Audi A4 handling problems

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Fri 11 Mar 2005 12:27
Audi A4 handling problems - stokie
I bought a high mileage (181k) A4 1.8 saloon 2 weeks ago.
To pass it's MOT I swapped the spare wheel for the rear offside wheel, and paid the garage to free off the caliper on the same wheel to get the handbrake working.

The problem is that when the car hits a manhole or rough bit of road, it 'squirms' badly and jumps a little off line, on a long left-hand slip road it was most disconcerting.

The MOT had an 'advisory' that the rear offside wheel bearing needed adjusting.

Is rear wheel bearing replacement a DIY proposition or does it need a press?

Could the squirming indicate worn front wishbones? (I've seen the info in car-by-car breakdown). If so is it the upper or lower wishbones that wear?

There's also a bad vibration through the car at 60mph, so I'm beginning to suspect the spare wheel is out of balance.

Any advice gratefully received.
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Fri 11 Mar 2005 13:33
Audi A4 handling problems - madf
It's the lwoer ones that wear.
At your mileage everything will be worn. When travelling in a straight line, all wear will be compensated for as all bushes will be compressed. When you hit a bump, stability goes, all shafts mmounte din bushes move: hence the squirming. In addition you are likely to have play in the steering rack, track rod ends , top suspension joints etc.

Requires a careful examination by someone who knows what they are looking at.

My A4 at 100k miles had new lower suspension arms : apart from that everything was original and handling was great (for an A4 that is).
Whell bearings? dunno sorry.


madf


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Fri 11 Mar 2005 13:58
Audi A4 handling problems - Aprilia
Wheel bearing is unlikely to cause this problem. Basically your rubber bushes will be softened and deteriorated with the mileage and so have become more compliant. When you put a load on the suspesion they deflect more than they should and so the geometry goes to pot. To rectify the situation you will probably have to replace quite a few parts. Comes with the mileage, I'm afraid.
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Tue 15 Mar 2005 07:31
Audi A4 handling problems - DL
Rear H frame bushes would be where I'd be looking....
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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Tue 15 Mar 2005 10:09
Audi A4 handling problems - stokie
Thanks, I'll start there, the Haynes Manual doesn't give the usual nice cutaway diagrams, but I'll whip a wheel off and look for something H shaped.
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Fri 6 May 2005 10:06
Audi A4 handling problems - stokie
I've ended up having 3 of the 4 links replaced at the front on the passenger side, the 2 lower ones and the rear upper one, plus an anti-roll bar link, plus the rear shocks. That's eradicated the 'squirming' on hitting a bump and cured the knocks from the front left, but there's still a faint knocking from the front right so guess that needs new lower links at some time. Still my £200 bargain car now stands me at £800 so think I'll just drive it for a while! Thanks for all the advice.
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