YLYR

We came to collect our new 2020 A4 from the official Audi dealership in Israel yesterday. When we turned on the car and turned on the AC, an extremely loud sound started. This is a sound coming from the motor, only when the AC is on and it resembles the sound of an old tractor or an airliner jet. The sound is so loud inside the car with closed doors, that even two grown men cannot hold a loud conversation. Outside of the car you would think that you are standing near an old tractor or near a very loud machine. I have been in many Audis before and all I could hear when the AC was on, was the expected sound of the air friction with the vent openings.
The Audi personnel on site flat out told us this was "a normal sound all Audi made". We were shocked (mostly by their audacity) and said that we refuse to collect a faulty car. They agreed to take the car to the repair shop (a never driven before car) but said that "the repair shop's answer would be that this is the normal sound".
The biggest problem in this entire story is that this car is for a handicap person. As part of the trade-in deal with Audi we gave them already the old car which was already stripped of all of the specialized driving assist a handicap paraplegic needs: Manual break/acceleration, a highly specialized robot that brings the wheelchair from the trunk of the car to the door of the driver.
My senior father is now left with no car at all and was stripped of his only means of independence and transportation, his car. I contacted the local Audi Israel support and even sent Niv O. the managing director of Audi Sales in Israel a long letter, but I don't get any sense of urgency on their side.

1) can anyone provide me with a good email or contact number of Audi international support. This is a very urgent matter for us.
2) I wasn't able to attache the video so I am adding a link to it. The quality isn't that great and you can't even get half of the loudness with a phone camera. However, the noise that you hear is not a background noise but coming from the car. Does anyone have a suggestion of the source of the problem so I can guide Audi in Israel with the potential fix?
Link to video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/foxskD3s5c44qrvK6

A4Nash

Not even close to normal sound. You can barely hear it on my car, to the point where you can't really tell if it is on or not. Very poor ethics to tell you that it is normal. Sounds like a bad fan motor or belt.

YLYR

Thanks for your response. We thought that we were going mad.

munsabin

This is not normal. Definitely. Whoever told you it's a normal sound deserves to get slapped across the face and lose their job. So infuriating. I'm sorry you have to go through this.
Ask nicely for you to pick 3 other cars on the lot and to see how the AC sounds in those 3 cars to see if it's "normal". Then ask managing director at this dealership if they think it's normal for the staff to lie to customers?
Also, if they fix it before you accept the car, make sure it's documented there was an AC issue that required to be fixed before you accepted the car.

YLYR

Thank you @munsabin . This was the official dealership in Israel. Apparently they couldn't turn on any other A4 in the dealership. We tried contacting the local support but they keep on letting us know that someone will get back to us and that it is being looked at. We refuse to pick up the car and we are currently seeking potential legal actions against Audi in Israel.
As as I mentioned, this is very frustrating because they are denying there's a problem. And because this is a car that is meant for a paraplegic senior individual who needs special driving assisting equipment in his car.
I will definitely try to have the problem documented but I doubt that they will agree to do it.

PghRich

An Audi dealer can't start another A4 to compare? Something is fishy.

Too loud to hold a conversation inside the insulated cabin - that would be 90dB or so, meaning 110dB outside. I can't imagine anything generating that volume, outside of just detaching the exhaust manifold.

If you have access to the car, I suggest you download NIOSH SLM, an SPL meter (on iOS, I assume on Android) and screen record SPL levels inside and outside the car as evidence. And share them here.

YLYR

Thank you @PghRich . Currently the car is with Audi (the old trade-in car as well). If we get access to the car and the problem is not fixed I will have the app you mentioned and try what you suggested. The video recording of the noise is in the original post and you can tell something is wrong just by hearing it there.

At the moment we have no communication from Audi. I contacted support multiple times and they keep promising me that someone will get back to me.

Does anyone know whether any representatives from Audi International are going through this forum (Audi in Israel obviously doesn't care) Someone I can tag and hopefully can help us before we seek legal actions against them. We would rather resolve it quickly due to the situation with my father not being able to leave the house.

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

A4Driver

Wow! That is definitely a horrible sound coming from that car. If my car made a sound like that in the U.S., I would be pulled over by the police and given a ticket for driving a too-loud car. Is there another Audi dealership you can go to to show them your video and ask advice on how you should get the issue settled? That is definitely not right.
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Acuransx

Extremely regrettable. It appears that you have posted on behalf of your Father in Israel but your profile indicates you are in the US. If you are in Israel, suggest you attend at dealer and have it out with them. Sometimes (again very regrettably), the elderly don't get a fair shake. The Japanese model as regards respect for one's elders apparently is not being followed by the dealer in question.

First an observation and then couple of suggestions assuming Audi in Israel has not yet been responsive.

Agree 100% with all posts here -- my wife has /18 A4 and no strange a/c noises. An emphatic "לא, חבר" to the assertion of selling dealer that the noise is normal. Absolutely abnormal.

First, internet search indicates that there are 2 dealers in Israel -- one in Haifa and the other near Tel Aviv. If selling dealer will not pull another A4 out of its parking space and turn on the a/c for your Father then perhaps he can attend the other dealer with a friend and friend can test drive an A4 -- he should get his cell phone out and turn on a/c and record. Super stupid that your Father is being put through this.

Second, if no action in next couple days, time to see a lawyer and rescind the transaction and hold dealer liable for return of trade in vehicle and re-installation of the handicap equipment. Don't wait as very possible if dealer has care and custody of the trade they will sell it out from under your Father. Thus, suggest lawyer become involved now and send letter quickly so they are aware your Father is not going to be screwed with. Although this sounds over the top and may escalate things it sounds to me as if there is some amount of bad faith here on part of dealer, especially their refusal to pull another Audi A4 around to see if that car is making same noise which it most certainly will not. While I do not generally recommend hasty resort to the judicial process (speaking as a lawyer who has been in practice now 32 years both in Toronto and here in the US) a case like this would be the exception and I would be moving very quickly. Logic dictates (and personal experience has borne this out) that if a brand new car has an issue the dealer should be doing everything it can to resolve/address the issue immediately. My wife's A4 came with a defect in the windshield that we did not notice until some weeks after we picked up the car -- it made itself known one late afternoon when driving into direct sunlight. Dealer was informed and although took a few weeks to obtain authorization from Audi to replace, there was no denial from dealer or Audi that the defect was in fact there and no nonsense along the lines of "this is normal."

Finally, unless this is resolved quickly and to your Father's complete satisfaction he should consider another make of car. He does not deserve this treatment.

Hope this gets resolved to your and your Father's satisfaction soon.

Airfan

This is not a normal sound! As far as I can get it is the engine that is so noisy.
Pick the email from here: https://www.audi.de/de/brand/de/kont...impressum.html
and write them. Solved my problem in Bulgaria within a week.

Keep us posted, please.