51 Water sloshing sound is heard while driving
51 20 18 2061754/1 December 18, 2020.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A5
Sportback

2018 - 2019

All

Not Applicable

Condition
Customer states:
 They hear a sound like water ‘sloshing’ when the vehicle is driving, cornering or braking.
 The origin of the noise is described as coming from the floor area.
Workshop findings:
 Water is found to have accumulated in the cavities contained in the side sills.

Technical Background
It is possible over time for water to accumulate in the side members and sills but the water is not able to drain as
needed. The accumulated water is unable to reach the normal drainage because the sill cavity sound absorber
blocks its flow. This accumulated water creates a ‘sloshing’ noise when the vehicle moves.

Production Solution
Improvements to the body structure components have been implemented in production to prevent water
accumulation and allow for normal drainage.

Service

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© 2020 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.

1.

Detach the underbody trim until the plugs for the
side member are accessible. If water has already
accumulated in the sill areas water will flow from
these plug openings (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Access to the side member plugs.
2.

Figure 2 shows the opening where water
generally enters this space.

Figure 2. Water entrance point.
3.

Fastener position number 4 shown in Figure 3 is
the opening through which a modification to the
sound absorber will be made.

Page 2 of 9
© 2020 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.

Figure 3. Sill trim fastener openings.
4.

Figure 4 shows the location of the sound
absorber marked ‘A’.

Figure 4. Location of the sound absorber.
5.

Figure 5 shows a closer view of the sound
absorber to be modified in the cut-away image.

Figure 5. Hole through which the sound absorber will be
accessed.

Page 3 of 9
© 2020 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.

6.

Figure 6 shows a cut-away view of the sound
absorber from the rear.

Figure 6. Side member cavity sound absorber.
7.

Figure 7 shows a drawing of the sound absorber.
The blue dot marked ‘D’ corresponds with a point
through which a hole 8mm – 10mm in diameter
will be made. This hole will allow for a normal
flow of any accumulated water to reach the
normal drainage and exit the sill cavity. The
method for creation of this hole follows.

Figure 7. 8mm – 10mm hole to be made through the
sound absorber.

Page 4 of 9
© 2020 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.

8.

From a steel rod 8mm – 10mm in diameter
fabricate a tool as shown in figure 8. Bend the
end of it in an ‘L’ shape 50mm long.
Heat the bent end of the rod to approximately
500 °C (~932° F).

Figure 8. Heating the fabricated tool.
9.

Guide the heated rod into opening number 4
from Figure 3 and melt a hole in the sound
absorber in position ‘D’ from figure 7 (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Making the hole in the sound absorber.
10. Figure 10 shows a drawing of the operation
performed and the correct positioning.

Figure 10. Correct positioning of the heated rod.

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© 2020 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.

11. Apply cavity preservative or anti corrosion wax to
the area in the cavity having been modified. Use
a sprayer VAG 1379, VAG 1538 or equivalent
generic sprayer to carry out this operation.
Ensure that the drain function of the draining
plugs on the front and rear of the side members
are fully functional and not damaged (Figure 11).

Figure 11. Drain plug on rear of the side member.
12. Figure 12 shows the drain plug on the front of the
side member.

Figure 12. Drain plug on the front of the side member.
13. Reassemble the underbody and sill trim.

Warranty
Claim Type:

 110 up to 48 Months/50,000 Miles.
 If the vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service Bulletin is informational
only.

Service Number:

5145

Page 6 of 9
© 2020 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.

Damage Code:

0050

Labor Operations:

Loosen and refasten underbody trim and
modify right and left sound absorbers.

5145 9999

100 TU

Body seal coat cavity

5101 7501

See SRT with
associated
operations

GFF

No allowance

0 TU

Road test prior to the service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after the service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Diagnostic Time:

Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2061754/1

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
The part numbers mentioned in this TSB are different than the ones listed in ETKA. Only use parts listed in this
TSB, this includes superseding part numbers!
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

See ETKA

Fasteners, Bolts, Nuts, and Screws as needed per the
Repair Manual

See ETKA/ELSA

D 330KD2A1

0.3

Or alternatively:
D 321M16M2

Cavity Preservative

Page 7 of 9
© 2020 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.

Anti-Corrosion Wax

Tool Number

Tool Description

VAG 1379 or equivalent
generic sprayer

Spray Gun

Page 8 of 9
© 2020 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.

VAG 1538
(or alternative generic
sprayer)

Suction Feed Spray Gun

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2061754) are subject to change and/or removal.
©2020 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. The 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 9 of 9
© 2020 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.