AKrlic

I've been experiencing this vibration that sorta creeps up and starts getting noticeable (annoying) at about 60 MPH or so, and disappears almost completely (and suddenly) once I reach 80 MPH. Anywhere between those two magic numbers, and I'm dealing with this relatively high-speed vibration I can feel through my steering wheel and beneath my butt in my seat, very similar to the kind of vibration I used to feel when one of my wheels was bent.

The first thing I did was check my wheels for bends. I'm currently running the stock Fuchs wrapped in chunky all-season rubber. The wheels are in near-perfect condition, no bends. I had my local tech rotate and balance the tires (for the second time in 2000 miles of driving), but that did nothing.

The tech, who has had an UrS4 of his own for the last 7 years, said it might be "worn out control arm bushings, at least."

I then found myself browsing various Audi websites one night, when I came across 034MS's motor and tranny mounts, which purportedly "help eliminate vibrations in the shifter" and other "driveline movement"... Which got me thinking, could a very bad mount also contribute to the sort of vibrations that I'm feeling?

So... Tell me, fellow UrS folk... What kind of stuff could I be inspecting? Is this probably nothing more than a case of a car needing a suspension freshening?

Speaking of which, is there some sort of comprehensive list of "suspension consumables" or something, some sort of list one can reference when shopping for front- and rear-end suspension component freshening...? Any "kit" offered by any tuners/Audi parts specialists, that combine all of the major wearables into one easy-to-order set?

Please don't tell me that my car is "broken" and suggest to sell it to you for "$1,000."

Only-Emre

Usually, bad mounts cause clunks and the such. If one of your wheel weights got thrown off, or you bent the wheel enough, that would be the cause.

You're driving the car again?

AKrlic

Despite the fact that I've already re-balanced and rotated my near-new tires.

Gee... I really hope it's just a balancing issue... That's a whole lot less expensive to deal with than, say, virtually anything else that could go wrong.

And yes, Emre, I'm back to driving the car again... Sorta. I moved back to NJ, but I'm still working (and spending much of my free time) in NYC... So that means I'm only really using the car on the weekends, and only recreationally, basically to make sure it gets a nice occasional work-out, and to keep fresh in my memory the pleasure and exhilaration this car can provide.

AKrlic

OK, OK.. for the sake of argument, let's say it's not a balancing issue --- Which of the suspension bushings/components, if worn, might also contribute to the sort of vibration I've described...

Or is such vibration simply never the result of worn suspension components?

BY THE WAY -- My front end also *squeaks loudly* when going over certain types of low-speed (under 30 or 35 MPH?) bumps. Any ideas?

I'd like to believe this is nothing more than a $40 rotate-and-balance job.

Only-Emre

Lift the car in the air and see if there is any play when you grab the wheel and try to move it left to right.