Transmission/supercharger clutch noise
03-17-2017, 11:30 AM
#101
AudiWorld Super User
Originally Posted by raywbo
I'm wondering if the new clutch has hit the production line and when. If anyone has this info that would be great! Mine was a 12/16 production but imagine the engine assembly was manufactured sometime before that.
03-25-2017, 05:12 PM
#102
AudiWorld Member
Based on the number of posts here, it doesn't look like this is really a widespread problem. It's been almost two weeks and the noise has not returned. Hopefully it will stay that way.
03-26-2017, 04:59 AM
#103
AudiWorld Super User
04-08-2017, 12:54 PM
#104
AudiWorld Junior Member
creaking/groaning when pulling away from stop
same issue. i bought mine used with 15k miles on it. plan to bring it up with my dealer soon. would be interesting inseeing what fixes others find. sounds like no action from audi so far.
04-26-2017, 12:18 PM
#106
AudiWorld Junior Member
dealer acknowledged problem; working on fix
dropped off car at dealer. drove shop foreman around and he heard the hooting/creaking noise. he immediately acknowledged that he's seen it before on early production models and it's the new magnetic clutch on the supercharger that's the problem. he said he had spent hours on the phone with audi engineers the first time a customer had this complaint, and the issue was resolved by replacing the clutch with the updated part. he also could tell by looking at the placement of the SOS button on the overhead console that this was early production car. he showed me the newer ones and the SOS button is the at the very rear of the console in the middle. my car had it on the side. in addition, i complained that my front parking sensors don't come on until i put the car in reverse, or hit the parking camera button. he said this is a limitation as well on the earlier production models as the newer ones have front sensors that beep automatically when you're too close to an object. he said audi engineers said there is no fix for this.
04-26-2017, 06:13 PM
#107
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I have the "hoot" noise too on an early 2017 Q7
Username notwithstanding, I did end up upgrading my 2013 Q7 to a 2017 Q7 in late January of 2016. There were several recalls on my new Q7 during the last year but nothing dramatic.
About a month ago (so 14 months and 15,000 miles into the new Q7) I started hearing the "hoot" sound...under the exact circumstances the rest of you describe. Unfortunately, I hadn't searched for this condition on the web (or done any research on it) before taking it to the dealer this morning.
A technician drove my car (with me as a passenger) for a couple of miles when I dropped off the car so that he could hear the noise. It was pouring rain so it was less dramatic than usual, but the noise was definitely there and he acknowledged it. I left with a loaner.
The service advisor called me this afternoon and read me a variety of service notes telling me that the noise was "normal." I stressed that it wasn't normal, and that it hadn't happened in the first year of the car's life. He said they tested another Q7 this afternoon and it made the same noise. I asked if I could drive the other Q7 to compare. He continued to insist that the noise was normal and said "I have the information right in front of me here and there's nothing I can do about it." I asked to talk to the service manager and I was blind transferred to the manager's voicemail. I figured I'd go discuss it in person.
I went straight to the dealer and went to pickup the car. The service advisor started reading the remarks to me again about the noise being "normal." I said I still didn't think it was normal and he didn't need to read me anything more claiming that it was. I asked for the service manager, and repeated the situation to him. He also claimed it was normal.
I asked if I could drive the alternative Q7 so that I could hear its alleged noise myself. The alternate Q7 had 17,000 miles on it, so very similar to mine. A supervising tech drove me for a few miles (it had stopped raining so it was easy to hear) and it didn't make a single unusual noise. So definitely not normal. The tech did explain that the part was on an "order block" which meant that Audi put some extra barriers in place to ordering the part. I thought this was strange. He did say that perhaps the alternative Q7 (which they were selling as a Certified Pre-Owned) had already had the part replaced!
Anyway, got back to the service advisor's desk with the manager. They said (with "no guarantees") they could send some sound samples to Audi and see if Audi was willing to do anything further. I suggested that I instead take it to the just-opened Audi dealer across town (which is NOT owned by the same company) and see if they could fix it, and that I would share my obvious dissatisfaction on the Audi survey.
