Creaking noise coming from the plastic that surrounds the MMI screen on the dash of A4 B8.5

[A4A4]

It is beginning to drive me nuts now and starts mostly on the colder mornings.

A plastic creaking noise coming from around the plastic casing that surrounds the MMI screen.

Is this common fault? If so how have you fixed it?

Any advice would be great, Thanks.

Picture below where the text is 'creaking in this area'

 

[Hear-Vier]

What a coincidence - I was thinking of posting a similar picture and question as mine is afflicted with this too. Like you, mostly on colder mornings. Hardly heard it all over the summer and it's started again recently. When I had a service in June I mentioned it but unfortunately they couldn't replicate the problem.

My creak is more towards the key - if I apply light pressure to the silver bit just above the key it stops. It also stops after a few miles once the car has warmed up.

Seem to recall someone else mentioning this on here (I'll see if I can find the post) and also someone said if you dial the Soundaktor (daft thing which plays fake revving sounds in the cabin) volume down to 0 with VCDS it helps.

 

[A4A4]

Glad to hear we have someone else who has this 'anomaly' fault and I am not going mad.

You get the creaking sound when you press your fingers down against the plastic surround base of the MMI screen (near the key), it is like when walk on some wooden floorboards and some creak.

Never heard of soundaktor thing mentioned or the fake revving sounds and I do not have any access to VCDS.

My car is still under warranty but not sure if Audi would touch this? Anyway don't fancy having them pulling all the dash out just to check. This could make thing worse..
But leaves me still wondering what to do and why this should even be an issue.

 

[Sluggy007]

Wow.... I thought I was the only one..........
My b8.5 s4 does that also.
It has been into Audi 4 times for the fault, even took the master tech out to show him. I have video it many times to show them also. They padded it out for me on 3 occasions with it working for a new days/few hundred miles but always returned. I managed to get them to replace the trim panel on the 4th visit (the paino black bit) and finally was gone for about 1000miles and now has come back again.

If I push the dash in just above the key slot the noise of wooden floor boards go away for a couple of mins then always return. I will try and upload the video to see if it's what everyone else gets.

Car has got to go in soon for the 38k gearbox service so I will get them to take another look then.

 

[A4A4]

Sounds like a common fault and I believe more owners may have this?.
You hear the creaking when the car has been left cold overnight, when the outside temp is below 12C. Once the car inside temp warms up the sound goes. Unless you do the finger press bit (on the squeaking floorboards
Of course those who start up and turn the heater & radio on, loud with B&O thumping won't hear it.

Sluggy007 - That's really CRAP! that you had to take it 4 times to Audi and still not fixed the issue.

Where do we go from here?

 

[Gray S]

Mine has creaked from purchase (delivery mileage 4 months old), Audi are going to replace as a clip is broken. Dealer not interested in intermittent faults - wanted £99 to investigate if not apparent at the time! £360 for a service that took a maximum of 90 minutes including investigating the creak. I said I would take my business somewhere else next time, there were several things I didn't like on the loan B9 as well.

 

[A4A4]

Mine has creaked from purchase (delivery mileage 4 months old), Audi are going to replace as a clip is broken. Dealer not interested in intermittent faults - wanted £99 to investigate if not apparent at the time! £360 for a service that took a maximum of 90 minutes including investigating the creak. I said I would take my business somewhere else next time, there were several things I didn't like on the loan B9 as well.

Go to a good indie garage next time for the service, you don't pay the premium.

Did the replacement clip work?

 

[Gray S]

Go to a good indie garage next time for the service, you don't pay the premium.

Did the replacement clip work?

Its still under warrantee so best to use dealer. New surround not fitted yet, will post when fitted.

 

[Gray S]

New plastic surround finally fitted under warrantee. It seems much more rigid than the previous surround and does not move or squeak when pushed. Only driven 11 miles home but it did not squeak.

 

[indianbelters]

Mine was all replaced under warranty too, all of mine creaked. From the MMI screen to the air vents on the right of the steering wheel!

 

[Sluggy007]

Well mine is in for a gearbox service on Wednesday so have noted a couple of items i want looking at including my dash AGAIN. Will update when i have some more news

 

[A4A4]

Mine is still under warranty. How do you go about getting it fixed? I see on the audi website it states £60 to check. I'm not paying that..

Unscheduled Maintenance
Investigate an issue with my car
£60

Also how easy was it for Audi to take ownwership of the problem?

