Wheel wobble/jitter/wriggle/nervousness

[Sayam]

Hi all

Not sure what this could be but basically when I drive on motorway say if I'm holding the car on a long sweeping bend even though I'm holding steering steady I feel as though my wheels have play in them

Also under heavy acceleration feels like they are fighting each other and pulling in different directions

I've had alloys checked for buckle and they are ok and air pressures and balancing has been checked too

Am I just going to have to ring TPS and order every damn bush and change them all as well as track rod ends?? Are there bushes on the drive shaft that might need changing or somewhere on the steering rack?

As I say I'm tempted to just change everything as I want my car to drive nice it feels really nervous at the moment

 

[SmithyAG]

Have you had the tracking done? (4 wheel alignment)?

Any small problem is going to be exacerbated with hard acceleration/higher speeds.

If you're set on changing all the bushes, may be time for a set of polybushes?

 

[davidmbell]

My back end feels sort of skittish on the tiniest of grooves when at motorway speeds. Most unnerving at times. Guess I need an alignment? Front end dives out and loses grip too, but not sure if that's an audi trait?

My last cars were 3 x MX5s a 09 Z4 and a Mini Cooper S so I've gone from very good neutral handling cars to a nose heavy Audi lump, so perhaps that's how a3's are?

Are they?

David

 

[John ler]

Could be camber

 

[warren_S5]

Before you go overboard I'd strongly suggest getting a good independent to make an assessment of the underside of the car. They will be able to identify bent track rods / worn bushings / play in the suspension / leaking dampers / even tyre wear etc from a proper inspection.

If that all comes back with a clean bill of health then have a 4 wheel Beissbarth alignment done to start off with as this can make a huge difference to the way a car drives. I had mine done recently and it now sticks like glue.

If that doesnt cure it 100% I'd be looking to uprate some of the rubber bushes at the back end of the car as they should hopefully tighten things up. Be warned if you change all the bushes to poly, I've read on forums that it can make it harder to sense where the limits of grip are on the car as you don't get the same sense of feedback through the car as you do with rubber bushings.

 

[Sayam]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I'm not keen on polybushes because of things I've heard/read about them. At the moment I have Eibach Sportline springs and want to change these to Pro-kit as I find them a touch hard so fitting polybushes might be counter productive?

The best way I can describe what I want is that I don't want some sort of super duper all singing all dancing handling car, all I want from it is to drive the way it did the day it rolled out of the factory. It has done 100K so naturally everything is loose and the rubbers in the bushes will have deformed and introduced play which I am trying to eliminate.

My own mechanic has had a good look under the car and not reported any problems at all, but bushes that I've looked at which are slightly cracked he seems to think are OK which I don't agree with. The shocks are all ok and none of them are leaking or damaged.

Maybe someone can recommend me a good independant to check everything for me and I can take it from there?

I know the car needs a proper 4 wheel alignment and was considering taking it to Wheels in Motion based on reviews I've read of their work, but decided to hang fire and do it once everything else has been done (springs changed, bushes etc or anything else that needs changing).

What do you think?

Also not sure if it makes a difference but I'm running 35psi all round.

 

[warren_S5]

Maybe someone can recommend me a good independant to check everything for me and I can take it from there?

Where in the country is convenient for you to travel to? I used APS in Brackly for full 4 wheel alignment after having Eibach Prokit fitted. As they set the car up it's good that one company does all the work together as then if you have any further issues you've only got to visit one place (and accountability sits with one person so no 'blame tennis'!). Depends where you are based in the country but you may have to travel a bit to get Beissbarth alignment kit.

I know the car needs a proper 4 wheel alignment and was considering taking it to Wheels in Motion based on reviews I've read of their work, but decided to hang fire and do it once everything else has been done (springs changed, bushes etc or anything else that needs changing).

What do you think?

Probably best to get anything changed before you set it up so the car is sat right.

Also not sure if it makes a difference but I'm running 35psi all round.

Run as per the settings inside the fuel flap; they all differ based on weight / Quattro etc. If you're not running OEM rims then call a wheel specialist / tyre fitter for a recommendation

 

[Sayam]

Where in the country is convenient for you to travel to? I used APS in Brackly for full 4 wheel alignment after having Eibach Prokit fitted. As they set the car up it's good that one company does all the work together as then if you have any further issues you've only got to visit one place (and accountability sits with one person so no 'blame tennis'!). Depends where you are based in the country but you may have to travel a bit to get Beissbarth alignment kit.