My dealer told me I would encounter "more problems" by taking it across town for service, as they my dealer was encountering many dissatisfied customers from the new dealership coming back to the established one. I called the new dealer and they chuckled at that, saying they'd only been open for two weeks! Anyway, the new dealer is going to call me back tomorrow about coming in. I'm so glad that I found this thread tonight and can share it with them to guide their search!
My dealer did give me a photocopied page from a "Product Quality and Technical Service 2016" document entitled:
"3.0 EVO engine supercharger clutch operation; Diagnosing engine supercharger clutch concerns (N421)." It says
"'Hoot' noise concern on acceleration:
A customer may complain about a 'hoot' noise initially on acceleration. This noise comes from the clutch engaging. Perform a visual inspection of the clutch and belt. If nothing abnormal is noted then try to verify the concern. Compare to a like vehicle to determine if the noise is normal or not.
Delayed acceleration or harsh transmission engagement:
As stated previously, the supercharger clutch is disengaged at idle. When taking off from a stop, if the engine load is high enough then the clutch will become engaged. If the engagement of the clutch is abnormal then the customer could interpret that as a transmission engagement or shift issue. The best way to rule out the transmission in this scenario is to unplug the N421 clutch then reevaluate the concern. If the concern is gone then the problem lies within the N421 clutch and not the transmission.
Parts block:
The N421 is on order block and a TAC case is required for part release."
Seems like more rhetoric from Audi to get customers not to complain about this problem. As many of you pointed out, this sort of thing shouldn't be considered "normal" for a car like this one!
Anyway, thanks for all of the research/background/tips on this. Hopefully it will enable me to get it fixed.
About a month ago (so 14 months and 15,000 miles into the new Q7) I started hearing the "hoot" sound...under the exact circumstances the rest of you describe. Unfortunately, I hadn't searched for this condition on the web (or done any research on it) before taking it to the dealer this morning.
A technician drove my car (with me as a passenger) for a couple of miles when I dropped off the car so that he could hear the noise. It was pouring rain so it was less dramatic than usual, but the noise was definitely there and he acknowledged it. I left with a loaner.
The service advisor called me this afternoon and read me a variety of service notes telling me that the noise was "normal." I stressed that it wasn't normal, and that it hadn't happened in the first year of the car's life. He said they tested another Q7 this afternoon and it made the same noise. I asked if I could drive the other Q7 to compare. He continued to insist that the noise was normal and said "I have the information right in front of me here and there's nothing I can do about it." I asked to talk to the service manager and I was blind transferred to the manager's voicemail. I figured I'd go discuss it in person.
I went straight to the dealer and went to pickup the car. The service advisor started reading the remarks to me again about the noise being "normal." I said I still didn't think it was normal and he didn't need to read me anything more claiming that it was. I asked for the service manager, and repeated the situation to him. He also claimed it was normal.
I asked if I could drive the alternative Q7 so that I could hear its alleged noise myself. The alternate Q7 had 17,000 miles on it, so very similar to mine. A supervising tech drove me for a few miles (it had stopped raining so it was easy to hear) and it didn't make a single unusual noise. So definitely not normal. The tech did explain that the part was on an "order block" which meant that Audi put some extra barriers in place to ordering the part. I thought this was strange. He did say that perhaps the alternative Q7 (which they were selling as a Certified Pre-Owned) had already had the part replaced!
Anyway, got back to the service advisor's desk with the manager. They said (with "no guarantees") they could send some sound samples to Audi and see if Audi was willing to do anything further. I suggested that I instead take it to the just-opened Audi dealer across town (which is NOT owned by the same company) and see if they could fix it, and that I would share my obvious dissatisfaction on the Audi survey.
