cliffcoggin

David. As a first step to testing the relay can you hear and feel it click when you turn on the ignition? Alternatively can you test the output with a meter or a test lamp?

What is comfort control? Air con, seat position, something else? I had never heard of Carista so I looked it up and it appears your car is not supported: https://caristaapp.com/vehicles/audi/a3

Good luck and do let us know what you find.

I am not sure silicone spray or Gummifledge (whatever that is) eliminates the rubber seal as the problem, nevertheless the other place I would look is the two channels inside the door that the glass slides in. Rather than spray stuff into them I would rake out and vacuum the channels to remove any dirt.

So we have established I hope that the noise is from the window, and that opening the door has nothing to do with it. In that case look first at the rubber lip seal between door and glass. Is it damaged or torn? Is there any dirt trapped between glass and rubber? Does the lip turn over when the window drops? Sometimes, like wipers, the seal can squeak when dry but not when wet.

Fair enough. I assume it must be a way of clamping the door more securely than normal when shut to compensate for the reduced rigidity of the body. Maybe we can hypothesise about the possible cause of the noise, but just to be clear about the problem, does the squeak happen when opening the door or when opening the window?

Dennis. I am not familiar with the cabriolet and can not answer your question, but I find it hard to believe the door should drop 15 mm as it opens. Is that really its correct behaviour?

Please let us know the outcome.

That's as good a guess as mine Gareth. It could be almost anything from the jack bouncing around the boot to a door not latched properly. I have to say the previous diagnoses of wheels too big or dry suspension are sheer fantasy without other supporting evidence, which would be very visible and unmissable to a mechanic who knew what he was doing. Zara. You need to get the car looked at, preferably by someone who has been recommended by someone you know and trust. Be aware, if you are not already, that some garages will try to take advantage of women who have no knowledge of cars and tell them any old rubbish to defraud them. That applies to both big and small businesses so try for a personal recommendation, not an internet review site.

Zara. I can barely hear it, even at maximum volume, but it doesn't sound like the knocking of a heavily loaded part such as suspension. To my ears it sounds more like a loose relatively lightweight part flopping around as the car is driven over uneven roads, possibly an exhaust pipe with a broken mounting. Grab the tail pipe when it is cold and shake it hard. Does that replicate the noise? If not you will need to have it inspected by a professional.

Nicola. I agree the problem is a poor repair, though it may have been to cover rust rather than crash damage. Either way the only solution is to hack it off, treat the metal, and fill again. Don't be tempted to paint over the top of the existing filler as the cracks will re-appear rapidly. I suggest you test unmarked areas of the body with a small weak magnet for the presence of filler elsewhere, though crafty body shops have been known to add iron filings to the filler in order to defeat the test. Wrap the magnet in a piece of thin rag to avoid damaging the paint.

Please do. It will save an awful lot of fruitless questions and answers, which could easily send everyone on wild goose chases. I am reminded of the old joke about the motorist who complained of the whining from the back of the car and was told to cure it by leaving the mother-in-law at home.

What sort of noise? Knock? Bang? Whine? Rattle? Buzz? Whistle? Groan? A good description or recording would be useful.

A couple of days ago an advertisement for car leasing appeared as a topic in the forum which I can neither block nor report as spam. Has there been a change to the forum rules that permits this?

I don't understand your question.

Barton hardly comes into the far north category.

Personally I recommend the same tyres you use in the summer. In this country we don't have the extreme winter conditions that would justify fitting a different grade of tyre.

Thanks for that David, which has taught me something about ABS operation. Given that your problem only occurred during extreme braking when the ABS became active, I reckon it was probably the current drawn by the solenoid valves that tripped the system, rather than the pump which runs during normal, non ABS braking to maintain servo pressure.

Congratulations on resolving a difficult problem. Would the pump really draw extra current during ABS operation? I assumed those motors were either on or off, and therefore drew a constant current when running. I guess there is no need to learn cascade braking nowadays with ABS so widespread. I doubt I would be alert enough to use the technique after such a long time.

Sorry Harry, but to my ears that sounds quite different to the first recording you posted. However you are the only one who can hear it for real so you will have to make your own mind up. Ultimately the only way to be sure what is causing the noise is to dismantle and examine. The only certainty is that it will be expensive.

Shaun. If your engine is like mine it will have a cam belt not a chain. Belts can fail without warning (unlike a chain,) so it is recommended to renew every 70000 miles. It is usual to renew the water pump at the same time because of the difficulty of getting to it.

Harry thanks for the update, few bother to do so after the initial question. Do let us know the outcome of the repair.

Bob. What are you trying to remove? The trim or the spray?

It's hard to imagine how removing the rear wiper could cause your problem unless the feed wire is flapping onto an earth. Beyond that I have no idea.

Ben. Is the battery in good condition? If not it would be worth renewing it before doing anything else because a dodgy battery can cause apparently unrelated and mysterious electrical problems.