Phaeton :: Occasional Thump In Front Suspension
Feb 8, 2016
I have an occasional thump in the front suspension that seems related to road irregularities and I presumed there might be a bushing or tie rod end or ball joint causing it. It's not metal to metal and is not a cornering thing, just going straight down the road it can happen.
My mechanic looked over the front end and nothing was obviously bad, and he concluded that it was the shock mount at the top of one of the shocks and that sounded right to me. So we looked into it and were surprised to find that there was no shock mount. The air shock seems to be an all-in-one design that just bolts to the top of the wheel well.
So, this thunk, if it is coming from the shock can only be fixed by the replacement of the shock, is that the case? Better yet, could it be something else?
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Today when I went to start the car I noticed front suspension (Shocks) were low but when I started the car it went up by itself. Then I got the warning message while I was driving the car. I am posting 2 pictures that were displayed in the console. After that every time I switch off the car, the front suspension (shocks) goes down by itself and goes up when I start up the car. I am not sure about this behavior. Could this be the famous Air shocks failure or just simple fix.
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I'm at a body shop now to pick up my 2004 V8 after fixing some scrapes from getting gently rear ended. When they pulled the car around, the front of the car was almost on the ground while the back looked very high. I'm concerned that the air ride is damaged. It's possible, if not likely, that they lifted the car without using jack mode. Can that be the cause of suspension damage?
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Last night I was sitting in my living room when I heard what I thought was a tire blowing out in my driveway - loud pop/hiss. Went outside but didn't see any flat tires, so I went to bed. This morning I got in the car and started backing out of the driveway but got the alert "Vehicle Too Low" - got out and saw that my front tires were almost touching the inside of the wheel wells. Trying to change the ride height via the suspension button has no effect at all.
I'm super bummed - I've always said that because of the cost to repair, a strut failure in the amazing air suspension would probably be what did this car in. But I didn't expect it to happen so soon - I'm "only" at 129k miles. It happened in my driveway and not 60 minutes earlier while I was doing 75 MPH on the highway.
Pic here: [URL] ....
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Just recently I've been hearing a slight creeking sound coming from the front end when going over bumps. I don't have a lot of suspension knowledge so I'm not sure where to start looking and wanted to see if others had the problem, and what the outcome was? The car is at 60k miles.
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I just bought my Phaeton on tuesday. It is a 2004 V8 and the suspension is normal in the back, but the front is way too high. I know the batteries need replaced and that is being dealt with right now, but is this the batteries or something else? Is there a way to put it down that doesn't involve a VAG COM
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my P has recently developed a knocking noise coming from the front right when I go over a pothole. My first guess was a worn anti-roll bar drop link, but I've just taken the drop link off and it looks absolutely perfect. (I noticed that they have updated this part since my last 2008 P which had aluminium inserts in the rubber bush and easily distorted - now they have a stainless steel insert.)
It sounds like the "clunk" comes from high up on the front right suspension. I have looked at all the bushes on the arms and they look fine. If this was a "traditional" car I would have guessed that the top suspension mount bearing had failed, but am I right in thinking that the P doesn't have one of these bearing mounts ?
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My V8 had extensive suspension work done this week. All the front suspension bushings were replaced including the sway bar links. In addition, the air suspension- all four corners were replaced and the tie rods were also replaced.
The reason all the bushings were replaced was suspension noise and the fact that the car would wear the front tires unevenly even after new tires and alignment. The assumption was that the worn out bushings at 64k miles where the reason for the uneven wear of the front tires.
After all this work, I received the car yesterday and the car has more suspension noises than it had before all the work was done.....
When I drive over a speed bump, at slow speeds, I can hear loud squeak noises. Even driving the car out of my garage this morning, I could hear the groaning noises from the front suspension.
I will be taking the car back to the dealer after the holidays so they can check it out. Are these noises normal due to the new bushings settling or something..
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My phaeton all of a sudden wouldn't rise up .I then took off the left battery terminal and let it sit for a while then put it back and then the car rose up and the back is on the normal level and the front is sitting higher its weird !.I have to mention that it seems my car has electrical issues because if it sits for about two days my key fob doesn't work sometimes I have use the actual key to open it.then once the car starts I have to reset the clock ,seats everything..Anyway is there a way to completely reset the whole system so at least my vehicle goes down.
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My P sits lower (about 2 inch) in the front after the car is parked for about an hour. No code on VAG-COM. No warning lights nor messages. What could this problem be? It started about a month ago. It actually occurs slowly just a few mins after I turn the engine off. It would go back to its normal height after I unlock the car with the remote or after I start the car.
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Since we took ownership of our 2009 v6 there has been a rumble when going over bumps in the road. A certain amount of this I have put down to the big alloys and low profile tyres, but have always suspected that there was something else amiss.
