RS7 Climate Control Issues: Faulty Ventilation Flap

As someone with moderate experience maintaining Audis, I had a very similar issue with my S7 (2018 model) last summer. The automatic climate system started showing similar symptoms, inconsistent air circulation and poor cooling performance. The system diagnostics pointed to the rear ventilation flap, just like in your case. After some troubleshooting, my workshop found that the cable connection to the ventilation flap actuator had become loose and partially corroded. The HVAC repair was relatively straightforward, they cleaned the connection points and secured the wiring properly. The whole fix cost 95 Euro and took about an hour. The air conditioning has worked flawlessly since then. These ventilation flap issues are actually somewhat common in this platform. To help diagnose your specific case better, could you share: Build year of your RS7, Whether the issue occurs more during specific weather conditions, If you notice any unusual sounds when changing air distribution settings, Whether the issue started suddenly or developed gradually With these details, I might be able to confirm if its exactly the same issue I encountered.

Thank you for sharing your repair experience. My 2021 RS7 has 179488KM and was last serviced 3 months ago. The issue started gradually over the past few weeks. I notice a faint clicking sound when adjusting the air distribution settings, particularly when switching between modes that affect rear passengers. The problem seems consistent regardless of weather conditions. The symptoms match what you described, poor air circulation and inconsistent cooling. Given the system diagnostics also points to the flap actuator, it seems likely to be a similar wiring issue. Ill have the car HVAC system checked, focusing on the connections you mentioned.

Thanks for those additional details. The clicking sound you described with the air distribution changes matches exactly what I experienced with my S7 before getting it fixed. Its a clear indicator of the ventilation flap actuator struggling. Since your car has higher mileage than when I faced the issue, it would be worth having the workshop check the entire automatic climate control wiring harness, not just the flap connections. In my case, while the immediate fix addressed the main problem, I later discovered minor corrosion in other HVAC system connectors. The gradual onset of symptoms is typical for these wiring-related climate control issues. The repair should be straightforward, but make sure they perform a full system diagnostics after the fix to confirm no other components were affected. While my repair cost was around 95 Euro, expect slightly higher costs if they need to address multiple connection points. The investment is worth it to prevent more extensive HVAC repairs down the line. Let us know how the repair goes. These shared experiences help others with similar air conditioning issues in their vehicles.

Thanks for the detailed input. The clicking sound matches the symptoms mentioned, which gives me confidence about the diagnosis. Since my RS7 has significant mileage, I agree its worth having the entire car HVAC system checked rather than just the flap actuator connections. I made an appointment with my workshop for next week. They estimate around 150 Euro for a complete system diagnostics and repair of the air conditioning components. Given the advice about checking all connection points, I requested they inspect the full wiring harness that controls the automatic climate control and air distribution, especially the parts serving rear passengers. Will update the thread once the repair is complete to help others who might face similar ventilation flap issues in the future. The gradual decline in performance and clicking sounds seem to be common indicators of this problem.