Steering feels strange

[porty]

Dear All, I wonder if anyone has experienced any issues with their (electric power) steering? Whilst it doesn't feel dangerous, there does appear to be some intermittent "play" in the steering. My car is booked in at the Audi dealer to be looked out but I think that it is more than just the tracking (or wheel balancing) - I just wondered if anyone had had any issues with the power steering motors having some sort of electrical blip every now and again? My car is a May 2012 registration, 1.8TFSI. Any comments much appreciated to help with the diagnosis.

[Audi.Quattro]

Yes, it feels odd.

I do believe Audi have an update to the SW, it's "Campain" 48K4. I've not taken mine back to Audi yet, I did discuss the odd steering feel with them and they were willing to have a look, but I've not had the time to take car in and I've not discussed this update with them either, just that the steering was wierd.

[porty]

Audi. Quattro - that is most interesting. Thanks for that information.

[Tankdave]

pls delete

[Guest 2]

Yes, it feels odd.

I do believe Audi have an update to the SW, it's "Campain" 48K4. I've not taken mine back to Audi yet, I did discuss the odd steering feel with them and they were willing to have a look, but I've not had the time to take car in and I've not discussed this update with them either, just that the steering was wierd.


pls delete

Can I ask why you have 2 user accounts?

[Audi.Quattro]

Can I ask why you have 2 user accounts?

Mistakes happen, Tankdave is NOT required

[size12]

Interesting, I have found at times the steering does feel "Twitchy" for want of a better word. Also tends to wander under breaking? I was going to mention it to the dealer next time its in but expect to hear the usual "it's a characteristic of the vehicle sir"

[Audi.Quattro]

Spoke with Audi Service Dept. yesterday and apparently, my car has had the upgrade.

It still needs work as far as I'm concerned, so I've booked the car in, it's in a couple of weeks time.

Might just have "to live" with this one.

[porty]

I'm the same - checked yesterday and mine had the update at the last service. I'm still not happy with it and so it is booked in next Monday. I think it helps that we can both say that there are other people experiencing an issue. I will be disappointed if I have to live with it, because the steering was always so precise and accurate, it's just annoying that it isn't like that anymore.

[porty]

Well my car went in on Monday. They found that one of the wheels wasn't correctly balanced (which they corrected) but, otherwise, the geometry was OK. However, I still have the twitchy feeling in the steering which, I guess, I am going to have to live with. It used to be so precise and accurate - the best driving car I have ever had - and so it is quite disappointing.

[size12]

I have the same feeling in my steering Porty even changing from dynamic to comfort makes little difference now!
All since my last service at Hull Audi.
It can be quite unnerving under heavy braking if he road surface is a little rough.

[porty]

At the last service, you'll have had the software update for the steering (48K8) that Audi.Quattro and I have had. That's three of us that think our steering is "twitchy" after having had the software update. I can't help thinking that this is too much of a coincidence for the update not to have something to do with our issues.

[size12]

Might be worth speaking to service it's in again on Friday I will mention it to them can they roll the update back?

[porty]

size12 - on the audizine forum, a member called Moose201 reports that he had the 48K8 update reloaded this week with the service manager at that dealer saying that it is still called the 48K8 update but that the technician noticed that it had a new prefix and so the assumption is that the update may have been updated by Audi in some way. I'm going to book mine in next week to have the update re-done. Please let me know how you get on with yours tomorrow. Thanks

[size12]

Will do Porty thanks, I will ask them to reload and report back.

[Audi.Quattro]

Update Time:-

My B8.5 needs constant small & micro steering adjustments on the highways. It feels like it won't drive staight for more that one car length without a correction. I should add that I have both 18" & 19" wheels and its the same with both. It will get worse with higher tyre pressures though, I've thought that was what it might be, so done some experimenting.

The car "apparently" had the 48k update from the time it was mine, but whatever this update may have fixed, it still don't feel very nice, it feels a bit scary at proper high speeds, god knows what it would be like at 155?

Today, I had the local Audi dealer take a look, a "Master Tech" took it for a test drive with me as the passenger and he asked me a lot of questions, good questions I might add and he agreed that it did indeed require constant and excessive corrections to drive in a straight line, this includes the gentle curves on the motorways.

They have now booked me in for a laser wheel alignment check, this has to be done before the issue can be escalated up to Audi HQ.

So far, I'm happy with this, but being an electro-mechanical engineer myself, my gut feeling is that it's the steering software that's just too stupid sensitive when the wheels are in the centre or near centre position.

It won't do any harm to check the tracking though, will it? (Tyre wear is perfectly OK)

[palmerj]

I have a 177 PS fwd black edition and have just swapped the winters on 17" rims and Contiwinter TS850's 225 50 17's and I must say it has totally changed the way the car drives. Steering is now smooth, direct and a vast improvement in grip over my usual Audi black edition 5 rotor 19" rims with 255 35 19 Conti Compact 3's which twitch and suddenly pull off line. It even maked my arms ache when I first picked my car up.
When I had a tire changed recently, Compact 3, I mentioned to the fitters the Compact 3's really track, picking up every rut in the road. They looked at it each other and said yes they are renowned for it!
When you look at the straight lines of the tread rubber its hardly surprising I suppose!
I just thought I would give you my experiences, maybe swap tire brands to something with a different tread pattern

[Audi.Quattro]

I'm currently on 18" winter Michlins, whilst they have made the ride quality a rather masive improvement, and they have certainly reduced the tugging in different directions thing, they have not effected the hyper-sensitivity I'm noticing on the motorways.

I do hear what your saying about those Contact 3's though.

[porty]

Thanks for the update Audi.Quattro. Mine is booked in on Tuesday to have the 'twitchy' steering looked at again.

Size12 - How did you get on at the dealers?

[size12]

My wife forgot to mention it when she dropped it off although I'm sure it will be going back in again! I'm having some issues with lacquer pealing off the rear bumper :-(

[Audi.Quattro]

Mine was booked in today for the alignment checks, nothing wrong so issue passed up the ladder to some Audi tech department. I have the car back and now I wait.