GTI 337/20th Anniversary :: Harsh Ride And Engine Stumble?
Dec 5, 2010
I just bought a very clean black '03 GTI and love it, but the car feels like it is beating itself to death every time I hit a bump, or crack in the road. It seems a new rattle or squeak pops up with each hit and I was wondering if there is anything to calm the harshness out a bit? I don't mind a hard ride, but I wonder if the car does!
It is completely stock, so still has the 18 wheels with BFG G-Force tires and stock suspension. Looking for suggestions on tire/wheel changes or shock upgrades to smooth the harshness? I don't do road courses or track days, so the handling can suffer in exchange for a bit of smoothness. I don't want to alter it too much away from stock (other than, say, shocks) so I won't be looking for full suspension changes.
The only other odd things are the interior fan will slow way down when first accelerating away and I've noticed a bit of engine hesitation on light throttle, usually second gear around 2.5k rpm. A firmer application of go pedal keeps it from happening, but sometimes I just want to be able to putt and not zoom.
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Planning on lowering my gli this spring. I am not planning on going very low considering how low the gli valance is. So maybe an 1'1/2 or 2 inches. So would race lands be fine for that?.
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I just had a 2008 Jetta 2.5 as a loaner car and it made me realize how rough our GLI's ride over bumps on the road. This thing rode like a cadillac and it was a really pleasant change here in new york city where the roads are terrible.
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Here's my issue: as it gets colder out, I ride with the windows up, so all the little squeaks and creaks get that much more noticeable.
Ones in particular that drive me nuts are the squeaks that originate from the rear deck area (almost as if they are coming from the rear upper shock mounts between the C-pillars - I think this is a Jetta-only issue). I had a c-pillar bar in the past and it seemed... but the bar is a tad unsightly, and it rendered my rear seat belts useless.
Need finding and eliminating these noises in the back? I'd rather not run one of those bars again if at all possible.
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I got my 2005 jetta gli used with about 41000 mi on it. Ever since i've had it, when i accelerate on the highway at 50 mph or faster, the car almost feels bouncy throughout, what that is.
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Didn't notice this on the test drive, but as soon as I started living with my Santa Fe (about 3-4 weeks now) I can't believe how harsh and rough the ride is. Very very uncompromising over all road irregularities - even those you can't even really see. 2013 Santa Fe Sport?
It's so bad I've been searching for aftermarket struts and shocks to replace what must be garbage OEM parts - but nothing seems to be available for it yet.
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My 2015 prius series 5 ride is really harsh when gong over bumps! 17 OEM wheels w Toyo tires set at 33 frt/32 rear, Trd springs frt/rear, trd rear sway Cusco frt sway bar, front power brace and center brace! Should go back to stock springs? Or invest in set of soft coil overs ? I like the lowered look too!
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I just purchased a 2011 Sonata with 26,000 miles on it. Like the car a lot but has excessive tire noise and slightly harsh ride. Looking for recommendations on a quieter, better riding tire. It has 205/65/16 Kumho tires.
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The car was purchased used with 18" wheels already on. After driving for about 6 months, I started noticing the road noise getting very loud. I took the car to a tire shop and they told me that there was some uneven cupping in the middle of the wheels, which is usually caused by worn out shocks making the wheel bounce up and down.
I replaced all 4 shocks, then replaced all 4 tires. Now its much more smooth than before, and is very silent on nicely paved roads. however, I notice when there's roads which any imperfections (like fixed streets with tar.. or uneven pavements, or when your tire hits the freeway markers to keep you in the lane) its heard very loud from inside the car and creates an almost *thud* sound when it does.
I assumed that the problem was that the car had 18" wheels. So recently I swapped the wheels out with stock 15" from Toyota, but somehow the road noise is still very apparent. I sat in a friend's Prius, same year, and I could tell that it was handling the uneven pavements much softer.
What could be the problem now? Is there anything else that needs to be replaced?
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I have a 2002 4x2 xlt stock height with 100k miles. I've installed a rear sway bar, air assist bags in rear and bilstein shocks. I am looking for a smoother ride. It doesnt take the large bumps and train tracks very well. It feels like if the front end bottoms out. Ive been reading here on the forums about the rancho 9000 adjustable series giving a better ride, but most of those are for the 4x4 ex's they sit higher and more travel on the front end. So I am wondering if with rancho's make a smoother ride but not the front end bottoming out, maybe a 4" lift with the rancho's would give me both a smooth ride and no more bottoming out.
