40 Creaking/squeaking noises from front end on uneven roads
40 17 59 2043424/3 February 27, 2017. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 40 number 16-53 dated
June 2, 2016 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A3

2015 - 2017

All

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

3

-

Revised Technical Background (Added picture and note)
Revised Service (Updated instructions and added picture)
Revised header data (Added model years and removed VIN break)

2

06/02/2016

Revised header data (Added customer codes)

1

02/22/2016

Initial publication

Creaking/squeaking noises are heard from the left front or right front area of the vehicle when it is driven on
uneven roads.

Technical Background
Note:
Try to duplicate this condition exactly. If you cannot, do not perform this TSB.

Page 1 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Overview of the lower control arm and bushing
(Figure 1).

Figure 1. Lower control arm and bushing.

Page 2 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

The rear bonded rubber bushings of the front
lower control arms have a kidney-shaped slits
(Figure 2). When the vehicle is driven on
uneven roads, areas A and B (Figure 2) may
come in contact, creating the
creaking/squeaking noise.

Figure 2. Kidney-shaped slits (yellow arrows) of the
rear bonded rubber bushings.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

Page 3 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Service
1. Remove both front lower control arms. Follow instructions in ElsaPro for Repair Manual >> Chassis
>> Suspension, Wheels, Steering >> Front Suspension >> Lower Control Arm and Ball Joint >>
Lower Control Arm, Removing and Installing.
2. Evenly grease the kidney-shaped slits of the
bonded rubber bushing (Figure 3, the area
shown red) from above with 0.1g of lithium
grease (part number G 052 150 A2). Use a
paint brush to apply the grease.

Note:
Note that the lithium grease must only be
applied to the areas shown in red (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Lithium grease is applied on the red
highlighted area only.
3. Reinstall all components according to Elsa.

Page 4 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Warranty
Claim Type:

 110 up to 48 Months/50,000 Miles.
 G10 for CPO Covered Vehicles – Verify Owner.
 If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service Bulletin is informational only.

Service Number:

4020

Damage Code:

0020

Labor Operations:

Both lower control arms remove + reinstall

4017 2001

250 TU

Grease the bonded rubber bushings

4020 4199

10 TU

GFF

No allowance

0 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

0121 0002

10 TU

Road test after service procedure

0121 0004

10 TU

Diagnostic Time:

Technical diagnosis at dealer’s discretion
(Refer to Section 2.2.1.2 and Audi Warranty Online for DADP allowance details)
Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2043424/3

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

G 052150A2

Lithium grease

0.1

See ETKA

One-time use hardware according to Elsa

As needed

Page 5 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2043424) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.
©2017 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest
information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Page 6 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.