 

[Sluggy007]

A4A4 I had to video mine before Audi took the job on. Lucky now they have a record and have already replaced the trim once, they will just look at it again.

 

[Hear-Vier]

Creaking was worse than ever yesterday, it didn't stop as soon as it used to after warming up so I will now make a real effort to get it sorted out. Nine months of warranty left and I'd like Audi to fix this tatty, cheap bit of finish before then. I'll try videoing it first in case I get the stock "sorry sir we can't replicate the issue" response when I bring it in. Will report back here with progress.

 

[Gray S]

Mine still does not squeak, although I've not done a lot of miles since November, but the surround does seem to be more rigid.

 

[A4A4]

Cost pennies and took 30 seconds to fix.

Just put 2 small felt sticky back pads underneath the dash in the areas the creaking is coming from.

No more creaks for over a year now!

 

[forty3]

I lined the back of the entire bit of trim with thick double sided tape but didn't expose the sticky part of the tape on one side. No creaks since I did it around 6 months ago.

Don't disconnect the airbag warning light tho as when I reconnected it I had the warning light permanently illuminated and had to take it to a garage to clear it. I tried with Carista but it didn't work.

 

[gregpot2000]

Just to add the same, when I've had similar issues in all my cars, and the same area in my B8. I just carefully lift the trim and put some blue tac underneath! always worked

 

[Grubnut]

I had this on my A5 and it was driving me mad! It is caused by 2 different grades of plastic - particularly around the chrome bezel which is plastic welded onto the back of the facia panel. This also explains why it varies at different temperature. I popped off the panel and added a few drops of (BMW!) Plastic Care Emulsion (Silcon lube or WD40 should work) around the back of the facia panel into all of the gaps where you can see the Chrome and let it run around a little. If you twist the panel before and after this you will see (or hear) the difference. I did this 8 months ago and totally cured. Panel pops off fairly easily.

 

[MattS5]

Bit of a thread resurrection, but how easy is it to get this panel off to get some foam pads behind it? (Audi, surprisnginly, cant hear it....so I need to take matters into my own hands).
And do i need to remove it totally? Mine seems to be predominantly creaking above where the key slot is.

 

[Grubnut]

Removing the panel is very easy. It is clipped on and can be popped off with a little gentle persuassion. I would use a plastic trim tool. You can see one of the clips in the image above.
Adding pads may not help and may make it worse if it distorts the panel.
I added the penetrating oil (as above) nearly a year ago and not heard a squeak out of it since.
I'd be interested to know if the works for anyone else and not just me.

 

[MattS5]

Removing the panel is very easy. It is clipped on and can be popped off with a little gentle persuassion. I would use a plastic trim tool. You can see one of the clips in the image above.
Adding pads may not help and may make it worse if it distorts the panel.
I added the penetrating oil (as above) nearly a year ago and not heard a squeak out of it since.
I'd be interested to know if the works for anyone else and not just me.

I wonder if I could get away with just squirting some silcon spray into the surround, under the trim, using the narrow spray tube which cames with cans of spray. Would save having to remove it.
The B8.5 interior looks like it is all one part, and trim removal scares me!

 

[Grubnut]

Not sure about that. Mine is a 2015 model. So that is all I can comment on.
Good luck though... I know how irritating thos can be. There are so many good points about these cars.. but the dash board quality is not one of them!

 

[A4A4]

Bit of a thread resurrection, but how easy is it to get this panel off to get some foam pads behind it? (Audi, surprisnginly, cant hear it....so I need to take matters into my own hands).
And do i need to remove it totally? Mine seems to be predominantly creaking above where the key slot is.

If this helps?

I just lifted up (slightly) the plastic trim away from where the noise was coming from, using plastic trim removal tool.

Then placed two small felt sticky pads underneath those areas. This worked for me.

 

[MattS5]

Cool, with the help of this post, I’ve managed to sort it.
The trim I popped off pretty easily (it was not the whole trim over and around the binnacles just a separate piece round the MMI unit, which made my B8.5 versioneasier) I’ve applied some silicone spray around the cracks as per the post 3 above this reply, and so far, so good.
No problem if that doesn’t work, I’ll go for the sticky foam pads next if needs be.

I even took the trim off 3 times to check I was happy getting it off if needs be for the next time. Really was easy using the trim tool.