Fluttering sound from front of car

[Tuffz]

Hi all,

This is my first post on here so I'll start by saying how amazing this platform is. I have found a lot of helpful information on here thanks to you lovely bunch.

I have a 2017 Audi A3 S Line TFSI S-A with 22,000 miles on the clock. I have noticed a fluttering sound coming from the front of the vehicle somewhere when I'm driving. It is most noticeable around 20mph when I ease off the accelerator and have it slightly pressed at around 20mph I can hear the fluttering. Apart from the noise the car is running fine. It's very difficult to pick up on a recording and can only be heard with no music in the car. I'm not sure if it's been like this since I got it about 6 months ago as I usually have music playing when I'm driving. The noise is not there on idle. I'm hoping someone has faced a similar issue and can give me some advice. My guess is it's from the gearbox but I'm not able to investigate it myself as it only happens when I'm driving. Any ideas on what it could be or tips on how to get a better diagnosis would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[MikeParkin]

The flutter could be from the turbo or a cracked pipe maybe that would create that noise.

 

[Lehn]

That is most likely just the waste gate. Try driving up hill and press the pedal from 1.500rpm like if you're accelerating 50-70% (without letting the car shift down, so do it in M). Then let off the gas at 3-3.500rpm and listen if you can hear like a woosh sound as soon as you lift the pedal.

If the noise you talk about is heard by doing this, then it's the waste gate and perfectly normal. I hear the sound much much more because I have a cold air intake and have removed the insulation from under the hood (which you could try to do as well to hear the noise better).

This is much louder than your car but maybe you can recognise the noise from the video?