Lateral wobble - new suspension?

[pbarlow0032]

Looking for some advice on suspension please. Posted a few weeks ago about rattling windows, which I think is made worse by a sideways wobble which I seem to get on anything but super smooth roads. My car is 9 years old with 100k on the clock, and I can't see any evidence of any suspension refresh in the life of the car. Question is, am I just imagining a problem, it's just a cabriolet so does wobble OR does something need replacing, and if so, how best to find out what? I don't have a garage I trust, so I don't want to just take it to a garage and ask if something needs replacing, as I'm sure the answer will always be "yes".
The lateral wobble is a kind of sideways shift which happens when I change direction. I also have a wobble through the steering wheel when I get above 60mph but I don't know if this is something else? The garage I bought the car from claim the tracking was done before I picked the car up.

can anyone suggest a way forward?

thanks
Paul

 

[stu_m]

Could be wheels out of balance

 

[pbarlow0032]

Sorry if this is a numpty question, but is this different to tracking being correct? How would this be checked, I presume it would mean all wheels removed and checked at a tyre fitters? Any idea what sort of price this would be?
Another possible stupid question: what does 4-wheel alignment do/solve?
Stu_m, just noticed you're in Hull - I live in the North East now but lived in Hull for the first 25 years of my life. Whereabouts are you?

 

[simon.m]

yes tracking is different mate when the wheels are not balanced you get a vibrashon or if bad a wobble this you should feel through the steering wheel mainly not none it to do the hole car thou . 4 wheel alignment is how all tracking should be done really

 

[pbarlow0032]

Thats it, a vibration through the wheel, getting much worse above 60mph. The seller reckons the "tracking" was done before i bought it, and on a straight road if you take hands off the wheel, it doesn't pull either way, just stays true.
The whole car moving laterally seems to be noticeable when the car tramlines over road markings etc, which I don't know whether this shift is made more noticeable by worn suspension bushes? As you can tell, I'm not mechanically minded, but hopefully that makes sense?

 

[dpbayly]

Your wobble over 60 sounds like wheel balance issue,

but the shaking issue might be whats expected from a cabriolet Ive owned a few convertibles and they all surfed from whats known in the convertible world as scuttle shake this occurs due to flex in the body and can be improved to a certain extent with strut braces.

Scuttle shake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

dose that sound like your problem

 

[pbarlow0032]

Dpbayly, I'm not sure it's scuttle shake, I've had 2 a4 cabs previously and don't remember them feeling like this one.

could the scuttle shake be made worse by tired suspension bushes? Car feels quite floaty, could this also be worn bushes, or could this mean new springs are needed?

If a wheel does need balancing, would it just be the fronts which need checked, or would all 4 need to be done? How much would you expect to pay to have this done?

 

[dpbayly]

Worn bushes would exaggerate scuttle shake, floaty could be bad shocks quick way of doing a basic check go round and bounce each corner of the car it should settle quickly and not bounce around.

Wheel balancing if its only felt through the steering start with just the front wheels if you can also feel it through your seat then do rears too.

 

[stu_m]

Sorry if this is a numpty question, but is this different to tracking being correct? How would this be checked, I presume it would mean all wheels removed and checked at a tyre fitters? Any idea what sort of price this would be?
Another possible stupid question: what does 4-wheel alignment do/solve?
Stu_m, just noticed you're in Hull - I live in the North East now but lived in Hull for the first 25 years of my life. Whereabouts are you?

Yeah you need to visit a tyre fitter for balancing and get all 4 done I would say about £10 a wheel

I'm just off James reckitt at the min grew up on cough north bransholme!

 

[dpbayly]

also was there a difference in spec to your last A4 cabs what im talking about is sport/SE if your last ones were SE's and this one a sport the stiffer set up would also make scuttle shake worse.

 

[pbarlow0032]

Stu m: ******, that's £40 down the drain then! I grew up on gillshill road and then just off lambwath rd, went to malet lambert so I know that area well. Had a mate who lived on clifford ave for years. 7 years since I moved away now, still miss some things about it, can't beat a bit of nostalgia eh? My gran lived on bransholme for 30 years,has a bad rep but you can't tar everyone with the same brush

Dpbayly: had a 1.8t sport previously (about 6 years ago) so it would have only been 3 years old at the time, then I had a 3.0 Sline about 3 years ago (about 5 years old at the time) and I remember the Sline being crashy, but not floaty or with a lateral wobble or wobble through the steering wheel. I guess I need to get the wheels balanced first, then go from there.

unless there's a cabriolet owner in the north east who fancies driving mine back to back with their car to see if I'm just imagining things....???

 

[pbarlow0032]

Has anyone refreshed the suspension on their cab? Is it just bushes and springs, or are there other parts needed too? How much would you expect a full overhaul to cost, including fitting?

also, how much for the RS4 arb? If I had this fitted, would I need to remove it to refresh the suspension or is this completely separate?

 

[Mike.M]

Just balance the front first as they are connected to the rack and see how that goes. I would also get your tracking done......did mine yesterday as I was getting a little bump steering which was due to my alignment being out.

 

[swarcup]

Mine was doing what you described and it was the track rod ends that were the problem, still went nice and straight with your hands off the wheel but the minute movements in the ball joints where enough to make it veer and tramline when crossing ruts or white lines

 

[pbarlow0032]

Thanks MjMallia and Swarcup. The seller reckoned that they had replaced a track rod end before I picked it up. Suspect BS....

Are track rod ends just at the front or rear as well? How much would 2 track rod ends be at a garage? Any ideas?

 

[swarcup]

Track rod ends are only on the front, you can get track rod ends to suit any budget you get what you pay for