# 2013Jetta 2.5 auto, 29825 miles got a "clicking" sound from under car



## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Hey guys, i got "clicking" sound from under my 2013 vw 2.5 when accelerate at 3000-3500 rpm, speed range from 80-100KM/h (56 Miles per hour) ,at gear 5 or 6. don;t know why, hope somebody can help.

Background:

I have 2013 VW jetta 2.5L,6 speed auto, i got all new in 2013, and i'm Toronto, Canada, the car only got 48000km on it (29825 miles), i always taking care of the car, and always do oil change on time. coolant changed at 42000KM,(before i change the coolant, my coolant tank had small metal particles in it, and i have noticed, my coolant temp/engine temp was sometimes higher than normal in summer, my car don't have water temp meter, but i can feel that though the air from AC )

The problem:

But starting from last Oct/2017, the car starting to produce a "clicking" sound when i accelerate at 3000-3500 rpm, speed range from 80-100KM/h (56 Miles per hour) ,at gear 5 or 6, from under the car, the sound sometime is louder when outside temp is cold ( -10 to -8 degree), and the sound is less loud when temp is around 0+ degree.( How loud the sound? when you driving, put down the window, you can hear it) the sound is not continued sound, only happen once or twice pre drive. and its sound like, metal touch the metal sound. When that clicking sound happen, i have No power lost, RPM is stable, fuel consumption is normal, no check engine light, everything looks normal but that sound. I have checked on VW forum, and i didn't find other owner has similar issue as i have it.

Feels like, when i speed up, the engine produce more exhaust gas,and that gas pushed something metal to against a surface.

It's hard to positioning the location of sound, sometimes coming from back of the car, but most of time, feels like coming from the front passenger side of car.

I had bring the car to the local VW dealer, they hear the sound, but, they couldn't find the problem, and ask me to keep watching the problem, if gets bad, then, take the car back to them. they had also checked under the car, find nothing loose.

anything experience about this? because i'm just worry about, if the problem gets bad and bad and later on, i need to pay a lot to fix the problem. my car still under the transmission Warranty


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## le0n (Jun 12, 2013)

there may be something slightly loose on your exhaust setup.

get under there and try to move things around to see if they move.

it doesn't take much to make a lot of unwanted noise.

also, a video with the noise in the background will help anyone reading this.

because knowing the speed of the clicking noise will help tie it to a rotational component, if that's the source.


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## afawal2014 (Jul 13, 2016)

If you can record the sound that would be helpful, as Le0n said.

Do you hear the clicking sound on idle as well?
Does the clicking get faster with rpm, or stays about the same?


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

thanks for your message, i need to go under it and have a look

let me try to record an audio and put it online for your guys


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

le0n said:


> there may be something slightly loose on your exhaust setup.
> 
> get under there and try to move things around to see if they move.
> 
> ...



_________________________


thanks for your message, i need to go under it and have a look

let me try to record an audio and put it online for your guys


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

afawal2014 said:


> If you can record the sound that would be helpful, as Le0n said.
> 
> Do you hear the clicking sound on idle as well?
> Does the clicking get faster with rpm, or stays about the same?



___________________________________________

thanks for your reply

i don't hear that sound on idle, everything sounds normal at idle, and that clicking sound only sounds 1,2,3 times pre drive, at speed around 80-100km/h, when i push to accelerate it, and it's not get faster when RPM increase. only one clicking sound.


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

A bunch of things may sound like this. Does it sound when you press gas pedal at 80-100 km/h?


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ronny Bensys said:


> A bunch of things may sound like this. Does it sound when you press gas pedal at 80-100 km/h?



yes, only starts to sound when i pass gas pedal to speed up, but not eveytime. just sometimes


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

My first guess is drive axle. Driver's side axle is prone to early failures, especially if the owner speeds up at spiking rpms like you drive. Do you feel the "clicking" under your foot at the pedals?


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

"Do you feel the "clicking" under your foot at the pedals" <- yes!!! i do feels that few times, the sound is more coming from the driver side of the car, should i get this to have check?


