Do I need to be worried? Haldex/Whining

[quattrorally]

Hi all, Audi S3 8V, 16 plate. 35 k miles.

I noticed a whining noise that sounds like its coming from the front of the car. It's apparent when in a low gear, in sports mode or manual when accelerating it gets louder, but nothing crazy.

In any case, it worried me, so i took it to Audi since it's covered by warranty.

Here is the report from Audi:

Drained haldex oil and removed V181 haldex pump. Found pump strainer to be heavily clogged with black sludge. Found the oil to be contaminated with metal particles. Connected battery charger. Carried out guided fult finding diagnosis and found no faults related to the all-wheel drive haldex system. Metal particles in the haldex oil and pump strainer indicate internal mechanical malfunction within the haldex unit. Haldex unit will require replacement and all associated bolts and gaskets.

The metal particles are concerning me. How bad is this? Should i be worried that the metal particles may have gotten elsewhere? Is the haldex system a closed system? Sorry for the dumb questions, i know nothing about car mechanics. Additionally, i recently found out that the haldex pump was replaced under warranty when it was the previous owner due to a failure. This would be the second time the haldex has gone? Does this indicate a larger problem? Or have i just been unlucky?

Local Audi are waiting for the warranty work to be approved.

Does this all sound like a cause of the whining noise i was hearing or is it a red herring? FYI, the haldex was serviced in January of this year, on time, before i bought the car...but the filter wasn't cleaned. audi wanted 300 odd quid for it.

 

[Jcbmally]

If the filter is heavily blocked it will affect the system. Metal particles could be a result of oil starvation resulting in increased wear. I'm sure the system is self contained but someone on here may know more
If the full haldex system is getting sorted under warranty you should get plenty life out of it as long as you service the haldex and filter frequently.

 

[Damo S]

"This would be the second time the haldex has gone?"

Technically no. The haldex pump went first time, and now it looks like the haldex itself now has an issue. Btw the haldex is its own unit so the metal couldn't have come from anywhere else.

" Does this indicate a larger problem?"

Metal in the oil yes. May have been caused by lack of oil due to the sludged up pump filter. This is a weird one because some people seem to have the same problem after not many miles ( <20k). Others have not had the same issue with the filter being a bit sludged but after a lot more miles. Exactly what causes some to suffer more than others is a mystery although one could guess that driving style has a fair bit to do with it.

" Or have i just been unlucky?"

I would guess so. but at the same time you will most likely be getting a new haldex under warranty. Fortunate that it happened now and not just after your warranty expires

 

[quattrorally]

haldex unit replaced. whining has gone.

they also replaced the soundaktor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jcbmally]

haldex unit replaced. whining has gone.

they also replaced the soundaktor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

haldex unit replaced. whining has gone.

they also replaced the soundaktor.

Glad its all sorted for you mate.

 

[quattrorally]

haldex unit replaced. whining has gone.

they also replaced the soundaktor.

Glad its all sorted for you mate.

Yeah to be honest, I didn't even notice it stop working...the only reason i mentioned it to the engineer was because Carista had flagged it for me. Since it was fixed, i can't really tell the difference. My courtesy car was a 40TFSI A4 estate, so i was missing a nice note in any case.

In any case the engineer was convinced the S3 didn't even have a soundaktor. I didn't argue with him, i'm sure a lot of these guys don't give a **** about what you've read on the internet. He even tried to tell me the filter didn't need cleaning on the haldex...and all of that stuff was just "internet talk". strange for the landmark Audi dealership in the country.