hhspiny

I took my TT to change tire. the mechanic could rock the front wheels for about 1 inch and he said that was because the entire strut and shock is bad and needs to be replaced, and not only one but all four of them.

I immediately know it was a greedy shop because even if the one strut gets bad, it does not make sense to replace all four of them. and they are just trying to rip me off. but I do suspect the strut bushing is going bad and causing the "rocking". although I can't see anything wrong with the bushing nor getting any strange sound while driving, the gap between the cap and the plate is about 3/4 of inch wide, seems to indicate it.

now, my question is if my busing is going bad, but certainly not there totally toasted yet, is it normal to get this "rocking" motion of wheel while it is jacked up?

Captain Allroad

If the play is rotational, then this is normal.

If the play is in/out, then they may need to be replaced. How many miles on this beast? Do you drive it hard? You would have noticed some rattling, steering or handling problems if there was a suspension problem.

Generally speaking you should trust your intuition. If you don't have an independent mechanic, then you should try to find one. Dealers are a ripoff because they charge high prices.

Where is your locations, perhaps someone in your area can give a recommendation.

Captain crunch

hhspiny

The motion is in/out. the suspension might going bad for example the strut bushing. just moved here outside boston, have not developed any relationship with any shop yet. it has 50k miles on it, but I can't feel anything driving it. all felt normal. no sound, no shaking, no difficult to steel etc.

Captain Allroad

Any Indy recommendations?

hhspiny, you might try the A4 forum if you don't get a response on the TT. In/out could be something. On line diagnosis aren't worth the money you pay for them.

Good luck

SlapTTy

If you notice there should be a gap at the top of the strut and the strut tower when the car is on the ground. When the car is up in the air the strut assembly will drop by this gap and then appear to be loose. If this is the case, it's normal. If it's up in the air and the control arm/tie rod/axle are loose, then something is loose down there - usually NOT the strut/spring.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.