NovaScotia

JULY 22, 2002 - Dealer replaced right front lower control arm and anti sway bar link.

JULY 23, 2002 - 24 hours later and the clunking noise (not a rattle) over small bumps (at low speeds) has not returned. Given the hot weather today the clunking would have been very loud prior to July 22.

After seeing the control arm which came from my car I believe it was the bushings not the ball joint which caused the clunking. However upon visual inspection -- the old control arm looked perfect. It is impossible to look at it and determine if the arm is defective.

I hope this helps anyone having similar problems - If the clunking returns (i.e. the control arm turns out not to be the problem) I will do another post.

RECOPY OF POST ON JULY 16, 2002

My car has the exact same symptoms ( see post by Marc Collins on July 15 titled Suspension Rattling) but it only developed over the last 4 - 6 weeks. However the noise is not a rattle. In every respect it sounds like something is loose in the suspension & I can feel it in the steering wheel. Currently have 12,500 kms (7500 miles) on the car. The following is the sequence of events (bear in mind that only one technician at the local dealer works on my car - he has 12 years experience with AUDI - I know him on a first name basis)

JUNE 27 - Requested that every bolt be re - torqued on the front suspension including strut mounts etc. - Apparently this is normally done as part of the PDI - Explained that I felt something was loose in the front because of a clunking sound - Technician did not road test but spent over 1 hour on the car and said everything looked fine & no loose bolts. Also had the tires (Toyo Proxies FZ4) rotated (back to Front) - NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE NOISE

JULY 4 - Technician removed the Toyos and remounted the OEM tires (Michelin MVM4) - NO IMPROVEMENT

JULY 11 - Technician road tested car with me and within one block heard the noise & ordered lower control arms for the right front. He said it is virtually impossible to replicated the noise when up on the hoist while the arms are still on the car. In the past he has taken the defective arm , placed it in a vice and reproduced the noise by moving the arms thus creating different stress levels. He used an educated guess that it is the lower control arm since in his experience upper control arms have only been replaced on high milage units.

He did indicate that the lower control arms were a significant problem on the 1996- 1998 A4 but in recent years it has been much better.

CURRENT STATUS - Parts are not in yet and the technician who does my work is on vacation this week . I expect to have the lower control arm replaced at some point during the week of July 22, 2002.

In my car it was obvious that the sound was coming from the right front . If you can not isolate it to one side than both lower control arms may be defective.

Also in my car it is somewhat temperature related since first thing in the morning it is harder to detect. After I put 6 - 10 miles on the car it is far more noticeable. It is the worse at low speed when the pavement is rippled and I virtually can not notice it at high speed (freeway speeds)

My car is the first 2002 A4 to have any control arms replaced by the local dealer and the part # is different than the previous version A4.

I will do a post after the installation to let you know if it solved the problem.

Bob Petruska

This was a plague in the Gen1 A4's that cost Audi $10's Millions to replace! I can't believe that this wasn't the number one issue to fix on the Gen 2. The big problem is the car handling gets sloppy slowly as the bushings start going so there are many poor owners out there not realizing that they are not getting the handling they paid for!

I just hope this was an odd ball case....

JeffPGH

Right On!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RoadRager

In fairness, it's the accountants and not the engineers that should be shot. :-)

Marc Collins

for the second time.

Took it to my purchasing dealer immediately after purchase. Tech could clearly hear noise without even having to leave the dealership parking lot. They had the car for 36 hours and claimed to have gone over the whole suspension and tightened everything. They also removed steering rack and did something to the knuckle. Steering was "tighter" when they were done, but the rattle was unaffected.

When I called them back to report the results, the service manager suddenly suggested that there wasn't a problem any longer. After a few minutes of discussion it was clear they were morons and lost all future service work from me.

Took the car into a second dealer yesterday, who again could clearly hear the noise within half a block of leaving their driveway. They removed and re-installed the right front suspension completely. Picked up the car and the rattle/knock was probably 50% better...suggesting maybe that if the left front was done, the problem may be solved. By the time I got home, the rattle/knock was back to full force, the same as it was when I took the car in. But it was briefly a bit better. However, it was the first cool day today in weeks, so maybe it was the temperature. I was stuck in rush hour traffic on a hot highway on the way home.

I will tell them about your experience tomorrow when I call to give them the news.

Thanks again for reporting. Please tell us here (or e-mail me directly) if the noise returns.

Thanks,

Marc

JeffPGH

If you know something the rest of us don't, please elaborate.

RoadRager

Accountants restrict costs. It's probably cheaper to bypass Quality Control, than check for defect.

Bob Petruska

Just a very poor design....!!!!

NovaScotia

AUGUST 13, 2002 - The lower control arm did not solve the problem. Just had both Tie Rods replaced in the Front - Clunking gone & also sensation in the steering wheel now gone

Daydra

Shoot Audi Corporate for this one because they are aware of it and have not recalled. It happens with all A4's and some A6. My 97 A4 has been in and out of the shop since December 2000 and finally fixed (I hope). First it was the back wheel bearings, then the front left sway bar, and recently a strut that wasn't the problem and finally a complete front end kit. I am sure the suspension will now go in the backend too. Total cost over $3,000 which my second warranty picked up 50%. Time and anguish...priceless. Yes, the technicians can't duplicate when up on the rack, but they are deaf and dumb if they can't hear or feel the clunking when driving. Almost two years of dealing with this. Check ALLDATA for all the TSB's (Technical Service Bulletins) from Audi on this problem. It is not going away. But here is what I did.
From what I read in the newsgroups Audi is covering some of the cost on a cost by cost basis. Most Lemon Laws will cover your car if it is within 12,000 miles and still on the ORIGINAL warranty. Mine wasn't. It had 50,000 miles and on a 2nd. However, I wrote my attorney general and sent the TSB's showing that Audi knew about this problem prior to 1997 and never recalled. I also wrote Audi and requested my money back. Here is their address:

Audi Customer Relations
Audi of America Corporate Headquarters
3499 West Hamlin Road
Rochester Hills, MI 48309

Send your letter certified with return receipt and send all your repair receipt copies. Include the VIN number etc in your letter. You have to do this anyway if you send for a form under your state's lemon laws.

Good Luck to all us poor suckers!!!!!