Vibration on the seat/head rest

[artheb]

Hello,

So I have officially moved to this side of the fence after trading my VW passat CC for A6 S line black edition 2015 and experienced an issue straight after leaving the dealership. Just wonder if you guys had similar issue to me. When I drive on the motorway at the speed of 120km/h. There is a vibration on the front seats specially on the head rest at that speed. It is strong enough that resting head is uncomfortable. I can also feel it on the passenger seat if I place my hand on the head rest. You can't really feel it at the speed lower than 100km/h. I believe the issue issue with either buckled or unbalanced rear wheel/wheels. I had same issue on my past CC. Any thoughts? I booked the car to be checked anyway.

Thanks!

[robes401]

Almost certainly will be imbalanced wheels (either through incorrect weights or buckle). Probably at the rear if you do not feel it through the steering wheel.

I had this with my A6 after having wheels fitted and balanced at National. I went back for re-balance (they confirmed they were not correctly balanced). Still had the issue and took the car to audi to balance - problem solved.

[artheb]

Yeah, thanks thinking the same. I'll update the thread after visiting the dealer.


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[artheb]

Came back from the dealer which rebalanced all four wheels. Still the same experience. I wonder if this is to be expected with s line suspension and 20" wheels. Do you guys get a vibration of your front seats when driving over 120km/h (80mls/h) ? I don't complaint for the s line 20" ride comfort. It is just that vibration feeling when you rest your head on the headrest and slightly on the floor. I travel the same road every day as I did on my CC and did not have the same experience. CC was 235/40/18

[Tripletrouble]

Nope, no vibes at all with mine. Do you have a buckled wheel perhaps?

[SMILEMAN]

No vibes here....smooth as.

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[bbrown1664]

Do you guys get a vibration of your front seats when driving over 120km/h (80mls/h) ? I don't complaint for the s line 20" ride comfort.

I have the S-Line with air suspension and 19" wheels but car was a smooth as anything at 120MPH (roughly 200kmh) coming up through France on a private road a couple of weeks ago.

Vibration through the seat suggests one of the rear wheels is out of balance. Take the car to a decent tyre place (rather than the dealer) to get them to check the wheels. You may have a mis-shaped wheel or tyre that they can check for too.

[artheb]

I have the S-Line with air suspension and 19" wheels but car was a smooth as anything at 120MPH (roughly 200kmh) coming up through France on a private road a couple of weeks ago.

Vibration through the seat suggests one of the rear wheels is out of balance. Take the car to a decent tyre place (rather than the dealer) to get them to check the wheels. You may have a mis-shaped wheel or tyre that they can check for too.

So I checked with another garage and it only came up with 10g on one wheel, second was 0. One of the tyres seems to be slightly mis-shaped. I am in Ireland and I don't know where to find a place which could do balance with the road test. Ideally on the hunter machine. Car is booked with the dealer again as issue was reported from day one. They need to fix it for me.

[bbrown1664]

So I checked with another garage and it only came up with 10g on one wheel, second was 0. One of the tyres seems to be slightly mis-shaped.

10g and 0g is not the issue. They tyres may be well balanced from the mould. The issue is the misshaped tyre.
Get the dealer to replace it.
Balancing wont fix a misshaped wheel or tyre.

[artheb]

I will definitely tell the dealer about the tyre. They are going to take the car for few days on Monday 17th. I will report back to this thread with the update. Thanks guys!

[ukgroucho]

Many (many) years ago I had a brand new Vauxhall Cavalier Sri company car that had a horrible vibe through the steering above 65 - 70 MPH. Turned out to be a badly manufactured tyre. Basically (as I understood it) when the "plies" were added layer upon layer they wrapped too far around so there was an overlap - so at one point instead of being (e.g.) 8 ply it was 10 ply... that bulge in the tyre causes the issue.
Don't know if this is the correct description or how it relates to the actual manufacturing process but my point is that a bulge in the tyre from a manufacturing snag which causes a small 'bulge' could be the issue.

[artheb]

Small update. I have swapped the wheels back to front and not much of a difference. I have not got any vibration on the steering nor changed the seat vibration behaviour. That means that wheels should be ok.
I'm afraid that l what I'm experiencing is just how firm suspension and 20" wheels resonate on the interior.
To be honest if I didn't rest my head on the head rest I would probably not really notice it or I'm getting used to it.
However when I drive and look at the passenger seat I can see that it is shaking.
Car is going to the dealer next week for few days. I will have a courtesy car to compare.


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[AD72]

I had this on my A6 with air suspension. It came new with 19" Pirelli p zero tyres. I swapped over to 20" wheels and Michelin super sport tyres and it was perfect, no more seat resonance. Have you got Pirelli tyres fitted?


