YKallroad

New struts 18 months ago (Arnott, replaced air suspension with coil-overs.)

When going over moderate bumps in the road, the right front suspension rattles and judders. I've looked at the diagrams to try and make heads or tails of the front suspension but I'm a little lost. Can someone break it down for me? It would make it easier to order the right parts if I knew (a little) what I was talking about!

G0to60

Have you checked on the inner control arm bushings? I had the same symptoms when my bushings were too worn. Replacement control arms fixed it right up.

Here's what my uppers looked like:

John535is

Was the noise a 'clunking' or 'rattle' (very technical difference!)
I have a 'rattle' too, can't hear it with the windows closed, no clunk noise or vibration through the steering, but when I drive over small corrugations, particularly in an enclosed place like an underground carpark ramp, there's a rattle like a loose heat shield or something but I can't locate anything. Started thinking it may be the internals in the downpipe starting the break loose. Happy for suggestions.

dallas0029

Hi John, i'm in Sydney too. On my parents B5.5 Passat i had a similar thing, turns out it was the shield on the inner side of the brakes on the front. Don't know if that helps?

Dolamite

The upper CA looks like it has some life left in it from what I see from that angle. Just some noticeable wrinkling of the bushing I see is normal. Even if that particular bushing was cracked it wouldn't make noise unless all the rubber material was crumbled off, by then you'd feel it in the steering wheel. I'd check your tierod linkages especially.

A good washing and get the car lifted up SAFELY on stands. Give it a visual and start shaking. Check all the bushings and ball joints. Start by firmly shaking the entire tire 3+9o'clock and 12+6. Nothing should wobble, everything should be tight. Give the brake pads a check to see those aren't flopping around in their respective caliper.

G0to60

To Dolamite, all four of the upper bushings and most of the lowers looked the same if not worse. This caused a bad clunking over bumps in the road and some shaking above 55mph. Replacing all of the control arms did the trick.

Another thing to check is your CV joints. It may not cause the problems you are experiencing but it may contribute to them.

YKallroad

Definitely a clunking type of noise. I can feel it in my feet and a little in the wheel.

John535is

If you can feel the feedback in the steering wheel then definitely follow GOto60 and Dolomite suggestions. Some of the online retailers like ECS and others that advertise on these sites do kits to replace everything as a package deal. These are a lot more expensive than the bushes, but I figure replacing the arms eliminates anything being bent at the same time, and you get shiny new bits on the car.

G0to60

That does sound like control arms. I did what John suggested and replaced all 8 front control arms. If you are going to do this be sure you get a set for the allroad and not a regular A6 as the lowers are different. Also, come of the cheaper kits use sub par parts and they tend to wear out faster. I went with a kit from Europaparts and, while a little expensive, they have lasted 40k miles so far with no issues.

EuropaParts.com: Ultimate Control Arm Kit (allroad C5)

YKallroad

I jacked up the car and wiggled the tire. No slop whatsoever. I inspected all the bushings and they look good. It also appears that someone had already replaced at least some of the components.

In fact, flipping through the receipts just now, some of the front control arms (both sides) were purchased two years ago this month. Part numbers listed are:

• 4z7-407-151-c
• 4z7-407-693-d

Question: could it be another bushing of some kind (ie where he subframe mounts)?

Thanks for your time.