I just had a lot of work done on my 2002 Audi A4 3.0 Quattro. New clutch, resurfaced flywheel, new plugs, fuel filter, air filter, oil change, and a full set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires mounted and balanced.

I drove away from the shop smiling at how the new clutch felt. But then when I got up to speed that smile flipped sideways as a very loud rumble filled the car. The steering wheel was not shaking at all but the car was rumbling so violently that I heard plastic rattling against itself. The car also goes in a very straight line if you let go of the wheel to test the alignment.

I turned right around and went back to the shop. After a test drive from them and some discussion they came to the conclusion that the tires were balanced correctly and that the tires were just loud. They told me to call TireRack, who I got the tires from, and talk to them about a set of replacement tires that the shop offered to mount and balance for free for me.

Thinking the tires were defective or something and agreeing that if it was a balancing issue my steering wheel would be shaking as well, I came home and called TireRack. They had no problem honoring the tires 60 day satisfaction guarantee but would not recommend getting the same tire as they have never heard of defective tires in a batch of otherwise flawless tires. The tech I spoke to made it sound like he had a direct hand in the road testing of tires and said they saw no issues with noise with this particular tire. He had other, more expensive, suggestions for me but said that they sell hundreds of these tires and never hear complaints about noise. Which is what I expected when I tried to search around on the web for anyone ever complaining about these tires being loud, people just love them.

The tech went on to say that a wheel bearing can sound like loud tire noise. But the previous set of mismatched tires I just replaced were quiet as can be. And what are the odds that a wheel bearing went while sitting at the shop for the work I had mentioned? I just don't know what to do or what to think.

Anyone have experience with the Continental ExtremeContact DWS?

Anyone ever heard of a particular set of tires being defective?

What are the odds it truly is a wheel bearing that just happened to go as I was putting new tires on?

Is there anything the shop could have done wrong to cause a wheel bearing to fail?

Anything else besides the wheels/tires I should be looking at?

Thanks,
- BoostHungry

 

I would see if you can take your car to another tire shop and see if they would be willing to check the balancing of the tires for you.

Also, what speed did you start to notice the sound?

 

The sound starts around 40 MPH and gets the loudest between 50-60 MPH. After just spending $2100 on all the work I'm really trying to avoid spending any more money on diagnostics. But if you think it could still be a balancing issue that will be the first thing I have another shop look at for me.

I've also noticed that my exhaust is now leaking (visibly) right at the first coupling between the down pipe and the cat I think. I'm assuming that had to be removed to replace the clutch? I know it was in good shape before I brought it in.

Ugh, the guys I spoke to before I had the work done really had me believing that they could handle this type of job. I really need to find a dependable shop or I'm going to have to start paying 100% more for the audi dealership to start doing my work.

Thank you for your reply.

 

I had the same exact problem but with a set of Komo tires. It turned out to be the front right wheel bearing. Jack the front of the car up and put your hand on the upper control arm and spin the tire if the wheel bearing is bad you will feel a small vibration/rumbling on the hand that is on the control arm

 

Well after speaking to some more people about the problem last week I had come to the conclusion that it was not the tires. And it was probably not a wheel bearing. I brought it back to them and told them it was probably an unbalanced drive shaft.

They took it and 30 minutes later he came out and told me to come for a ride. He admitted that the marks he used to save the location of the drive shaft when replacing the clutch had been "wiped away". So after playing with the placement of the drive shaft they were able to make the rumbling travel to the rear of the car instead of all over. After another 45 minutes of playing with the rear of the drive shaft and repeated test drives he finally admitted to me they had to cut a bolt out to remove the drive shaft in the first place and had never put a replacement bolt in...

Not being able to get a replacement bolt right away and me having work in 15 minutes I left the car with them and told them I don't want it back until everything is fixed.

Two days later I got a call saying everything was ready. Not being too hopeful I went and picked up the car for a test drive. My initial thoughts were not good as I immediately heard an exhaust leak that was definitely not previously there. But when I got it up to speed I breathed a big sigh of relief as the ride was as smooth and quiet as ever.

So they re-did the coupling in the middle of the exhaust to completely seal the system and I drove away as happy as can be after taking a week and a half to do something they told me would take two days.

Thanks for your support guys,
- BoostHungry

PS, my initial thoughts on these Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires:
They ride very smooth and I'm really hopeful for some impressive wet and snowy traction, specially when driving at highway speeds during inclement weather. But my biggest concern is the turning response, which I believe is related to the thickness of the sidewalls. Turning response is sub-par and I find when I take a sharp turn at high speeds, like an exit ramp off the parkway, if I hit a small bump it feels like I get a sharp horizontal jerk as if the sidewall on the tires just buckled and allowed for the tread to stay contacted with the road while the rest of the car shifts.
Even with that I still recommend these tires for the price.