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In a nutshell, I'm tired of my incredibly harsh ride. I drive a 2006 3.6L with H&R Sport Springs. I had to put spring boosters in the rear to keep the tire from grinding, but whenever I have a passenger in the back it still grinds, especially over some turns or speed bumps.
The ride quality is also very harsh, it sucks. Plus the front wheels can't align anymore (at least that's what the guy at the mechanic's told me.) Basically, I want my ride quality to improve a lot. I'm debating going back to stock, but I'm not going to like the big gap in between my wheels.
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I purchased a 2014 Toyota Corolla Le Eco Plus last May. The car rode FINE for a few months, but then I began to notice that the ride feels completely rough/harsh. It's almost like a jittery feeling. After researching I've found reviews that said "the Corolla's ride is harsh and unpleasant," but to me it feels like it's gradually getting worse. That has me thinking something is wrong with the car itself, not just that the Corolla in general rides rough. I've taken it in to the dealership multiple times, but they say nothing is wrong. I honestly don't know what to do. What could it be? Struts? Shocks? I mean, it's BRAND NEW.
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It has 85K miles and rides very choppy/harsh. I feel even a very small dip/hump/bump when driving and it's coming from rear of the car.
What needs to be replaced and/or checked other than the rear shocks? Everything is stock and correct tire pressure.
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So, it's been 8 years with this awesome car. Still enjoying every day. Over the past year or so, I've noticed my engine get gradually louder and louder. By that I mean, the overall engine noise at low RPM. It's a mechanical kind of noise. Clicking, etc. The engine has 101,500 miles on it.
For the past 2 days now, this noise has gotten dramatically louder. I've tried to capture it in the video below. Might have to listen with headphones. The noise is most noticeable at idle and then goes away after about 2000 RPM. You'll see. What this might be? Btw, there is no reduction in the performance of the car.
[URL] ......
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What is the factory AWP 20th AE boost pressure?
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I know it has to do with the thermostat and coolant sensor but I am trying to hold off on doing it till the winter cause my car is at 68k so i will be doing the timing belt. It would be easier to install them all at once. is it bad to keep driving the car with this problem?
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I chipped my car with unitronics stage 2 3 weeks ago. 300 mile later the check engine came on. 42 DD down 3" to 2.5 cb no DV yet.
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So i have a 2004.5 gli 6spd that had two of the coils go bad and had a serious misfire with engine code and all car didnt want to even move. So i got this fixed made it about a mile down the road and it had a cylinder 3 misfire took it back had third coil replaced and all new plugs put it. Got the car back it ran fine until i hit about 4000 rpm under heavy boost it misfires but no flashing cel like before and the car still runs but cold start warmed up it misfires under boost
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Car was started for the first time after the radiator was flushed and new coolant was put on it. The car was just jumped and charged after was brought from a copart auction. Now my brother said that everything looks smooth, no xxxmas tree in the dashboard, idle is steady, engine sounds good.
Now here comes the thing, the temps of oil and water are at a proper level. When he steps on the gas pedal a few seconds later there is some sort of smoke coming out from the back of the engine (exhaust manifold, turbo, intercooler stock pipes from the SMIC) My question is cause he's not a mechanic and he will arrive tomorrow. crack manifold, shot turbo or some leak in the hoses?
aBtw the car has 105k miles.
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So recently my check engine and abs light came on. I went to go get it checked out and it was the MAF censor. And here recently i noticed the airbag light came on. I replaced the MAF today, and the abs went away but check engine is still on due to the downpipe. And the airbag light is also on. Why it might have came on?
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So, for about two weeks now, my engine has been running hot. I have a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta VR6, the cat converter and the MAF Sensor have both been replaced w/in the past year. Oh yeah, also replaced my thermostat within the past 2 years. Trying to trouble shoot the problem. I had the radiator flushed the other day. No engine light is currently on. It doesn't happen to me in the morning (due to the cold ass weather) but towards the end of my stretch home from work (all interstate) the temp gauge goes past the 190 degree mark. Doesn't reach the red, however its still too hot for comfort.
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