Probably best to get anything changed before you set it up so the car is sat right.


Run as per the settings inside the fuel flap; they all differ based on weight / Quattro etc. If you're not running OEM rims then call a wheel specialist / tyre fitter for a recommendation

I can either be in West London/Slough/Windsor or West Yorkshire, both locations are convinient.

I guess I'd like someone to inspect it, give me a report and I'd be happy to pay for their time. Although I don't think his assessment of the suspension components is accurate I do have a lot of trust in my mechanic and would probably ask him to order the bits that need changing from TPS and fit them. Then I'd need the alignment and see where that gets me?

 

[warren_S5]

In Yorks Statller would always be my personal choice based on feedback from various forum members.

In London area.... I suppose AmD in Essex would be my first point of call, but on wrong side of London for you. Maybe the Phirm, MDM Technik or Fontain being closer to W. London.

 

[Sayam]

Fontain are round the corner from me!

So does this plan sound fair?

1. Fontain do inspection/diagnosis

2. Replace any bushes etc based on fontain and change to pro-kit springs at same time.

3. It'll be time for 2 new front tyres so replace these.

4. Full 4 wheel alignment/setup from wheels in motion

I should be good to go after this?

 

[Watty]

Try and check the inner cv joints for any play as we had the same problems with Sarah's A3 3.2, you can easily check them by holding the drive shaft and physically lifting it up/ down and sideways etc for any small signs of play.

 

[Sayam]

Thanks Watty. If there is play does that mean it's time for new drive shafts?

 

[Garfybeds]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I'm not keen on polybushes because of things I've heard/read about them. At the moment I have Eibach Sportline springs and want to change these to Pro-kit as I find them a touch hard so fitting polybushes might be counter productive?

The best way I can describe what I want is that I don't want some sort of super duper all singing all dancing handling car, all I want from it is to drive the way it did the day it rolled out of the factory. It has done 100K so naturally everything is loose and the rubbers in the bushes will have deformed and introduced play which I am trying to eliminate.

My own mechanic has had a good look under the car and not reported any problems at all, but bushes that I've looked at which are slightly cracked he seems to think are OK which I don't agree with. The shocks are all ok and none of them are leaking or damaged.

Maybe someone can recommend me a good independant to check everything for me and I can take it from there?

I know the car needs a proper 4 wheel alignment and was considering taking it to Wheels in Motion based on reviews I've read of their work, but decided to hang fire and do it once everything else has been done (springs changed, bushes etc or anything else that needs changing).

What do you think?

Also not sure if it makes a difference but I'm running 35psi all round.

Wheels in Motion is a great place. I used them when I had a couple of MX5s. They will certainly get your full tracking sorted.

 

[davidmbell]

Ditto, took mk3 MX-5 there, they're experts and know what they're doing. MX-5s need very precise calibration not just "near enough", so I can recommend them.

David

 

[Sayam]

Right guys done some more investigation. Under hard acceleration as the speed increases over 50mph the wobble gets worse and worse the faster I go. As soon as I let go of the throttle the wobble disappears. Gotta be the driveshaft bearings so time for new drive shafts??

 

[Garfybeds]

Its interesting - my wobble is just 25-35 mph, but is worse going up hill - I don't know if the fact that I have a tiptronic gearbox makes a difference

 

[Sayam]

Its interesting - my wobble is just 25-35 mph, but is worse going up hill - I don't know if the fact that I have a tiptronic gearbox makes a difference

I have a DSG box too...

Maybe it is worse up hill as the drivetrain is under strain and that's when the wobble is most noticeable?

Similarly with mine when accelerating (placing the drivetrain under pressure) and when I let go of the pedal and everything is coasting the wobble stops...

 

[Garfybeds]

I am not sure how similar the tiptronic is to DSG in the way it works. However I was worried about the increase on hills - as you say, strain or torque, which made me start to worry about drivetrain issues. However, I'm pinning my hopes on bushes first !

 

[ahtcap]

My money would be on the wishbone bushes!

 

[Garfybeds]

Just to let everyone know, despite paying an Audi dealer for a diagnosis (wishbone bushes or differential) it turned out to be the o/s drive shaft. This was replaced under warranty and the car drives beautifully now.

Letters will be written to the dealer !

My money would be on the wishbone bushes!