nicros01

Update: Dealer called and said it's the WHEELS. They swapped them out for the wheels off of another Q5 and the noise went away.

Did it twice apparently- reproducible. The wheels are not OEM, they are after markets that were on the car when I bought it.

No idea what caused the problem, which is still a bit disturbing. I asked them to put some numbers together just to see what they could do for me given the time and trouble, not to mention I'm bummed with my car now after having driven the nicer one around for 4 weeks. Nice move by the dealer there

nicros01

And by put some numbers together I mean to get the car I'm in or even a new Q5.

Reggie

What brand and model aftermarket wheels

HaveBullDogWillTravel

there are no "balljoints" on the front sway bar...FWIW.

Prospeeder

I bet there not hubcentric. I usually see plastic rings that center aftermarket wheels perfectly so they dont shake. they are easy to stick on the wheel when removed, then fall off, and not be noticed.

nicros01

Unknown. I'm not sure it matters- the car was perfect until I brought it in to have the brake pads replaced.

The dealer says it is the wheels... but what did they do to change the way those wheels work on the car?

Bottom line is that they will be sending me off with MY wheels (which no longer seem to work) with the car, and I don't know what the problem actually is, much less if it will get worse, or if it is a safety concern. And who is to say that me putting new OEM wheels on will fix it, or fix it permanently.

At this point my confidence in Audi and in my car being okay (even though its under factory warranty) is very low

Not sure what to do.

HaveBullDogWillTravel

this is a certain possibility. Especially if the tech is installing a wheel with the hub-centric ring stuck inside the wheel onto a hub with a ring stuck to it. I'd be pulling the wheels to look for signs of the rings either missing or being stacked.
The rings can be plastic or metal.
Another consideration is whether the taper of the lug bolts fits the taper of the wheels. Finding the maker of the wheel and directing questions to them may be well advised

JohnBoyToo

Exactly what our issue was with the first set of aftermarket wheels we put on...
but the aftermarket dealer fixed it the first trip back (which was within an hour of our driving off !)

fyi, the rings are cheap ! go to any aftermarket wheel dealer and they can probably fix it....

Reggie

Well -Don't blame Audi -or your dealer. When one uses aftermarket equipment - one takes on the responsibility for the problems it causes. I run aftermarket rims -with spacers - and I certainly don't feel it is Audis responsibility for anything that they cause.

It does matter what aftermarket rims you used. Many do not have good reputations and are soft and hence bend easily. Also as was posted here - many aftermarket wheels use hub centric rings and they could have fallen off when the wheels were removed - that is a dealers responsibility but then again as a owner one has to know what the possible effects are of using wheels that use them. For instance - I use Discount tire for a lot of work on my cars but they do not handle wheels with spacers - hence I go to a shop that will.

Post some pictures of your rims - I am sure we can see if anyone can see any issues with the rims.

spijun

I do not want you to misunderstand me

You can not blame the Audi company but perhaps a local retailer. Perhaps the problem is that you use the not original wheels

There are aftermarket wheels verified companies that have been tested and quality but they are expensive.(BBS, OZ, Rial,...Price for 20x9.5 Set of 4: 1400-3000$)
Exist no names of Chinese wheels that are naturally cheap but poor quality, and they make a lot of trouble to many people (Price for 20x9.5 set of 4: 600-850$)