Clicking sound on taking off / stopping the car

[ivanw]

Hi guys,

I leased my e-golf last month and I am really happy with the car. There is one thing I am not sure about: sometime when I take off the car at green light or stop at it at red I will hear a weird clicking sound. It usually happens right after I press on the gas pedal for a second or when the car almost comes to a complete stop. The sound is like when an electromagnetic relay switches. It doesn't happen every time but I would say it's pretty often. Does anyone see the same thing? Do I need to worry about it?

Thanks,
-Ivan

 

[idris]

That's not normal. Could be something as simple as a leaf stuck in your tire or something.. but I'd definitely poke around to see where it's coming from. If you can't find it, maybe take it to the dealership.

 

[ivanw]

That's not normal. Could be something as simple as a leaf stuck in your tire or something.. but I'd definitely poke around to see where it's coming from. If you can't find it, maybe take it to the dealership.

Yes the problem is getting worse and it happens more and more frequently. I had some pretty bad experience with local VW service centers. So I decided to send an email to VW customer care and see what they'll say first. Will update this thread.

 

[ivanw]

Update: Sent in the car last Friday. The mechanic couldn't find the cause, he tried to lubricate some suspension system parts but he could still replicate the problem. Called me and said it's normal. Of course it's not because my coworker who also sees the problem in my car says it never happen to his e-golf. I insist and agree to let them spend more time on my car. Today they called me again saying they found out the noise comes from the axle assembly. They will order a new one and take a few more days to replace it. Let's see if it will fix the problem.

 

[JoulesThief]

Update: Sent in the car last Friday. The mechanic couldn't find the cause, he tried to lubricate some suspension system parts but he could still replicate the problem. Called me and said it's normal. Of course it's not because my coworker who also sees the problem in my car says it never happen to his e-golf. I insist and agree to let them spend more time on my car. Today they called me again saying they found out the noise comes from the axle assembly. They will order a new one and take a few more days to replace it. Let's see if it will fix the problem.

You may have gotten a factory defective CV Joint. It's rare, but it has been known to happen. Also offroading and tearing a CV joing boot that got pierced or shredded by a branch, stob, or what ever, can cause torn CV joint booties. These VW's really are better off being driven only on pavement, there is not a lot of ground clearance under them, let alone piercing a battery... ask Tesla about that one.

 

[ivanw]

Sigh... the problem is coming back. Still pretty hard to reproduce it, but I know it will get worse over time like it did. I still don't want to lose my faith in VW, but this is really frustrating...

You may have gotten a factory defective CV Joint. It's rare, but it has been known to happen. Also offroading and tearing a CV joing boot that got pierced or shredded by a branch, stob, or what ever, can cause torn CV joint booties. These VW's really are better off being driven only on pavement, there is not a lot of ground clearance under them, let alone piercing a battery... ask Tesla about that one.

They replaced the front shaft and the noise did go away for a month but obviously the root case isn't solved. Does it sound like it's the CV joint given the current situation? Maybe I will need to tell the service guy what you say.

-Ivan

 

[JoulesThief]

Sigh... the problem is coming back. Still pretty hard to reproduce it, but I know it will get worse over time like it did. I still don't want to lose my faith in VW, but this is really frustrating...

You may have gotten a factory defective CV Joint. It's rare, but it has been known to happen. Also offroading and tearing a CV joing boot that got pierced or shredded by a branch, stob, or what ever, can cause torn CV joint booties. These VW's really are better off being driven only on pavement, there is not a lot of ground clearance under them, let alone piercing a battery... ask Tesla about that one.

They replaced the front shaft and the noise did go away for a month but obviously the root case isn't solved. Does it sound like it's the CV joint given the current situation? Maybe I will need to tell the service guy what you say.

-Ivan

CV joints, inner and outer, are all part and parcel of the axle assembly. Do you do jack rabbit starts, or accelerate hard out of tight turns? What kind of miles per kw or miles between recharges do you get?

 

[ivanw]

CV joints, inner and outer, are all part and parcel of the axle assembly. Do you do jack rabbit starts, or accelerate hard out of tight turns? What kind of miles per kw or miles between recharges do you get?

No I never do jack rabbit starts. I actually go very gentle on the gas/break pedal most of the time. The last time I checked I got 2.6 miles per kWh since my last full charge, which sounds ridiculous low to me. I can still hear weird sound when I start/stop the car, though I won't say it's as often as it was before the dealer replaced the shaft. Does it sound like a problem to you?

Thanks,
-Ivan

 

[kirby]

No I never do jack rabbit starts. I actually go very gentle on the gas/break pedal most of the time. The last time I checked I got 2.6 miles per kWh since my last full charge, which sounds ridiculous low to me. I can still hear weird sound when I start/stop the car, though I won't say it's as often as it was before the dealer replaced the shaft. Does it sound like a problem to you?