My dealer told me I would encounter "more problems" by taking it across town for service, as they my dealer was encountering many dissatisfied customers from the new dealership coming back to the established one. I called the new dealer and they chuckled at that, saying they'd only been open for two weeks! Anyway, the new dealer is going to call me back tomorrow about coming in. I'm so glad that I found this thread tonight and can share it with them to guide their search!
My dealer did give me a photocopied page from a "Product Quality and Technical Service 2016" document entitled:
"3.0 EVO engine supercharger clutch operation; Diagnosing engine supercharger clutch concerns (N421)." It says
"'Hoot' noise concern on acceleration:
A customer may complain about a 'hoot' noise initially on acceleration. This noise comes from the clutch engaging. Perform a visual inspection of the clutch and belt. If nothing abnormal is noted then try to verify the concern. Compare to a like vehicle to determine if the noise is normal or not.
Delayed acceleration or harsh transmission engagement:
As stated previously, the supercharger clutch is disengaged at idle. When taking off from a stop, if the engine load is high enough then the clutch will become engaged. If the engagement of the clutch is abnormal then the customer could interpret that as a transmission engagement or shift issue. The best way to rule out the transmission in this scenario is to unplug the N421 clutch then reevaluate the concern. If the concern is gone then the problem lies within the N421 clutch and not the transmission.
Parts block:
The N421 is on order block and a TAC case is required for part release."
Seems like more rhetoric from Audi to get customers not to complain about this problem. As many of you pointed out, this sort of thing shouldn't be considered "normal" for a car like this one!
Anyway, thanks for all of the research/background/tips on this. Hopefully it will enable me to get it fixed.
04-27-2017, 04:37 AM
#108
It sounds to me as if they have a bit of an epidemic on their hands and are rationing replacement clutches. If it is only "hooting" on engagement but not affecting engine operation ( yet), they label that "normal"
Coincidentally I read in the S5 forum that APR is not yet offering a stage 2 upgrade for these engines yet because they encounter supercharger clutch slippage at higher supercharger rpm and boost levels.
Hopefully the revised clutch is stronger.
Coincidentally I read in the S5 forum that APR is not yet offering a stage 2 upgrade for these engines yet because they encounter supercharger clutch slippage at higher supercharger rpm and boost levels.
Hopefully the revised clutch is stronger.
05-11-2017, 08:33 AM
#110
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A+ for the folks at the new Audi dealer in Richfield, MN.
After my old dealer (in Minneapolis) which sold me the car insisted that the hoot was normal (see earlier post), the service team at the new dealer in Richfield was willing to take a close look.
I showed them this thread, and they said it was helpful in pointing them in the right direction. They ultimately concluded was indeed the clutch that several other posters have mentioned.
They gave me a brand new (100 miles on it) Q5 as a loaner while my car was being fixed.
Picked up my car this morning. Noise is gone and my car finally drives like it did when it was brand new 15 months ago.
If you're in the Twin Cities area I can't say enough good things about Audi Richfield (and Dana and John in Service in particular, and Mike the tech who straightened things out.)
To avoid any doubt, I have no relationship with anyone at Audi Richfield -- I'm just a satisfied customer who was happy to find an Audi dealer that went the extra mile.
After my old dealer (in Minneapolis) which sold me the car insisted that the hoot was normal (see earlier post), the service team at the new dealer in Richfield was willing to take a close look.
I showed them this thread, and they said it was helpful in pointing them in the right direction. They ultimately concluded was indeed the clutch that several other posters have mentioned.
They gave me a brand new (100 miles on it) Q5 as a loaner while my car was being fixed.
Picked up my car this morning. Noise is gone and my car finally drives like it did when it was brand new 15 months ago.
If you're in the Twin Cities area I can't say enough good things about Audi Richfield (and Dana and John in Service in particular, and Mike the tech who straightened things out.)
To avoid any doubt, I have no relationship with anyone at Audi Richfield -- I'm just a satisfied customer who was happy to find an Audi dealer that went the extra mile.