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ronny Bensys said:


> My first guess is drive axle. Driver's side axle is prone to early failures, especially if the owner speeds up at spiking rpms like you drive. Do you feel the "clicking" under your foot at the pedals?


I think you are just pointed the problem, i will go take my car to the dealer to have a look, if really the drive axle go bad, then i'm going to really surprised for this, only 50000km, the axle starting to show the problem


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

vfxcxn0309 said:


> "Do you feel the "clicking" under your foot at the pedals" <- yes!!! i do feels that few times, the sound is more coming from the driver side of the car, should i get this to have check?


Ok. You really didn't have to check it for 2 months for simple "Yes!!!". 

Looks like driver's side inner. It is shorter and bears more torque than the passenger's side. I'm still unsure because in your description the speed range is higher. Normally the axle would clunk at lower speeds when it is rotating at lower RPMs. I've already replaced my passenger side inner joint without any result. Now planning to disassemble the driver's side one. Most likely your dealer will suggest a complete replacement.

As you're in, ask them to check your exhaust setup too, as le0n said.


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ronny Bensys said:


> Ok. You really didn't have to check it for 2 months for simple "Yes!!!".
> 
> Looks like driver's side inner. It is shorter and bears more torque than the passenger's side. I'm still unsure because in your description the speed range is higher. Normally the axle would clunk at lower speeds when it is rotating at lower RPMs. I've already replaced my passenger side inner joint without any result. Now planning to disassemble the driver's side one. Most likely your dealer will suggest a complete replacement.
> 
> As you're in, ask them to check your exhaust setup too, as le0n said.



Today, when i speed up around 70-80km/h, around 3200rpm, going up a little uphill, my driver side tires hits a small pit/crack on the road, and THAT metal "clicking" sound come out again, 2 times, from the driver side, the same time as the tire roll over that pit. so i'm image, there is something which attach to the driver side tire is making that sound. also i have noticed, if i do a quick left turn, i hear a friction sound from the front of car.

for high speed driving on highway, i don't feel any thing wrong, car just going straight with no strange sound


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ronny Bensys said:


> Ok. You really didn't have to check it for 2 months for simple "Yes!!!".
> 
> Looks like driver's side inner. It is shorter and bears more torque than the passenger's side. I'm still unsure because in your description the speed range is higher. Normally the axle would clunk at lower speeds when it is rotating at lower RPMs. I've already replaced my passenger side inner joint without any result. Now planning to disassemble the driver's side one. Most likely your dealer will suggest a complete replacement.
> 
> As you're in, ask them to check your exhaust setup too, as le0n said.


that's your symptom? the same "clicking" sound as i have?

actually, last Oct, one day when i drive though a speed bump, the speed was a bit fast, not too fast, i did hear something from under the car touched the that speed bump and the mudguard from the front driver side almost 90% came off from the car, i'm thinking, maybe that hit damaged something under the car.


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

Similar symptoms with me. Both of your symptoms point to drive axles.


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ronny Bensys said:


> Similar symptoms with me. Both of your symptoms point to drive axles.


ok, i hope we find the problem, i will take my car in at dealership to check the drive axles this Friday (13/April), and i have recorded the that sound today to show to the dealer, hope they can fix it.

i will let you know


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

Hope you get it fixed. Keep us updated.


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ronny Bensys said:


> Hope you get it fixed. Keep us updated.


Just came back from local dealer, they spend about 3 hours under the car to try to find the problem, they said, there is 100% no safety issue with my car, they checked it the drive axles, with no problem,:banghead::banghead::banghead: tell me to drive more if the problem gets bad, go back again. they said, my car is in good shape nothing i need to worry about it. Should i trust them? 

Also they have told me, don't need to change the transmission fluid, it's life time, if i change it, it might give me the problem, right now i'm at 51200 KM, but from YouTube, people are telling, transmission fluid need to replace around 60000KM.


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## kieran123 (Feb 2, 2017)

vfxcxn0309 said:


> Just came back from local dealer, they spend about 3 hours under the car to try to find the problem, they said, there is 100% no safety issue with my car, they checked it the drive axles, with no problem,:banghead::banghead::banghead: tell me to drive more if the problem gets bad, go back again. they said, my car is in good shape nothing i need to worry about it. Should i trust them?
> 
> Also they have told me, don't need to change the transmission fluid, it's life time, if i change it, it might give me the problem, right now i'm at 51200 KM, but from YouTube, people are telling, transmission fluid need to replace around 60000KM.