CLA 45 AMG Shooting brake

[AT.]

I had this on my A6 with air suspension. It came new with 19" Pirelli p zero tyres.

Exactly the same happened to me. I felt a "vibration" on the front left with these tyres, it felt like a gearbox problem for me. Replaced these tyres with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric (17"), and the problem immediately disappeared.

First it was only some strange vibration, and became worse and worse day by day. However there was no problem with the car at all, the factory service wasn't able to detect any problem. For a better comparisation, my 19" alloys were the 4G0601025BG types. It's possible that this problem occures with this combo (tyre+allows+air suspension) only.

[Hellfire]

Just drive within the legal speed limits and it won't be a problem....... :p

I have the same model and year with no vibrations whatsoever.

[artheb]

Just drive within the legal speed limits and it won't be a problem....... :p

I have the same model and year with no vibrations whatsoever.

120km/h (75mph) is within legal limits.

[Hellfire]

Assuming you were driving in the ROI, you are correct... :Blush2:

Could it be an issue with the tyre manufacturer? What make of tyres do you have fitted?

[artheb]

Assuming you were driving in the ROI, you are correct... :Blush2:
it be an issue with the tyre manufacturer? What make of tyres do you have fitted?
Yes ROI.


2x Pirelli P ZERO and 2 x KUMHO ECSTA - sure, It can be tyres. I have recorded the vibrating seats using sports camera and will show it to the dealer. I've also noticed that passenger head rest rattles lol. I believe there is a TSB for that.

[SMILEMAN]

Tyres I reckon, had this a few times over the years, constantly getting the balance checked, but as soon as you change the tyres all is smooth. I would change the Kumhos to start with.

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[AD72]

Pirelli are well know for it especially the Pzero's.


CLA 45 AMG Shooting brake

[AT.]

Pirelli are well know for it especially the Pzero's.

Yes, a lots of members likes these tyres, but it's the third issue with this tyre and the very same symptoms. It seems to me, that it can't be a coincidence.

[artheb]

Pirelli are well know for it especially the Pzero's.


CLA 45 AMG Shooting brake

Do you mean that PIRELLI are well known for causing the vibration or that they are well known brand?

[AD72]

Do you mean that PIRELLI are well known for causing the vibration or that they are well known brand?

Pirelli PZero's are well know for flat spotting when parked for even short periods of time causing vibrations. They also seem prone to (even when balanced) exhibiting signs of vibration and an unsettled feeling through the car even at low(ish) speeds. I have found them to feel better when driven hard but never really smooth.

[SMILEMAN]

Mmm....never heard of or experienced that after having numerous cars with pirellis all round...for what its worth my main suspects would be the kumho's!

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[AD72]

Just type 'Pirelli p zero flat spot' into google. I have personally experienced it with nearly every pzero equipped car I've driven. I am sensitive to car suspension and steering issues so maybe pirelli's seen ok to most people.
Other Pirelli tyres seem ok, it's only the Pzero I've had issues with.

CLA 45 AMG Shooting brake

[SMILEMAN]

Just done the google....put any make of tyre before flat spot and you will get similar results.


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[artheb]

Car stayed with the dealer - Service Manager is going to drive it, things are getting serious.....

ps: I've got an A4 2017 SE 2.0 manual - no vibration which I have on the other car but I would never swap. What a boring car overall....

[artheb]

It looks like they have fixed it. I drove 120 mls today and it is definitely better than it was. They did another balance and alignment. Fingers crossed it will stay this way.

However they did not fix metallic rattle in the passenger headrest. It sounds like a spring or wire. I hear it on the bumpy surface but it can be sorted some other day.

[artheb]

It looks like they have fixed it. I drove 120 mls today and it is definitely better than it was. They did another balance and alignment. Fingers crossed it will stay this way.

However they did not fix metallic rattle in the passenger headrest. It sounds like a spring or wire. I hear it on the bumpy surface but it can be sorted some other day.

I want to update this thread as I opened another one which was kind of related. Question Moving from 20" to 18" wheel on c7 s line - Page 3 (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/183953-Moving-from-20-quot-to-18-quot-wheel-on-c7-s-line?p=1067013#post1067013)
So my vibration came back. I felt it at the high speed, in the morning and when car was parked for few days. Felt like flat spot. I decided to buy 4x Goodyear Eagle F1 asymmetric 3 tyres myself. Dealer has agreed to fit them for me FOC. They have also replaced my passenger headrest. Car has transformed, it rides much smoother, does not vibrate anymore. Feedback from the road imperfection is reduced. Hopefully it will stay that way. Very happy now.

[A6S]

It's surprising how a good set of tyres can make all the difference. I've noticed my Michelin ps is getting noisier as it wears. They are on 3-4 mm all round so looking at the f1 as replacements.