Hi, As usual without a VAG specific scan we are just guessing. Have you topped up the oil to the correct level.
Is the noise rev related? Exhaust noise?
Hoggy.

 

Oil was at the correct level the whole time despite the warning coming up, the level had gone down but it was still within the correct range
Noise was constant and not rev related, and seemed to be coming completely from the engine, as was the whipping noise. What are the symptoms of timing belt failure in this car? That was our first guess but really not sure.

 

Could be the auxiliary belt.


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I read that one of the main symptoms of auxiliary belt failure is loss of power steering but it was fine in that regard, could it still be the auxiliary belt despite that?

 

Hi, Timing belt failure means no engine start, so you couldn't have driven it home.
Is the noise there with A/Con OFF
Hoggy.

 

I mean when it's close to failure but not actually snapped, or does it just go wrong suddenly with no warning?
I can't check at the minute as I'm not home but I can have a look over the weekend and see

 

A whipping noise suggests a belt. Not sure what happens with the diesel but it’s not pretty with the petrol. Whatever I wouldn’t drive it until someone has a looksee

 

A whipping noise suggests the timing belt. Not sure what happens with the diesel but it’s not pretty with the petrol. Whatever I wouldn’t drive it until someone has a looksee

Thank you, I think unless there's another obvious thing it could be we'll just get the timing belt done, we were planning on it anyway as it's overdue so it wouldn't be wasted money, and hopefully that'll sort it out.

 

Hi, A whipping timing belt would have destroyed the engine by now.
Diesel timing belts are under even more stress than petrol engines
Hoggy

 

Other than the auxiliary belt is there anything else that could be whipping?

 

Bad turbo can cause excessive oil leakage and a 'whipping' type noise.
As others have stated its best you get it checked pronto to make sure you haven't caused any serious damage. A simple scan could certainly point you in the right direction. Could even get a cheapy OBD11 dongle and Torque program to indicate fault codes.

BTW this thread peaked my interest as my Daughter recently bought a 2015 A3- 2.0 TDi and I am learning about its operation. Its a higher miliage car but looks to be in decent shape for the km's travelled (183km). As like most parents I received a phone call from the dealership asking my opinion on this car without having a clue about the model. Got a glimpse of the service history which pointed it to being a much loved machine.

 

Thanks for your insight, that's something I hadn't considered. The OBD11 scan came up with no faults but hopefully if we get it diagnosed properly a mechanic can tell us what's wrong with it.

I hope your daughter enjoys the car - we bought this one in 2021 and up until now has been great fun with surprisingly good economy, I'm not sure what the specs are like on the A3 but I'm sure it's somewhat similar