I am bitterly disappointed with my new d4, after many years of blissful d3 ownership I purchased a 2012 lwb 3.0 tdi d4. I have the dreaded droning noise, it is appalling. I have had the car 3 weeks, and when I bought her, I knocked the price accordingly so had the budget to:
4 new Goodyear f1 265/49/20 tyres
All four wheels checked, and powder coated
Both front wheel bearings
All fluids including gearbox and filter
Professional 4 wheel alignment (to the mm)
Nitrogen filled tyres
New oem discs and ebc ultra max 2 pads (superb in the d3)
Fresh brake fluid, system bled inc vcds bleed

Car is transformed, but has serious front road noise/ drone, drives me insane! So bad that I am actually thinking of loosing money and moving it on. It’s not prop centre bearing as is it definitely front, I’m contemplating having 2 new driveshafts as have read that Audi have fitted these for people complaining about the same issue, that would be my last straw as I cannot stand it. I even put my old d3 wheels on that had awesome (silent) Avon Zzr 5 tyres on, it was exactly the same. Every time I ask someone, they say tyre noise, but it must be more than that surely. I’m shocked at how bad the car is compared to the d3, a serious regrettable purchase, sad times

Jeez Louise. Surely someone reading this can think/recall of a solution...

From what I've read, it seems to have been a major issue with the D4s since launch. Audi dealers have been blaming tyres and even the wheels themselves, and some people are saying it's to do with harmonic frequencies being transferred into the cabin through the suspension, but there doesn't seem to be a 'solution'. The FL D4 that came out in 2015 has Active Noise Cancelling, as well as additional sound deadening materials, which sort of makes you think that the issue is still there, but just concealed more.

There don't appear to be that many D4 owners on here, so probably difficult to get a consensus from other owners. I know Neil drives a D4, as well as a D2 and D3, so he might be able to confirm whether or not he has any experience of the issue.

News to me. Thanks for the update Steamship. OP, I hope there’s a solution.

I have a 2011 D4 that was recently cured with a front left wheel bearing.
It took much deliberation by the garage to decide which wheel bearing was the culprit. Thankfully they picked the correct one.
I had read the same info on propshaft etc. I had suggested same to the mechanic, they ran the car at road speeds up on the lift & numerous road tests to come to the decision on the wheel bearing.
I’d suggest having another look at wheel bearings, could it be one of the rear ones or a faulty/poorly fitted on the front.
Hope you sort it, it’s awful annoying.

Thank you mate, but you can’t fit the wheel bearings wrong. They just bolt on and torque up to required setting. It’s definitely front, I reduced front pressure from 37 to 31 which has helped a little, it seems the higher pressure amplified the drone, acting like a microphone. It is road surface dependant, which is bizarre, I opted for the Goodyear as every seems to say they are the quietest. I still have my d3 so I might try these wheels on that to totally eliminate it, but as I say I tried the d3 wheels on here and noise was the same. The D3 is silent and travels round like a magic carpet! I have a bmw m3 with race suspension and track tyres with ridiculous geometry and I think it drives quieter than the d4......I’m going to change fluid in front diff also as I didn’t realise there was on separate to the gearbox

Those are also some of the comments I've seen.

Again, something similar to what I've been reading.

I just find it hard to believe that owners have to basically throw piles of money at their cars in order to eliminate an errant whine, which not even Audi can give a definitive answer to. The A8 is their luxury saloon, and should be the epitome of comfort, yet I've read of people going through different wheel sizes 18", 19" and 20", and then going through various makes of tyres, all at their own expense, to try and resolve the problem. And that doesn't even take into account those who have gone down the mechanical route and have been systematically replacing suspensions components, bearings, prop-shafts and whatever else. It would definitely put me off buying a D4 (not that it is likely), especially when people say that their D3s were quieter.

The d3 is miles the better car, if I could have the stereo, brakes, better engine spec and mpg On the d3, I would keep it

My D4 is a 2014 FL 4.0T TFSi Model so has even funkier engine mounts than standard as it has cylinder shutdown which requires even more complex active engine mounts to offset any shutdown and startup of cylinders, but I dont recognise the symptoms of noise that you are discussing as being present on my car - it's fitted with Falcon F510 tyres (245-45-19) and they rate at 70 Db on noise which is one of the reasons I use them.

FWIW, I never had this issue with my D4 either.

I did on the D3 prior to that, in which case it was a pair of wheel bearings and a full front suspension rebuild....

Oh, and I also had a wheel bearing whine on my D2 :ROFL:

Maybe I just got lucky/got out in time with the D4!