Braking noise and Buckled 19" Rota

[Jbradford97]

I've had the local dealer looking into a thumping sound I get when braking (but no vibrations).
It's like the sound you get when going over braking lines on the approach to some roundabouts
The car is a A4 Avant S-Line Black Edition 2012

They are lost as to what is the cause - has anyone had similar or any ideas?

Tho they did spot that three of the wheels (19" Rotas) had slight buckles on the inside.
Question is:
- should I worry about it?
- can they be fixed or is this too much risk?
- whats the best option for replacement (cheap but still look good) ?

 

[Lavis89]

I've had this exact thing happen before and it was a damaged tyre, if i remember correctly the rubber had started seperating internally, repaced the 2 rear tyres and problem solved.

Buckled wheels could also cause issues with road noise as well

 

[Jbradford97]

Was there any way to tell the rubber was separating from the outside?

 

[RAF_S7]

Buckled wheels can be fixed by any reputable wheel refurbisher.

If there is any rubber separation issues on the tire sidewall, you can usually spot it starting to bulge. If the tires are close to the limit, its time to replace anyway.

 

[Meemo]

I had issues with vibration on braking (i know not the same) replaced disks pads etc and the tyres looked fine, was baffled.
Wasnt untill the tyres came off of the wheels did we see the tyres had bulged and weird shaping all round (just the one tyre), so the tyres could be the problem but not visible untill they are off the rim like mine.
Have you/the Dealer, got another set of wheels you can swap to test this without paying for the others to be removed?

 

[Lavis89]

My tyres were the same, looked fine on the wheels but one of them looked mishapen and lumpy when it was off the wheel

 

[spartacus68]

Had a flat spot on a tyre before. Balancing Didn't throw up any errors, it was the tyre itself that was damaged but noise was evident at around 40-50mph and sounded a bit like bearing rumble. Do you remember hitting a pothole or striking kerb at any point?

 

[Jbradford97]

I can't see any issues on the tyre side wall and lots of tread on them.
Tho when I got the car it had PACE tyres - I had to quickly replace the front since the sidewalls had cracked.
I'll have to take them to the tyre place I trust and remove them to have a look.

@Meemo - Unfortunately I don't have wheels I can try (wife's A3 wheels wouldn't fit around the brakes).

@spatacus68 - I've hit potholes, but none hard enough to do any damage