Thread: How to tell when suspension is going?

Hey all I have a 98 a4 b5 tdi (I will make a sig at somepoint)

On the motorway this mornin going over some joints in the road the car seems to lean slightly mroe to the front right then the other corners.

Also possible linked to this is the fact that it makes a clicking sound when on full lock (ball joint/ top arms on drivers side I think?)

Last factor is I had that side of the car jacked up over the weekend whilst servicing it, could this of set the spring to be a bit odd?

So main question is how to tyou know when the suspension is on the way out?

Push down on the bonnet above the wheel.

When you let go, if it continues to bounce its a bit knackered...

If you are getting a noise on full lock that sounds like a bolt tumbling around in a tupperware box its probably the CV joint.
If the steering feels like its sliding around a bit when you are going in a straight line and has lost its precision when turning it may be a wheel bearing. Get the wheel jacked off the ground and pull and push it away and towards the car. If you can feek any movement the bearing is away.
If you are still on the original shocks from 1998, they are knackered.
Get the alignment checked by a specialist or dealer, and i don't mean Kwikfit, and they will be able to tell you if the linkages are knacked. Again if you are on the originals they almost certainly are, the A4s are known for the problem and there have been recalls.

Ahh ok I think it may of been the spring settling down or the damper from when I had it jacked up the other day , but only that corner was. It seems better today but the precision is as good as when I got it.

In fact I am more tuned into the car now then ever and will take tighter lines.

I do have a planned suspension upgrade of a koni/H&r kit within the next few months anyways but it would be better for my wallet that I dont do it now.