Hi guys,
Hoping to get some more feedback from this thread, hopefully there's some people still lurking around.
I bought my RS3 sedan in September last year. The car is completely stock, and has since the beginning has suffered from the loud ticking on start up as all RS3s seem to, but it also suffers from the same sound whenever I apply throttle while driving around (not in neutral/park, only when moving). This is most noticeable between about 1500 and 2500 RPM, and is much louder when the exhaust is in dynamic mode. Starting up the car in dynamic mode, and driving in dynamic mode (as opposed to individual mode with the exhaust set to dynamic) make the sound quieter, but do not get rid of it.
I (and the dealership) initially suspected this was due to an exhaust issue and the car underwent the silencer swap. This has not fixed the rattle, and the dealership have basically thrown their hands up in the air and told me there's nothing they can do. Having taken on the task of trying to figure it out myself I have stumbled on this thread, which seems to be the most relevant/useful bit of info I've found so far (suggesting that the turbo wastegate might be the issue, rather than the exhaust as initially suspected).
The sound is really quite loud with the windows down / roof open, and it's pretty embarrassing when driving away at a set of lights. I'm wondering if Australia has a different cat system / no secondary cat, hence why it's so loud on the stock system (this doesn't seem to be an issue on NA cars). Having said that, I know not all Australian RS3s do this. I'm currently liaising with Audi Australia to see if they can help.
Do you guys have any solution for the sound yet, and do you think that if the rattle is present when actually driving that the performance of the engine/turbo will be negatively affected?
Thanks very much for any replies!