Hey guys, first time poster.

 

I own a 2014 Octavia vRS 2.0 TDI, DSG, with about 30,000 kilometers on it. I'm the second owner, got it around 8K kilometers. Car runs fine, no issues whatsoever, have had it serviced regularly.

 

For a while now, I've been hearing an odd clicking/ticking sort of noise, out of my driver's side window (only if window down, speed is low, little to no ambient noise). Recently, I got a bit annoyed at it and tried to narrow it down some more.

 

Here's a recording of the sound I took with my phone. Not the greatest quality but you should still be able to identify it over the engine noise. It sounds like a sort of metallic clicking at a rate of around 3 clicks per second. Speed/tire movement does not affect it. http://vocaroo.com/i/s0e7DCYaB3xG

 

Now, here is everything I was able to identify regarding when the noise occurs.

 

1) Only seems to occur when the engine/oil is up to temperature. In the morning, on cold days, etc, it does not happen.

2) It appears to be most audible around the area of the left front wheel. Tried with the hood open but the engine noise was overpowering it, and it didn't sound like it was coming from in there. Hood down, the wheel was the loudest point. Nothing from the right-side wheel. I will remind you that the car was 100% stationary at this time.

3) It ONLY happens when the car is in gear. I'll try to break this down. Car in Park - no noise. Car in Neutral - no noise, regardless of engine revs. Car in R/D, noise so long as the car is in gear. What I mean is, if I'm only lightly pressing the brake pedal (the car just about wants to start moving, and around 1K RPM), then the noise is there. If I press the brake pedal a lot so the gear disengages (RPM below 1K), no noise.

4) Have never heard it at higher speeds/2nd gear etc, but that could just be due to to ambient noise.

5) It DOES happen while the car is moving forward, but again, it has to be slow, low revs, and quiet. I've heard it up to about 10km/h.

 

The car is still in warranty and I can pop down to the dealer and have it looked at, but honestly I was hoping I'd be able to at least figure out myself what is causing it (partly so I don't get lied to by the dealer, partly so I can explain it better and they don't send me back saying they can't find anything).

 

Thank you all in advance, and let me know if I can provide any more information.

I think you will find its the injectors.

I think you will find its the injectors.

I wonder if that's really, it though. I don't know much about injectors (or anything, really), but having looked up similar injector problems, the sound doesn't really seem the same to me (for example 

). Also, can it be the injectors that would only make the noise when a gear is engaged?

 

And if it is injectors, how urgently do I need to get this looked at? Time's not really on my side these days.

 

Thanks!

I would also say injector tick. Injectors these days have complex timing phases to control emissions, and engine load. Either that or a slightly noise auto clutch in the DSG.

That video is of a petrol!? You have a diesel.... A totally different beast.

It's in warranty, take it to a dealer if your worried

Mine had a really noisy fuel pump, might be worth getting down near the rear and see if that's it?

That video is of a petrol!? You have a diesel.... A totally different beast.

It's in warranty, take it to a dealer if your worried

The video is not of my car, it's just a random video I found with a "ticking injector problem", my point being that it doesn't really sound like injectors to me. My car is on the vocaroo link

The video is not of my car, it's just a random video I found with a "ticking injector problem", my point being that it doesn't really sound like injectors to me. My car is on the vocaroo link

I was referring to the galactic differences between petrol and diesel injectors.

Petrol injectors run much lower pressures and inject once per cycle. Where as diesel injectors run super high pressures 1000+ Bar and can inject up to 7 times per cycle.

Your noise doesn't sound like and injector its too pronounced. It could be anything hope you get it sorted

Hey guys, time for an update.

 

I went to the dealership, the guy listened and heard it clearly. He claims that it's also audible when revving in neutral but only very faintly.

 

He says that it's perfectly normal and not a defect. The claim was that it's caused by the DSG box' creep feature, and only makes that noise when the throttle isn't actually fully engaged. He said there's nothing to fix or change, and that when actually driving at a decent page the noise is no longer there (a claim I cannot but accept since the engine noise and moving car makes it impossible to tell otherwise).

 

So for now, I guess that wraps it up, though I may get a second opinion when I get back to my home dealership in France.

 

Thanks so much for the replies.