2.6mi/kWh sounds really really low. I'm not nearly as calm a driver as JoulesThief, but even when I drive mine just for fun, using the instant torque every time, paying no attention to battery life, freeway drives up to 75-80. I'm still above 3mi/kWh.

 

[forbin404]

No I never do jack rabbit starts. I actually go very gentle on the gas/break pedal most of the time. The last time I checked I got 2.6 miles per kWh since my last full charge, which sounds ridiculous low to me. I can still hear weird sound when I start/stop the car, though I won't say it's as often as it was before the dealer replaced the shaft. Does it sound like a problem to you?

2.6mi/kWh sounds really really low. I'm not nearly as calm a driver as JoulesThief, but even when I drive mine just for fun, using the instant torque every time, paying no attention to battery life, freeway drives up to 75-80. I'm still above 3mi/kWh.

Wow 2.6? I'm driving at night with all lights on in stop / go street traffic and I'm still getting 2.9

Freeway I'm getting 4.0

Either something is wrong or you are running EVERYTHING on. Did you maybe leave the mirror defrost on?

 

[ivanw]

Guys that's why I strongly suspect the axle assembly still has a problem after VW replaced shaft. I turn off AC and whatever I don't need whenever it's possible.

JoulesThief talked about the CV joint and my miles/kWh. So I guess he means the defective CV joint causes a lot of friction and that keeps slowing down the car?

I will take a few more readings in the coming weeks and after that I will go visit the dealer. I am definitely not happy with this and I will go contact VW America (again) to make sure it'll be well handled. Will update this thread.

 

[JoulesThief]

I'd also take a temp reading of the hubs after driving say 10 miles, and see if the temp on each hub is consistent, or if some are higher in temp than others, which might indicate that your brakes are sticking. Do you brake with your left foot or your right, throttle foot? I think someone might need to go for a test "ride along" with you to see what the problem is. I know it's easy for me to sit here and type, but your miles per kwh are so poor, that I tend to believe it's in your technique of driving, that is causing you the grief.

 

[ivanw]

Oh definitely not my driving style. I've owned quite many cars in my life and I always get extremely good MPG. As I said before I go very gentle on gas/brake cause what I am looking for is comfort. And no I use my right foot only I never step on both pedals at the same time.

Before I took my egolf to dealer for the clicking sound problem, I did borrow my coworker's egolf (same model year, different color) and did a test drive to make sure the clicking sound isn't something normal. I drove quite a while and didn't see the battery was drained as fast as my egolf does. I thought that was something to do with the clicking sound problem, but after the dealer replaced the shaft I still see it.

 

[JoulesThief]

Oh definitely not my driving style. I've owned quite many cars in my life and I always get extremely good MPG. As I said before I go very gentle on gas/brake cause what I am looking for is comfort. And no I use my right foot only I never step on both pedals at the same time.

Before I took my egolf to dealer for the clicking sound problem, I did borrow my coworker's egolf (same model year, different color) and did a test drive to make sure the clicking sound isn't something normal. I drove quite a while and didn't see the battery was drained as fast as my egolf does. I thought that was something to do with the clicking sound problem, but after the dealer replaced the shaft I still see it.

Do a drive from your friends home in his e-golf and document what you get for miles per kwh and take that picture of the infotainment center in to the dealership, with exact same drive, friends car vs your car. Ask them to explain the difference on the exact same route and why, as you don't find it acceptable, what is going on with your cars decreased miles per kwh. I'me wondering if brakes are sticking, or abs sensors are acting up, or something is wrong.

 

[ivanw]

Sounds like an excellent plan. Will do.

 

[JoulesThief]

Sounds like an excellent plan. Will do.

Also, if you can capture it, take a video with sound track of the clicking noise. Post it up on Facebook and YouTube, and that VW can't identify or fix the problem and you are seeking input on what it might be. A call to VW Customer Care at 800 822 8987 is also in order, to assign a case number to get this resolved immediately. Email them a copy of the video also, listed on facebook. Media exposure on VW not fixing problems is what is in order.

 

[forbin404]

Sounds like an excellent plan. Will do.

Also, if you can capture it, take a video with sound track of the clicking noise. Post it up on Facebook and YouTube, and that VW can't identify or fix the problem and you are seeking input on what it might be. A call to VW Customer Care at 800 822 8987 is also in order, to assign a case number to get this resolved immediately. Email them a copy of the video also, listed on facebook. Media exposure on VW not fixing problems is what is in order.

Something you might try and maybe will help.
Drive 65. Let go of the pedal (In D Mode), it takes my car 5 seconds to go from 65-60 in level surface. If you go from 65-55 in 5 seconds, then I would agree that something is dragging.