Squeaky Steering wheel

[osspasha]

Hello ziners,

My car developed a weird squeaky noise, doesn't matter which direction, or if the car is moving or not. its a 2013 S4

does anyone got this issue? I will take it to the dealer sometime next week.

thanks

[Matt C]

Clock spring.

[quickglx]

There's a seal at the bottom of the column where it passes through the bulk head or firewall that likely needs lubrication. There is a TSB for this. Best way to do it is as described in the TSB, remove the pinch bolt and disconnect the intermediate shaft from the upper column. Pull it out slightly and spray lube onto the shaft toward the seal area. Reassemble and work the lubricant around. Should take care of it. If you have warranty coverage and the time, prob just take it to the dealer

[osspasha]

Clock spring.

There's a seal at the bottom of the column where it passes through the bulk head or firewall that likely needs lubrication. There is a TSB for this. Best way to do it is as described in the TSB, remove the pinch bolt and disconnect the intermediate shaft from the upper column. Pull it out slightly and spray lube onto the shaft toward the seal area. Reassemble and work the lubricant around. Should take care of it. If you have warranty coverage and the time, prob just take it to the dealer

Thanks, I will take it to the dealer and update, the sound goes away when the car cools down

[Dakkath]

Thanks, I will take it to the dealer and update, the sound goes away when the car cools down

Does it sound like your scratchin' vinyl records, just a very much lower volume? Or sound like drape fabric rubbing up against each other w/some friction?

If so, my Q5 has the same issue. I took it into Sunset Audi in OR. and they said they 'fixed' (lubed) it, but alas, it's still there (and on video). So I need to make another appointment with a different Audi dealership.

[LYKUNO]

Reviving this thread as for the last couple of months I've been hearing a faint squeaking noise emanating from behind the steering wheel or possibly in the steering column. It occurs when the wheel is turned to either the right or left (e.g., during parking maneuvers or pulling into or out of our driveway). It's become a bit more noticeable with the ambient temperatures getting up into the 50s-60s. I already sent an IM to the OP to see what the solution was on his car but haven't heard back.

The TSB mentioned above was #481566, but haven't been able to find a full description of the procedural steps. The clock spring possibility mentioned above, if that should turn out to be the problem, is an expensive part - $460 at ECS. I'm not experiencing any of the problems a bad clock spring unit can exhibit, such as loss of horn, ESP faults or airbag resistance faults. The car hasn't thrown any fault codes either. I'd try to record the sound but too lazy to go out to the garage, open the garage door and start it up at the moment!

All that said, I thought I'd stop at the dealership tomorrow since I'll be in their vicinity and will see if they can identify the source. It's an easily reproducible noise, especially at low turning speeds and the radio volume turned down low. Fortunately, we have about 10 months left on our original extended warranty, should it be something more extensive than the TSB. I'll post what the fix turns out to be, but was curious if others have had similar issues. I'd record the sound but too lazy to go out to the garage, open the garage door and start it up at the moment!

[ReDeViL]

bringing up this old thread.
i've got the "squeaky" wheel syndrome, where the steering wheel squeaks only at certain positons.
The clock spring isnt exactly cheap, and i cant find the exact TSB mentioned above.

Anyone else faced this issue, and resolved it w/o replacing the clock spring?
other than the squeaking, the steering wheel works perfectly fine.

[LYKUNO]

Here's an update on mine. It was squeaking in either direction, and mainly audible on low-speed turning, e.g., turning into parking spots, driveways, etc. While at the dealer for 65K service appointment, they service advisor said they pinpointed the sound to the universal joints of the intermediate steering shaft. They could have tried to lubricate the joint(s), but since it was under an extended warranty, they replaced the shaft with a new one and the noise is totally gone. Additionally, the steering "tightness" feel that the car had when new was back. Feels so much better and no more squeaking. Here's a recent thread that shows the part involved.

[ReDeViL]

Here's an update on mine. It was squeaking in either direction, and mainly audible on low-speed turning, e.g., turning into parking spots, driveways, etc. While at the dealer for 65K service appointment, they service advisor said they pinpointed the sound to the universal joints of the intermediate steering shaft. They could have tried to lubricate the joint(s), but since it was under an extended warranty, they replaced the shaft with a new one and the noise is totally gone. Additionally, the steering "tightness" feel that the car had when new was back. Feels so much better and no more squeaking. Here's a recent thread that shows the part involved.

thanks for the info.
mine's out of warranty, so any parts replacement is going to cost me.

gonna try the recommendations to grease the neccessary parts to see if that helps.

[LYKUNO]

Certainly worth the effort to lubricate it before buying any new parts. In addition to lubricating the universal joints, you might want to lubricate the rubber boot/bushing where the shaft goes through the firewall. I was told by a service advisor that it's a potential source of squeaking noise as well. Please let us know if your lubrication efforts resolve the squeaking on your car.

Interestingly, I just found info on the TSB for the squeaking noise here.

[ReDeViL]

thanks for the info!
will revert with the results in a few days!

[quickglx]

Remove the bolt #7 above, this will disconnect the intermediate shaft from the steering wheel. Keeping the steering column locked is advisable to avoid ruining the clockspring. Then spray a suitable lubricant at the seal in the "firewall" and move the shaft in and out of the seal slightly to work into the seal. Silicone in my experience will not last. A gel lubricant may work better. The specified lube in the TSB is rather pricey... If you work the wheel with your head under the dash area, you can easily verify where the noise comes from. You may be able to eliminate the noise without loosening the bolt and just working the wheel, but best results by moving the column in and out of the seal while applying lube. You don't need to drown it either.... Good luck!