions bushings replaced under warranty. I still had the same problem. I gave it a few weeks and took it back and they replaced the control arms. Still the same problem.

I came up with the ultimate solution . . . . I sold the car. I'm not sure what I will buy next.

pcc125

Yes the sway bar end links fixed the noise on my car. Good luck to you.

kgd_007

I had the same problem. Dealer covered under warranty and replaced with a heavier duty version of the bushing. No noises since then.

Jack88

If you have suspension noises, don't wait. Warranty only covers them under 50,000 miles. I took mine in at 58,000 figuring the pricey Audi bumper to bumper warranty coverage I'd purchased would cover it, but moving front suspension components are not covered, as noted on page 5 item 20 in the contract.