Andy Hedin

I've got an annoying rattle/creaking noise coming from the passenger side c-pillar. Noise is most prominent when it's cold out and over bumps of all sizes. I'm thinking it might be coming from one plastic trim piece bumping against another or against the rear window. Does anyone know how to remove the plastic c-pillar trim? I looked in the FAQ and archives, but couldn't find any info on this particular noise (lots of info on rattles in b-pillar) Anyway, thanks for any and all info.<p>Andy Hedin<br>'97 A4 1.8Tqms, Wett 1.0 Bar Chip, ABT Filter....<br>

BDW

<p>Andy -- can't offer any aid on C-pillar rattle but was hoping I could ask you something on another matter. I know you have the Wett 1 bar chip (which I'm strongly considering) and I think I remember seeing in an old archive post that you had mentioned that you were on your second turbo. Do you have any idea if the chip had anything to do with blowing your first one? I'd be grateful for any info you can offer about your experience with the Wett chip. Thanks.<p><br>BDW '99 1.8TQMS (Laser Red)<br>

DK

Ok...I'll bite, <br>I don't have an A4 yet...(its in production as we speak or maybe sitting at the port in Germany)...anyway, I have a 97 Gti-vr6 and i had the same problem...The rattles/creaks "may" be coming from the door's stricker plate.<br>a quick way to find out...lube the stricker plate and go for a drive...if the creaks stop, then u need to have the stricker plate replaced or just keep the damn thing lubed at all times.<p>6/97 Gti-vr6 DE(helping edition)<br>99.5 A4 t Q (on the way)

Brad

I had a similar noise, but I tracked it down to the rubber door seal. Here's a quick test: try lowering the rear window an inch or two. In my case, that stopped the noise which told me where the problem was. Talcum powder on the door seals seems to have fixed it up.<p>Brad

Andy Hedin

I chipped my A4 @ 22,000 miles with the Wett 1.0 bar chip after much research. After about 5,000 miles with the chip, my wastegate rod broke. I don't believe the two items correlate to each other. The wastegate rod breakage problem was a somewhat common occurrence on the early 1.8T engines ('97 and '98). There have been reports of wastegate rod breakage with the stock chip. The rods are breaking because thermal cycling. The new turbo unit installed included a new oil line and improved shield for this oil line. Hopefully, the actual wastegate rods have been improved also. My old turbo was actually working fine, it's just easier for the dealers to install the new ones as an entire unit. Alan Adamson mentioned a while back that the wastegates are available as a separate part so if mine breaks out of warranty I'll either install just a new wastegate rod or I'll go with a K04 unit.<p>Andy Hedin<br>'97 A4 1.8Tqms, Wett 1.0 Bar Chip, ABT Filter....<br>

Andy Hedin

Actually, I figured out where it's coming from and it's not the striker plate, although that is a very good guess. So my new post above.<br> Andy

Andy Hedin

Thanks for all that replied. But it turns out that I couldn't wait for a response…I guess I’m impatient. I went and looked at the trim piece where I thought the noise was coming from...it was the largest piece which covers the c-pillar from top to bottom and butts up against the rear window. There was enough play in it by the rear window to pull it away from the window. There was one clip about an inch down from the top that popped out. I tugged a little harder, but the trim wouldn’t come off any more. I ended up just popping the plastic trim back onto the clip. Then I pushed the trim piece all along the entire length of the piece to make sure it was clipped in all the way. At this point I’m thinking I didn’t really fix it but I went for a ride anyway to see if it was any better. It’s like 98% better! Maybe it had pulled away from that one clip or maybe it just needed to be "seated" better in all the clips (I’m assuming that there are more clips than just the one I saw). So for now, it looks like I "fixed" the problem….although I didn’t really do much.<p>Andy Hedin<br>’97 A4 1.8Tqms, Wett 1.0 Bar Chip, ABT Filter, One less rattle!<br>

Andy Hedin

When I said the"new turbo unit installed included a new oil line", I meant to say that the installed a brand new oil line which I believe to be the same part as before. I believe they install a new one incase the old one had any blockage from oil coking.<p>When I said that "I'll install just a new wastegate rod" I should have said that I'll install a new wastegate...I'm not sure that the wastegate rod is available as an individual part. Chances are I'd have to install the entire wastegate as a unit.<p>Andy