Audi A6 front suspension knock

[rosssomerville]

I have recently bought a 1.8 a6 avant on a t plate. Many faults have been sorted inc shocks on the rear electrics in the aircon and a new abs unit costing a fortune however the last problem is a knock from the front left corner when going over speed bumps pot holes anything uneven. I took it to the garage and they said they couldnt find anything and to just wait until its more obvious Anyway haveing now replaced many of the suspension arms the noise is more pronounced and has led me to believe that it is the antiroll bar bush.

Having a look at the bush it seems quite solid i have given it a good shake with the wheels off the ground and nothing moves. Is it the case that these bushes can be very worn but not show it when inspecting it?

Could the problem be something else? steering rack, engine mounts mabe?

I am going to replace the antiroll bar bushes anyway so if that sorts it I will post the result.

Anybody else having this problem?

[Gaz the Cab]

Have you changed the lower control arms, I had exactly the same symptoms with my Passat, turned out to be the bush that the shock absorber connects to, but it wasn't visible without dismantling them.

[paul20v]

lots of diagnosis problems on the multilink suspension is that most people pick the car up on the sill or body the suspension then drop into a non working position hence a lot of things wont show because the get put into new positions in the joints etc and wear has not accured in these positions so its best to pick them up under the shock mounting which keeps the car in a more natural ride position use a good jack head so as not to damage the lower arm when picking up happy hunting

[Emjay]

Have had several Audi's over the past 5 years, all developed problems relating to speed bumps.

A3 1.8T Sport Quattro - From new - After just three months a squeeking noise developed (front passenger side), so I booked it in at the dealer. The dealer could not trace a fault. Over the following months the noise intensified and the dealer had the car back a further four times before the fault was finally tracked down.
The anti-roll bar bushes had cracked; I was informed this was a common fault by the dealer. Q - If it was a common fault then why did it take so long for the problem to be rectified?

A4 3.0 Quattro Cab - From new - As before (A4 above) a squeeking noise developed after a few months. The car went back to the dealer on six occasions before a fault was traced, this time to the front left damper.
Again this was a fault previously reported by other owners of the same model. The damper was replaced and everything was fine until three weeks ago when the same noise developed, this time on the front right hand side. The car is now two years old.

Before the A3, I had a Renault Megane Coupe - from new - everything was fine for the first week, then all hell broke loose. The car spent more time at the dealer than on the road. Loads of issues! When I finally got the car back in working order and after twelve months trouble free motoring, the exhaust fell off. The dealer replaced the offending article and added a note of caution "don't drive over any speed bumps".

As I live on a relatively new estate, complete with 'speed bumps' and other 'traffic calming measures', and before I splash out on a new car, I shall wait until 'hover cars' are available. Or maybe I'll win the lottery and get myself a big house in the country with plenty of land for a helicopter!

SPEED BUMP - Oxymoron!

[paul20v]

hover car would save me money on tyres

[Bloobat]

I have the new shape A6 2.4 SE with sports suspension on a 54 plate bought from an Audi garage with 4000 miles on the clock. Fantastic car but ever since I took possession I have been troubled by a slight knock which appears to come from the front left suspension when this wheel goes over a bump. The strange thing is that it does not seem to matter how severe the bump is and it does not always occur. Audi as good as rebuilt this section of the car under warranty but replacing virtually everything did not cure the problem and it still persists to this day. Car has now done 36000 miles and it does not seem to be getting any worse. At one stage I thought it may just be a loose plastic bottle within the engine compartment as this is what it sounds like!!!! I have now resigned myself to live with it but very irritating as no other problems whatsover!!!!

[beaver3167]

I have a A6 2006 3.0 S-Line ..... Exactly the same offside front knock when going over slight bumps or on slighlty not even roads. The car only had 12,000 on the clock and it has done it since this milage.

This is really irratating especially when you pay all that money. Previouly I had a BMW 3 series and never a rattle or bang in sight. Seems like Audi havenet grasped suspension yet.

Still have the knock on the car on 20k but havent had chance to ask the garage. If I knew what it was and it didnt cost loads I would sort it as it ruins what is in all other respects a great car.

[Niall76]

Guess what?

I too have the exact same problem.

I did wonder if it was the drop link for the ARB hitting off the lower wish bone? I may have to investigate this....................

[Niall76]

oh, and if anyone figures it out please let us know.

[Georgie]

I have the same problem on my 08 plate A6 3.0 TDI Le Mans Avant. Slight low level hollow knocking / rattle coming from front offside when at low speed (below 20 mph) on uneneven / rutted roads or speed bumps. I reported this at the 3 month inspection with Camberley Audi, who I bought the car through, and they told me they couldn't detect the knocking. I reported it again a couple of weeks ago with Crawley Audi and, although the service manager thought he could hear the noise with me on a test drive, the engineers couldn't find any problem when they inspected it. My in-laws live up an uneven private road which makes the knock / rattle very noticeable indeed. I challenge any Audi engineer to come along with me and I assure you you will be convinced of the issue. If any one finds the source of the problem or manages to resolve it please let me know as it is an annoyance, although the car is otherwise fantastic. Thanks