steppy steering

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steve184

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Never noticed this before but pulling out of a parking space today (turning wheel whilst barely moving) and i noticed a very faint stepping sensation from the steering wheel as i turned it. Can't feel it if your moving, only when stationery or as near as damit to stationery.

This may well be normal as your obviously not meant to turn the wheels while stationery, but i can feel it when manouevring slowly - surprised never noticed before.

Anyone else noticed/confirm this is normal? (If you can understand what i mean!)
 
Yes, this is normal.
This was one of the first things I noticed in my A3.
Basically, you can turn the wheel too fast for the electric power assistance.
So you get this 'easy/hard/easy/hard' sensation when wheel-twirling in a car park.
You shouldn't notice it in normal driving though.
 
Hi just wanted to add to this thread, may or may not be related.

My car went into audi for some adjustment to the handbrake. Whilst there I mentioned that when turning the wheel to the left I got a slight creaking & stepping noise but nothing when turning to the right.

They phoned me up later that day to say they couldnt diagnose it but were going to replace the steering rack under warranty.

Maybe worth checking it out.

Regards

Leon
 
yes, this is a widely known design fault with the A3 and Mk5 golf, I've had two racks replaced before it was finally fixed, good to see your dealer is being proactive
 
bowfer i know what you are saying there and have experienced this myself - doesnt bother me much because you have to turn the wheel very fast in my car before that happens.... im talking about moving the wheel slowly when the car is moving little or hardly at all, ie, in a parking space... i can feel a very faint stepping sensation in the steering - you have to be slow go a bit faster and it seems ok - never noticed before thats all on this car or my previous A3.
 
Steve - that's what the second steering rack I had did, the first was the fast step asistance problem (sounds like a dance) the second was the odd stepping at low speed - the third rack I have is ok
 
Well i picked my car up yesterday. The problem appears to have been rectified. Very smooth steering whether on the move or stationary.

But I had to return it to Audi this morning.....They hadnt fitted the steering wheel back on straight!!!! :sos: Bit of a giveaway with a flat bottom on the tilt :shrug:
 
great! so its not normal then and is a fault (albeit minor) and i can say bye bye to my perfectly straight steering wheel???? (in my opinion once the steering has been messed with in any way, dealers can never get it back to 'exactly' dead straight (they couldn't on last one anyway, made excuses like, oh your steering column must be twisted mate'
 
They put mine back 100% straight after i embarrassed them some. went a bit like "I wouldnt complain but its a bit of a giveaway when it has a flat bottom". They looked very sheepish if i remember correctly. Now its perfectly straight and the creaking is gone so im happy ;)
 
2 A3 3.2s and on 5th rack in total. Going in for the next one soon. This has been a problem since the new A3 came out. My first ones had the slow moving on off assistance problem when turning left or right, the last one had a creaking grinding noise when turning left only. The current one has been fine for nearly 20k miles but last weekend gave up and I now have the stepping problem again and it is probably worse than any other rack I have had.

Must be an expensive problem to cure and cheaper to replace racks if people complain rather than engineer a new one otherwise why continue with the same issues for over 4 years?
 
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