revelator1969

2010 4.2 tdi sport

Guys. My front suspension seems a bit harsh when going over bumps, its like the tyre pressures are wrong however they are fine, some holes in the road give me quite a thud. I have developed a slight knock on the drivers side when going over a slight bump, it sounds like the ARB bushes but may well be something else. Any suggestions where to look guys. The car passed its mot recently and had no advisories.

a_very_naudi_guy

You're probably going in the right direction - bush / control arm. Have a look. Mine is starting to wear on my driver's side and I can feel it especially when cold.

Regards
Naudi

revelator1969

Thanks for your reply. Im hoping it is just some bushing that needs replacing. I already replaced one of the control arms due to hitting a wheel off a kerb.

a_very_naudi_guy

Check the arms too. It's one or the other more than likely. When I start the car on a cold day and start my initial back out and accelerate forward, I can hear a thud as I go over slight bumps and turn my steering wheel. It's usually before I'm cruising; the Audi dealership said the drivers-side control arm was probably the culprit. So far it hasn't been problemsome to me or my woman, but when it is, I'll fix it. The ride on these things are too sweet not to!

Jack88

I should chime in and say the bushings for all four of my upper control arms were shot, and it turns out the bushings on the lower control arm where the strut mounts to are shot as well. Despite that, the car rides smoothly and quietly. Just not as tight as it surely used to be. Clunking or a crunching noise is typically sway bar links, if I recall.

revelator1969

Thanks for your reply mate. Im still the same and i just get a little rumble going over certain surfaces. Im due a service so ill ask them to check out the ARB bushes while its in the air.

Yes it does sound like the sway bar links. Is it safe to assume all my main bushes should be ok if it passed an mot? Maybe the harshness is due to the 20" wheels and the sport suspension. I have to say i cant notice any difference between comfort mode and dynamic mode when i change the suspension settings. IS it obvious?

Jack88

It is not safe to assume that, they miss that kind of thing often, they really are looking for more safety issues. These cars chew threw those bushings anyway, it's inevitable. The sport suspension and 20" wheels definitely contribute. I have the standard suspension and 20's, it rides nice, but not as softly as it does with smaller diameter, even on 19's it rode smoother. I do notice a difference between dynamic and comfort, but it isn't huge. I should note my car has also been lowered with VCDS. I'll report back when I get the car on the road with all of its new bushings in place, right now it's on jackstands getting numerous issues sorted.

ltooz_a6_a8_q7

Read Jack88 comments, control arms systems are different, if your tires don't wear out badly like mine, then it's not the control arms, it's still smooth even if mine was bad.
It's also old tires where the walls turned stiff. The air shock may be over inflated and the eshock stuck at stiff mode.
Before replacing good parts, check and verify the parts first, I do have a video on how to check the upper control arms.
What's up with people with CA, everything is CA?
Cheers,
Louis

Jack88

Interestingly, despite badly worn bushings, the tires on my car were evenly worn. I had to replace them immediately when I bought the car, my brother driving it to the shop on bump stops to get the first strut replaced led the wider-than-factory rears to rub, apparently. They were pretty old and worn anyway.

mixja23

I haven''t driven my car with new bushes but even tho it rides smooth, I can tell it's not right, not how it should be...
It's in for it's 10 year service at Audi next week, part of that is checking suspension, I well expressly ask them to check all the bushes...
Then promptly get someone else to change them for a tenth of the price...!!