Today I took her into our local Phaeton garage and asked them to investigate. They has hinted at worn drop links. However after checking everything out in the ramp they can find nothing wrong. They even replaced one if the drop links (whatever they are).
So they came up with nothing wrong but could still here the rumble when driving over un-even surfaces. When I change to sport mode I think the rumble gets less, where to look or what could be wrong.
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Noticed this a few times. 2004 V10 and when it changes down to first gear it does it with a thump. almost feels like the car has stalled. Doesn't do it all the time but now I am looking for it I find it.
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I have an odd sort of occasional vibration in my 2004 W12. I've read the sticky FAQ info posts concerning vibration, but I can't find a report with the same symptoms. Here are the observations:
1. When present, the vibration comes in very mildly at 50 MPH and peaks at 65 MPH, then dropping to barely discernible at 85 MPH.
2. The car shudders under the vibration, at worst resonating interior items and can be felt through the seat.
3. The vibration ceases IMMEDIATELY at any speed when coasting with the throttle backed off.
4. Curiously, the vibration seems to be much more noticeable after about an hour's drive. Before that, not so much.
5. VAG-COM does not indicate any misfires... I was sure I have a bad coil/plug... but the controller shows no such evidence. The throttle-on shake feels like a miss.
6. Brakes on/off makes no difference.
7. Road surface does not make any difference.
8. Near new (2K miles) Yokohama YK 580 all around, stock rims. If it's balance, I doubt it would decrease at higher speed (being sub-critical). Likewise for belt bubbles or other tire flaws.
Some posts have pointed to worn suspension link bushings causing mechanical resonance at certain speed ranges, perhaps aggravated by engine torque on the mounts, so I'm leaning in that direction (bushing replacements) if nothing else comes to light.
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My 2004 Volvo XC 90 has a severe "thump" in the front end, which is then followed by a very brief (split second) internal (meaning dashboard lights, hi-fi, dome lights, etc) power failure. Initially, the power failure would last only a split second and then car would continue running as normal, and there we no error codes or check engine lights.
But on the last long drive home, the "thump" was harder than usual, and the lights internally completely went out, hazard lights could not be turned on, blinkers could not be switched on, hi-fi went out, etc (though the electric windows would work). I pulled over, and turned the car off and restarted it, and the yellow exclamation point dashboard icon/alert lit up, and a service message flashed referring to the anti-lock brake failure, and that the SRS needed to be checked.
This problem has been occurring for a couple of months, and is very intermittent. Before this last incident, I took it into the dealership, who could not figure it out,. Now that I have an error code, I have it at another dealership, who seems equally mystified and have told me that they don't think the error code of check the SRS is going to fix the problem. The engine thump, followed by electrical failure seems really weird....
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I have a 2002 Camry, and recently on the passenger side towards the front wheel there has been a fairly persistent thump or clunk when I brake at low speeds (i.e. immediately before a full stop). I took it to my local mechanic yesterday to see if he could figure it out, and unfortunately he wasn't, although he did point out that my dog bone was cracked and suggested changing that out. Afterwards, the thump/clunk did seem to be more subdued, but it's still obviously there.
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2007 Ford Fx4 with 6 inch suspension lift. Just rebuilt front suspension. I Had bad upper ball joints and one of the hubs was bad. Also had a bad tie rod end on one side. The tires began to wear excessively on the inside and quickly degraded.
I figured since I was in there, I would just change everything. I replaced upper control arms, lower ball joints, stabilizer bar links, strut assemblies, and inner and outer tie rods on both sides. Obviously everything is much better. But...
On test driving and running short errands near the house, it seems like I can still sense a slight thumping/clunking or bounce from the right side at slow speeds at times. It is hard to describe because there isn't really a sound associated with it. It is not constant; it feels a bit like a ball joint just starting to go. I cannot identify it with any of the new parts, they all check out and nuts are tight, etc.
I have not gotten an alignment yet. Getting new tires and alignment Saturday. Tires are in pretty bad shape. But, alignment isn't too badly off and at slow speeds around the neighborhood its more of a bouncing after a road seam or when accelerating from a stop, etc.
when I was doing the work, one of the half shafts had more play than the other. It was easier to move out of the way to install the shocks and lower ball joints. I could easily bend it over past the stabilizer bar link and use the link to hold it out of the way. Is this normal? I have never owned a vehicle with IFS and CVs before. Could the bouncing/clunking be caused by a worn CV joint, even in 2wd?
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I have an 05 V8. When backing out of a parking spot at close to full lock I feel it binding a bit. Also, occasionally when pulling forward (at or close to full lock) it will bind for a few seconds, then it feels like it releases. I recently drove a long (10 hours) trip and when I parked it when hot it seemed to bind/chatter even worse.
I also noticed that on slow hard turn (i.e parking lot) there seems to be a low pitched moaning sound from the rear end area. It it possible it a dreaded stepper motor, even on a 05? It is an early 05. What this might be before doing this so they don't jerk me around and say there's nothing wrong.
