russ0054

I recently offered some observations (both pro & con) related to my 2011 Q5.

I forgot to mention one additional item that is driving my wife nuts. Every morning when she starts the car there is a "whoshing" noise coming from the engine compartment. It sounds like a fan running until the car is placed in any gear and then it sounds like a very loud and very sick vacuum cleaner. The noise is incredible!!! After about one minute the noise abates.

The dealer says the noise is a product of a special "warming function" for the catalytic converter......and of couse this is normal.
GOD - if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that!!!!

Anyway - anyone else experiencing this "normal" condition?

jdong

Yes, my A4 makes that noise too when starting on a cold engine for a minute or so. Also, the direct-injection clicking sound is highly audible, as is the evap purge valve clicking. All those are "normal" noises....

geronimosan

Yeah, I hear an increase in engine noise when I start it up cold. But I wouldn't describe it to the degree that you have ("very loud and very sick vacuum cleaner. The noise is incredible!!!") - you may have something wrong.

audi40

Assuming you have the 2.0T engine, my '09 A4 used to make the same noise when started cold, and starting it up in the garage made it sound even louder!

allenrbeck

Directly from the 2.0T manual: " After starting a cold engine, there may be a brief period of increased noise because the oil pressure must first build up in the hydraulic valve adjusters. This is normal and not a cause for concern."

IMHO, like many of the questions/concerns/complaints on this forum, just by RTFM, a lot of the electrons being annoyed by this kind of discourse would be happier :-).

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2009 A4 Avant Prestige
2012 Q5 Prestige on the way

Jake-AudiUSAParts

It is called "secondary air injection" and it does exactly what the dealer said. It warms the cats up quicker to make the car "cleaner/greener" sooner-er-er-er.

russ0054

I am ok with your explanation and the fan sound when it is idling in nuetral - it's the unbelievable increase in noise (sick vacuum cleaner) which occurs when the car is placed in reverse that I'm pissed about. Seriously.....the sound increases 10 fold when put in gear.

Thanks for the technical though!!

JohnBoyToo

Pure guess since we don't hear your sound...
is it the turbo building boost when put into reverse ? is throttle being applied as it is reversed or still idling?

maybe it's possible someone is overly sensitive to the sounds ?!? and listening for problems? j/k, but is has been known to happen.

Way back when they built an airport not far from us....
amazing how quickly we stopped 'hearing' those planes...

because the 2.0T IS a lil 4 cylinder, it will make noises,and depending on what you were driving before, they will be different.

As the d/j's used to say "Turn the radio up"
we do that and added new mufflers with a lil more rumble to them....
the wife likes them...

russ0054

Definately not a sensitivity issue.

When the engine is first started the sound is like one of the radiator fans blowing - as soon as the car is put in reverse, the sound changes to that of a garbage disposal grinding up a bunch of food. When in the garage the sound is downright scarey.

Turning up the radio to mask the sound is NOT an option in a 50k car!!!!!!

jdong

Yes, when put into gear the harshness becomes much lower frequency and could resonate with a lot of stuff. As far as I can tell, that's normal and on every 2.0T too. I'm not going to say one way or another whether or not this is "acceptable" on a luxury car, but it is a tradeoff everyone will have to pay as we move towards these smaller fancier 4 cylinder engines to "improve" fuel efficiency.