Vibration

[darthweasel]

Hi

On a recent trip through France I noticed a vibration when driving between 65 and 80 mph on the autoroute. I can feel this very slightly through the steering wheel, but mainly through the seat.

The car is fitted with Falken ZIEX ZE-912 tyres, which have about 4-5mm tread left. I had all four wheels rebalanced and the tyres checked for obvious faults, but the vibration is still there.

Before I shell out on new tyres, is there anything else that could be causing the vibration?

Thanks.

[darthweasel]

Having looked into this further it seems that there could be a number of causes for the vibration.

1) Tyres. I do have budget tyres fitted, and due to my driving style (country lanes and high speed motorway) they could have deteriorated. £500 to replace with a premium set of tyres.

2) Wheels. I could have a damaged wheel, but there is no visible damage to any. £loads for new Audi wheels.

3) Flywheel. I have read that the dual mass flywheel can cause vibration when it needs replacing, however if I depress the clutch and/or take the car our of gear the vibration continues, so I think this is less likely to be the cause. £1k for clutch/flywheel replacement.

4) Drive shaft balance weights? Would my car have these? On the front and rear driveshafts? How do I check that these are still present and correct? £????

5) CV joints. I know that I have two split gaiters that are scheduled for replacement, but there is none of the usual noise that indicates CV joint failure. I know what this sounds like from previous Audis that needed these replacing. £ ????

6) Propshaft out of balance or damaged. Would this cause vibration all the time, and not just in the speed range I have a problem with? £????

7) Brake discs. I recently had new pads fitted. Could this have prompted a problem with the discs? I would think that a disc problem would result in more pronounced sterring wheel shake rather than vibration through the seat. £400 to replace the discs and pads.

I'm not really any nearer a solution, but as I'm headed for Europe again in 4 weeks I need to sort this out, preferably without spending loads of cash in trial and error.

Anyone got any thoughts?

[fionn]

I know this is a long shot, but I had a similar problem last year and after scary advice from an idependent and a scan which suggested a torque converter problem, I had the wheels balanced again, more in hope than expectation. The tyre fitter noticed clumps of hardened dirt on the inside of the wheel rims and advised me that they need to be cleaned because they can cause vibration. Voila! Problem gone. Like I said, it's a long shot, I live at the top of a very dusty, unpaved lane and the car was often covered in fine dust, hence the build up at the back of the alloys. Worth a clean before you start with the expensive stuff.

[Inskip75]

Another long shot as all the wheels have been rebalanced - but I've had very similar vibration problem and it was a bulge on inner sidewall of rear tyre - cheap tyres!

[yaman]

First thoughts are drive-shaft centre support bearing or coupling

Regards
Jim

[Zith]

I had similar vibrations before during a trip to France co-incidentally. Turned out that a little nut on the heat shield between the exhaust and the spare wheel bay had broken off. This meant at speed the heat shield would start to vibrate with the passing air which could be felt through the whole car.

It felt very similar to when the flywheel went so I was dreading bring it to the garage but turned out fine TG.

[darthweasel]

Thanks for all your input.

Sounds like it's probably best to get the car up on a ramp and have a good look around underneath.

How can I tell if there is an issue with a drive-shaft centre support bearing or coupling?

[yaman]

How can I tell if there is an issue with a drive-shaft centre support bearing or coupling?

Close inspection of the shaft is required to see if the rubber has split
from the bearing.

For the coupling, hold the shaft each side of the joint and twist in
opposite directions to expose any slack.

More info here: http://www.blauparts.com/audi/audi_d....shtml#trouble

Regards
Jim

[darthweasel]

A quick update.

I got the car back this morning after a couple of days in the workshop.

I had just about everything checked - tyres, wheels, undertrays, heat shields, driveshaft CV joints, brakes etc etc etc.

No visible problems with wheels or tyres, so the pressures were reset and wheels rotated front/rear.

All undertrays and heat shields are secure.

No obvious problem with propshaft joints.

Rear CV joints/boots seem ok.

Front outer CV boots were split on both sides of the car, grease had come out, grit had got in - as they are a pretty big job to replace I had the CV joints done on both sides too, used genuine Audi parts, not pattern parts.

Also had an oil service while the car was in.

Has it made a difference? Not totally sure, the car does seem generally smoother, but I will know more once I've tried it out on the motorway.

[frankbest]

I am having similar problems with vibrations..
when i am driving between 50-55 mph steering start vibrating and it is felt through the body ..
it calms down bwteen 60 -70 mph and after 70 mph it vibrates far too much ..
Got whels balanced ... swopped the wheels back to front and diagonally too !
got all other bits and pieces checked .. yet no fault visible !!
Got the car in Garage ramp with all four wheels independently being driven by engine ..
Noticed that on passenger side front & back wheels are turning uneven ..
driver side is smooth running..
going now for further inspection !
will keep informed.. Watch this space