greasykid

There is occasionally a SHARP noise for an instant --kind of a cracking sound in the front windshield area of my Cab. Best guess is in the area where the cloth top meets the meets the windshield frame. Also could possibly be where the above frame meets the dash. Only happens when there is a sharp jolt from the highway.
As it is only momentary I have not been able to identify where it is coming from.
Anybody else have this? Any help appreciated before I take to the dealer. What to look for?

BobMar46

I get the same noise when running over a pothole. It sounds like it comes from where the windshield meets the front of the top. Otherwise it is a quite car with the top up. I have not asked dealer about it but would like to learn if anything can be done about it.

greasykid

Thx for your reply. Just a thought. Do you ever hear this sound when the top is open? I don't believe I do,but I need to pay closer attention.Sound seems to be on passenger side. Otherwise top is secure & quiet. Will be contacting my dealer soon. Will post results.

BobMar46

The sound is only when top is up. I had the top down today and went over some things that would have caused the noise and it did not. On mine it will happen even if there is a high tar strip on the road.

My last car was a hardtop convertible and that top made much more noise than I thought it would when I bought it, whenever it went over anything uneven.

Va_TTer

I've got a 2015 Cab and recently began to notice this. There's one spot in my morning drive where I can reliably replicate it -- when driving down my parking garage entrance ramp, the ramp bottoms out rather suddenly at the first floor landing. As the car transitions from ramp to floor, the body of the car seems to flex, causing the crack noise to come from where the roof meets the top of the windshield. I've assumed that after a year of driving, the car has lost a little bit of its stiffness, and that's enough to cause something in where the roof meets the windshield to give just enough to make that cracking sound. Given how much tension the roof seems to place on the windshield -- watch it as the roof locks into place, and you can actually see the windshield pillars shift just a bit as the take the tension load of the roof -- it doesn't surprise me that movement would cause some of that tension to release as things re-seat.

All that said, if anyone goes through the trouble of having the dealer investigate this, I'd be curious about the answer. This is my third convertible, and far and away the quietest / least rattly roof assembly of the bunch. This one noise when going over potholes or dips in the road doesn't bug me too much.

rdA4WtQ5

Ours hasn't made the sound yet. I did notice much less cowl shake with the A3 Cab than our previous A4 Cab. We had the top light flash when starting the A4, it would flash 10 times. The top still worked fine. We had it to the dealer and they said it needed to be adjusted and lubed. Worked fine with no flashing light ever after. I'd bring it to the dealer especially if the sound is reproducible and the dealer is any good. I am thinking the front latching mechanism(s) need to be adjusted and lubed. These cars bodies are pretty stiff and unless in a wreck should stay that way.

greasykid

Have dealer appmt next thurs to ck this & also discoloring on my rear window. Have cleaned it every way I know but I still get a "rainbow effect" when I look in my rearview mirror.
Glad you posted re latching mech on frt windshield.
.

BobMar46

I just noticed something last weekend. When I put up the top, it makes a similar noise near the end of the top closing and anchoring. It that is happening on your car also it might be easier to duplicate at the dealer. Otherwise it might be good to drive some of the roads close to the dealer and find a spot that will exhibit the noise before you actually take it in - that way you could go out with the service advisor to duplicate the problem. Things that do not happen all the time are usually hard to get resolved.

greasykid

Thx Will try putting the top up tomorrow & give a close listen.

davisflyer

I just hit about 2500 miles and started noticing this too. It's particularly bad if the top is closed but the windows are open. It's definitely caused by flex, but the window frame surround should be of a design and material that should dampen the shock and not give off that cracking sound. I've owned 2 other convertibles, and while they made noises in other areas, they never made a noise from that position. I'd be interested to hear what your dealer says. Hopefully it isn't "they all do that". Seems to me there needs to be an adjustment to the attaching mechanism or something to quell the noise.