instrument panel creak

richardaudi0

richardaudi0

Member
Hi y'll!!

I need a bit of feedback. Had my 2002 A2 1.4 TDI SE for about three weeks now and it's great, but there's a severe creak from the instrument cowling, especially when the car's cold and there someone in the passenger seat.

Bedford Audi are trying to cure it but they say it's common for A2s because of their lightweight construction. Is this so? How many of you out there have a similar annoyance?

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated as I'm too new to know the A2's faults.

Many thanks
 
Hi there,

My 03 A2 sqeaks from the centre console just by my left knee, drives me mad!!
 
instrument panel

I'm sure that archived somewhere is this problem and maybe a solution. What does our Tech director say?
 
I had the creak as well but only after Audi had to remove the steering wheel and airbag to replace a sensor. it went after awhile and at the moment no creaks. perhaps i am just lucky, had my car for 18 months now and have no creaks or rattles infact its the only car that I have owned that hasnt developed creaks and rattles over time.
 
My first two A2s squeaked from the centre console - the first below the gearlever, the second somewhere behind the dash. Both were replaced by Audi UK as I wasn't willing to accept an Audi that squeaks. My current A2 is as quiet as a mouse - even after 30 months of ownership.

B
 
Creaks and rattles are great aren't they! Mine had a creak when I picked it up. It sounded like it was coming from around the instrument binnacle. It was worse when the car was cold and was very noticable when going over mild bumps on the road. Having previously asked my VW dealer to resolve creaks and rattles on VWs I've owned without much success, I thought I try and solve this one myself. It turned out to be the offside bonnet bracket?! For some reason, there was about 3mm of play between the bracket and the shoe that slides into it and there did not appear to be any way to adjust this out. I wrapped a cable tie around the bracket, slid the bonnet back on and, hey presto, no more creaking. Still bugs me why there was so much play in the first place though. No play on the nearside at all. Anyone else had this?
 
Hello Dick et al, Tech Dir. here:

Well, I've not been arounf here for a bit and you are suffering aren't you?!

The issue of squeaking/creaking is very common and is due mostly to the exact opposite of what ULP suggests.

The panels on A2s are made to minute tolerances, so much so that they fit together very tightly (as a few of you will have witnessed as I pulled the trim panels apart when doing cruise fitments). This tightness of fit means that there is an inevitable rubbing as the car passes over small bumps etc and leads to squeaking.

The easy way to stop it is to take the panels off and put a small amount of silicone grease around the mating parts, but this is very time consuming. You could try spraying a lubricant on from the front, but you'd need to be sure it left the panels in the state you want them (either matt or shiny).

As for rattles, these are a different matter. The obvious one comes from the centre console - behind the radio. This houses the flasher relay, which can sometimes come adrift from its mounting, causing an annoying rattle.

However, just stop and think a mo' - the reason why you can hear the squeaks and rattles so much is down to the fact that the A2 is such a refined and quiet car, for a small car anyway. I know they are annoying, but they are not really much of a problem in the great scheme of things.
 
So turn the stereo up if it squeeks then :)
Mines remained rattle free apart from a slight rattle from the rear seats which I cured with a small plastic door wedge slotted inbetween the backs of them.

Although Mike did say mines probably one of the hardest cars to pull apart he's done when he fitted my CC. I didn't think we were gonna get the steering wheel off at one point.
 
Oh ye of little faith Jimbob!

ULP, your problem sounds like it is down to the metal clip rubbing on the plastic holder. You can take off the binnacle with only 2 screws if you wish, then lubricate the clips.
 
How do I get the radio out (concert)?
I think something behind it is causing an annoying sound. It sounds like some plastic panels is touching each other. I'll try to find the cause if I'm able to stick in my hand in the radio slot while driving and hopefully push around things back there.
 
You need a pair of removal keys. Make sure that they're Audi ones, not VW - a lot of places sell generic VW/Audi ones, but they won't work.

Push them in, let them click into place and then pull out the headunit.

Cheers,

Mike
 
dubbsy said:
It turned out to be the offside bonnet bracket?! For some reason, there was about 3mm of play between the bracket and the shoe that slides into it and there did not appear to be any way to adjust this out. I wrapped a cable tie around the bracket, slid the bonnet back on and, hey presto, no more creaking. Still bugs me why there was so much play in the first place though. No play on the nearside at all. Anyone else had this?
Click to expand...

I have this I think. Mike (Skipton01) showed me where he had placed a folded-up piece of card (at least I think it was) and tucked it into the space under the OSR of the bonnet. Mine's more like a buzzing sound, but it doesn't do it all the time so I've not tried to fix mine yet. It's quite deceiving because at first I thought it was the OSF door speaker playing up.
But it's still present when the stereo is off, so one day I'll try dubbsy's fix.
 
The off-side bonnet bracket seems particularly prone to this problem. I've come across half a dozen or so examples and in every case, the near-side bracket is nice and tight!

I can't explain it and Audi don't know the reason either, so the answer seems to be to pack it with something. I suppose you could close the bracket clearance by bending the finger that goes into the holder, but it's not as easy as the cardboard stuffing trick!

Cheers,

mike
 
Skipton01 said:
You need a pair of removal keys. Make sure that they're Audi ones, not VW - a lot of places sell generic VW/Audi ones, but they won't work.

Push them in, let them click into place and then pull out the headunit.

Cheers,

Mike
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will check if I can order them from Audi directly. They might come in handy later on also if I can't find the problem right away. The sound is not buzzing, it comes and goes away in just a fraction of a second. The intervall is depending on the road surface. Sounds like the panels are not secured enough to keep them from touching each other. I expected a quiet dash from Audi. Too bad they couldn't make sure sounds like this wouldn't appear. My old A2 also had sounds like this, so now 2 out of 2 is having problems with this. Even the Skoda Fabia I had as a rental was quiet.
 
Hi Xiter
You can buy the radio removal tools from VagParts. The link shows a set of 4 but i'm sure they can supply them individually ( with extra discount if you have our club discount card and window sticker pack)
https://sslrelay.com/s74326199.onea...nid=1544be92a6870d0/shopdata/index.shopscript

I just checked the link and it does not go directly to the radio removal tools. Click on Product Overview, then Sat Nav Parts, then Manuals & Tools

Cheers Spike
 
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Thanks, I went to my Audi dealer and they removed the radio for me. I also asked for a set of my own and they will get back to me with the price as they didn't know. So, I have the radio out but the creaking is still there. Now I need to remove the Climate Control Unit to investigate further. How do I get it out without breaking something?
Thanks/
 
With the radio out, put your hand into the vacant slot and push gently but firmly on the back of the climate panel. It helps somewhat to release one side first, then the other.

It may feel like you're going to break something, but as with all A2s, they're put together with minute tolerances and everything is very tight.

My money is on your indicator relay being a bit loose.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Well, it came out with the speed of a bullet :)

Having it in front of the gear stick still connected while driving I couldn't pinpoint where the sound was coming from. So I have to dig deeper. How do I get the tray under the climate unit and the ashtray out?
/Thanks for helping out
 
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