RE: Trans fluid. Just tell them to do it instead of asking them. Or find another dealer who isn't incompetent


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

kieran123 said:


> RE: Trans fluid. Just tell them to do it instead of asking them. Or find another dealer who isn't incompetent


they told me 800 $(CAD) to do it at dealer, i will do it myself next month, by the way, anybody know where to get reasonable price for trans fluid? dealer want 50$ CAD 1 L.:banghead::banghead::banghead:


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## Ichabod0525 (Feb 11, 2018)

Which transmission is this, the DSG or the Tiptronic? If the latter what is the transmission code (possibly found on a sticker in the trunk near the spare tire) something like KPH, MAM, MAN or PDW. About your clicking...because it is described as non speed variable I'd have a guess that your sway bar end links could use a look. Just a hunch from your description here.


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ichabod0525 said:


> Which transmission is this, the DSG or the Tiptronic? If the latter what is the transmission code (possibly found on a sticker in the trunk near the spare tire) something like KPH, MAM, MAN or PDW. About your clicking...because it is described as non speed variable I'd have a guess that your sway bar end links could use a look. Just a hunch from your description here.



jetta 2.5 has Tiptronic, 6 speed auto,

i don't know if dealer look at the sway bar and links or not, they said to me, there is nothing on safety i need to worry about, but they didn't mention if the parts going bad or not, i'm going to go under the car and check again myself, just see if any lose of bending, here in Canada, the cold temp can make metal break.

thanks for your input


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ichabod0525 said:


> Which transmission is this, the DSG or the Tiptronic? If the latter what is the transmission code (possibly found on a sticker in the trunk near the spare tire) something like KPH, MAM, MAN or PDW. About your clicking...because it is described as non speed variable I'd have a guess that your sway bar end links could use a look. Just a hunch from your description here.



question for the sway bar and links, can i go under the car and lubricate those joints? maybe once a year?


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## Ichabod0525 (Feb 11, 2018)

The sway bar end links, if original, don't have grease fittings. Another 'lifetime' part that isn't. A replacement that does is the MOOG K80478. For your Trans fluid, assumption this is a PDW code, you'll find listings for VW G055025A2. Be aware that I'm assuming a PDW code. in late-2011+ vehicles use a different fluid than the older 2005-2010 units. The gen.2 09G uses OE fluid part # G 055 540 A2. Some fluids overlap these specs. There are few aftermarket equivalents to this fluid available which a search for "G 055 540 A2" should turn up. I've used THIS with good result.


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## afawal2014 (Jul 13, 2016)

vfxcxn0309 said:


> they told me 800 $(CAD) to do it at dealer, i will do it myself next month, by the way, anybody know where to get reasonable price for trans fluid? dealer want 50$ CAD 1 L.:banghead::banghead::banghead:


I took mine here for the tranny flush:

Peter's Volkswagen Service
(416) 783-2126

At the time, they charged me $400 all in. Yes, the dealers in the GTA want $800...... Been down that road, I would not bother with them. 
Another place you can try is iGarage. Ask for Ivan. He's good, reliable and honest. Never had an issue with him. Also great prices.


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## vfxcxn0309 (Mar 17, 2013)

Ichabod0525 said:


> The sway bar end links, if original, don't have grease fittings. Another 'lifetime' part that isn't. A replacement that does is the MOOG K80478. For your Trans fluid, assumption this is a PDW code, you'll find listings for VW G055025A2. Be aware that I'm assuming a PDW code. in late-2011+ vehicles use a different fluid than the older 2005-2010 units. The gen.2 09G uses OE fluid part # G 055 540 A2. Some fluids overlap these specs. There are few aftermarket equivalents to this fluid available which a search for "G 055 540 A2" should turn up. I've used THIS with good result.



really appreciate you help here! deeply 

thanks i will look into that. didn't know there is difference


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