nate704

The dealer couldn't find the exact culprit, but we assumed that possible loose fitting or misaligned parts contacting with each other.
So, after disassemble and reassemble, and re-tightening them together might have corrected the problems.
But, time will tell, and I will let you know after about 6+months, so that I can definitely say I'm sunroof rattle free.

atc98092

Now that was just too easy Thanks!

atc98092

Is there any chance that service bulletin might cover a car out of warranty? I'm fairly convinced the noise I hear is the sunroof, as it seems to disappear if I open the roof at all. Don't think that would have an effect on the tailgate if it was the rattle source!

I know sometimes manufacturers will cover items in a TSB beyond the warranty period.

nate704

One month update.
cracking noise came back~!
I guess replacing the entire sunroof frame is the way to go next!
My dealer is in the process of getting approval to order the frame for my vehicle.

DennisMitchell

I have a 2014 Q5 TDI. Last winter the sunroof rattle / creaking came. An open / closing cycle would quiet the rattle / creaks briefly and come back. Dealer service department cleaned the track and lubricated the mechanism. Needless to say that it didn't resolve the problem. The rattle / creak went away during the warm weather.

Cooler weather came back and so did the rattle / creaks this past October. I reported the problem to service department and they did a repair of applying felt to the edges of the sunroof. At first it seemed fixed but as it got colder, the rattles / creaks got worse.

I brought in on Friday for 45K service, along for sunroof airbag recall and again complained about sunroof rattles / creaks. Service department called latter in day saying they would like to keep car because Audi approved a replacement of the sunroof frame. I had a loaner Q5 so that was ok with me. I couldn't believe they had the frame in stock. I guess they are replacing a lot of them. Hope this finally resolves the issue.

Bob Petruska

I wish you luck! I hope you don't get additional rattles.

I'm sure that you looked at the #4 post video in this thread above. That scares me!

Plus this one..........

DennisMitchell

Yes... but I can't take the rattles. I hope they do a good job. I hope they road test the car before they replace the headliner and the pillars, and make sure of a good fix.

Bob Petruska

I respect owners that have sunroofs, but I'm not one of them, for the rattles and leaks. I custom ordered my 2014 without a sunroof for those reasons.

I see the Gen II 2018 Q5's also have the option of sunroof or not.

Transfer

I'm on the second frame replacement due to loud creaking. The original frame lasted about a year before creaking, the second one about a year before creaking, and now I'm 1 month into the third one. Nice and quiet again. If it lasts at least a year, I'll keep hitting them up for warranty replacements through my 7 year warranty.

manup

This is good to know for me as I'm looking to replace our 2010 Q5, which does not have a sunroof. I too custom ordered it sans sunroof and will do the same with a 2018 Q5.