Non DRC suspension issue

[s42ski]

Guys, I am at wits end. I have a nasty metallic clunk from the front drivers side. Sound comes at low speeds and when car is taken from flat road to an incline. Say when turning into a driveway. You can here and FEEL the thunk through the floor of the car.
Car was at the dealer for a week and they attributed it to the Hotchkiss sway bar installed. Hotchkiss of course said no one has had any problems so it must be something else. Ideas ???:vgrumpy:

[mmaturo]

if they tighten the sway bar down then no...its not the only cause (have them throw on your OEM one then and then try it. I have had the OEM sway bar replaced twice for the same problem. Then the links and finally two sets of upper and lower control arms (first set gave out too), and DRC in between which may have accelerated the failure...but DRC did not cause the clunking. In other words if it had a bushing it gave out and when it did it clunked exactly as you describe. This has been plaguing me for 25K miles off and on. Have them keep looking... and in particular the control arms. Even when the sway bar was replaced mine was still there just more muted. Only once the control arms were all replaced did it go away. It came back again and sure enough it was the control arms again.

Only other thing ever posted for the exact same noise is the steering column has a bolt way down in somewhere that can come loose on Rs6s also causing a similar thunk while doing the slow incline etc.

[Fonzie Audi]

weird that you bring this up.. i'm having a similar problem...

ever since i had the hotchkis swaybars installed.. i get a loud "pop" underneath the driver side floor. I can hear and feel it.

It happens when i turn the wheel heavy in slow speed.. (pulling into a parking space or driveway). i have the softer setting on the SB's.. haven't figured out where the sound comes from yet..

[s42ski]

mmaturo - the dealer did replace one of the links and still the car rattles ( actually worse now) one bit that Hotchkiss mentioned was if the bar was installed upside down it would contact and make noise - I will be checking that out tonight at home.....

Where is the link for the steering column nut ? This noise is driving me crazy - car sounds worse than a 65 Camaro with bad ball joints.

[mmaturo]

mmaturo - the dealer did replace one of the links and still the car rattles ( actually worse now) one bit that Hotchkiss mentioned was if the bar was installed upside down it would contact and make noise - I will be checking that out tonight at home.....

Where is the link for the steering column nut ? This noise is driving me crazy - car sounds worse than a 65 Camaro with bad ball joints.

Try a search on Audiworld.com as well for the steering. A search with 'clunking', 'steering clunking' may work. Also cross post on the RS6 forum on Audiworld if you don't already (my sig is different here than there). Rattle rather than a clunking...maybe

Maybe it is the bar. May be worth switching back to stock just so you can actually eliminate that or not as the reason and move on. I will say it took my dealer replacing everything several times and then coming back in and tightening every connection till it was finally right.

: ) The heavily repressed/reformed redneck in me has to correct you to a 65 mustang or a 67 Camaro though...but yes it does indeed feel like a 68 Camaro with issues which i have experienced.

[Fonzie Audi]

fixed. turns out one of my links wasn't in place. sound gone, car tighter into right turns.

also got boost gauge put in today. lovely

[mmaturo]

fixed. turns out one of my links wasn't in place. sound gone, car tighter into right turns.

also got boost gauge put in today. lovely

Cool...well at least i was very close...as i have found out if even one component is bad or loose in the entire suspension it gives you the same clunk.

Where did you put the boost gauge?

[Fonzie Audi]

Put it on the column behind the steering wheel, off to the right side. works great, and doesn't block date/time

[Fonzie Audi]

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[ben916]

: ) The heavily repressed/reformed redneck in me has to correct you to a 65 mustang or a 67 Camaro though...but yes it does indeed feel like a 68 Camaro with issues which i have experienced.

You beat me to the punch.... 64 1/2 mustang and 67 camaro...

[DuckWingDuck]

I can't imagine that Steve's problem is with hotchkis because he's had that in there for a while now, right?