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So, last week I got my transmission replaced and they also had to replace the CV axle because it was damaged beyond repair when the Transmission self-distructed. They drove it after all the repairs and said it was driving fine, just that it had a belt squeak.
On my way home (30 min drive) about 10 minutes in, still in the city, my brakes start making a grinding noise and sort of a thump thump thump when I brake which sounds like its coming from the passenger side front, it makes me really nervous. It doesn't sound like any brake grindy noise Ive ever heard before and it wasn't making any brake noises before it broke down. (On a side note: it also made a weird noise maybe the first 3 times I drove it after getting it back and I turned the wheel hard to back out of a parking space, that used to be when I heard the belt squeak but I haven't made it squeak since I got the car back.)
Everyone I talked to said it sounded like it needed new pads so tonight I bought new brake pads and rotors for the front and got everything taken apart. The rotors didn't look bad at all, just some light surface scratches, nothing deep, no warping I could see, and the brake pads look almost brand new. I did notice that the inside brake pad on the passenger side was missing its little metal plate that is usually between the caliper and the pad, so I went ahead and replaced all of the brake pads hoping this lost metal plate was the issue.
I also turned the rotor by hand on each side while the brake pads were off and the only difference I could notice was when turning the passenger side one it made a little more noise almost like it was loose.
I got everything put back together and drove around the neighborhood with my boyfriend in the car to listen, the grinding noise was gone and it seemed to brake really well (never got above 30 mph.) However, on my way to return the rotors to advanced auto (45-50 mph) it started making the thump thump thump noise but without the grinding, still on the passenger side. I can feel it in the gas pedal and now it not only happens when I'm braking, but also any time I let my foot off the gas pedal. The only time I dont feel/hear it is when I'm accelerating.
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recently acquired an 07 mercury metallic with 118000 one owner and about 8 pages of maintenance all done at Lexus. car is in fantastic shape new tires, and brakes the interior still looks and feels brand new, to date I have changed the oil full synthetic 0W 20, eng and cabin air filters Toyota serviced the transmission changed the plugs with OEM off ebay. Rotated tires, rear diff fluid i couldnt find 75 / 85 anywhere so it wasn't too expensive from Toyota. the front left low beam was flickering so I replaced them I followed cucusdad instructions and it went as he mentioned about an hour per side, although I did take the opportunity to clean the inner fender well and the inside of the tires and rims.T hrough the years we have owned countless cars a couple of brand new ones although this is the first Lexus, I am very handy in the garage and have an understanding of electronics and maintenance upon reading this forum I think folks perhaps want perfect that's impossible as for mentioned this vehicle has been well maintained and obviously personally cared for.
: passanger seat heater/cool inop no light, (wifes only complaint, believe me that's saying a lot)
: aux audio input has intermediate static
: passanger rear door puddle light inop.
: slightly yellowed headlights.
: occasional vibration feels to be from front left while braking although mostly tracks straight ahead
: a very quiet car although I have read and may someday entertain some wind noise application on the triangle piece
None of these anywhere unreasonable on any car with similar miles and production date regardless the manufacture
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I have a 2005 VW Phaeton 4.2L with 101,000 miles on the clock. I purchased it from a dealer in Phoenix Arizona two months ago. Now, I am no stranger to flagship cars. I have a Mercedes S500, S600, CL55, E320... etc. I am also no stranger to air suspension.
Now, this car... while I LOVE it, it feels like I am driving a go-cart at boomers. My 1992 Jeep Cherokee is more luxurious than the ride on my Phaeton.
I just had major work done at a very reputable VW/Audi only shop called Pacific German in Laguna, CA. The dealer just told me that my stabilizer link bushings needed replacing and everything would be good to go (what a waste of a $400 diagnostic fee). At Pacific German, I spent $6,500 and had every last upper and lower arms replaced as well as the timing service (thermostat, water pump, etc), valve cover gaskets, tire pressure service.
The owner told me there were no codes for the suspension at all on any of his scanners (including VAG-Com). As far as the car's computer was concerned, the suspension is perfect. Only codes are for the batteries, which are new but are not VW batteries... and for the center cluster backlight (because that middle screen is not lighting up). I can control the suspension settings from comfort to firm via the knob, but that doesn't affect the ride quality. The car goes up and down just fine with the raise function and the car doesn't seem to have a leak when parked for a long time. It stays level. Tire Pressure System is not functioning properly, but the pressures are correct.
What in the world could be going on? I heard of replacing a fuse in the trunk, but which one? I do not want to give up this car, but driving it is starting to give me migraines. It feels like someone has replaced my air struts with 2x4's from Home Depot.
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I have an 04, one air spiring is leaking. Covered by real driver warranty. VW no longer makes the part so they have to replace the entire system, it costs about $10,000. Great car but if you are buying one, get the real driver warranty.
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