Corvetteboy6988

Ben Tan, where did you get your new ATE electonic adjustable shocks, which look just like the originals?

Do you happen to have the link for aliexpress air bags also?

Thanks

Ben Tan

I didn't. My shocks were fine. As long as it's not leaking, it is not spoilt. 15years and over 200k kms.

Aliexpress link - basically everything except the struts - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3284...15c2f19cxb0IVP

It's been on for a year. Working immaculately on really bad Malaysian roads.

Corvetteboy6988

Thanks Ben Tan, the pics of your shocks next to the air springs looked brand new so I assumed they were new!

I dont see anything physically wrong with mine either, I check them while replacing the upper strut mount and control arms, but I am still getting a mild clunk when the suspension UNLOADS, like down into a whole or driveway drop off. Its fine in low mode, fine in normal mode when on sport and normal stiffness, but makes the noise in normal ride with comfort shock setting, and in all shock settings when in terrain level, which I use in the winter.
Since I replaced everything else on the front end, my only assumption is its the shock itself and since it changes with shock stiffness. Upward bumps are no issue, only downward.

Springs are ok so far, but good to have your link if needed some day.

Ben Tan

I use to have this same mild clunk that was present at all heights. Went away after I replace swaybar bushings. Mine had the PDCC so the sway bar was huge. Perhaps to try that. THe PDCC Swaybar bushes are expensive. Regular ones are rather cheap. Have a look at that and the endlinks. I suspect there's where the problem lies.

Corvetteboy6988

I teplaced swsy bar end links, but not the bushings that attach the sway bar to the frame.
Good thought, but what I did try was discinnecting the sway bar end links and driving around, effectively taking the sway bar bushings or of the picture. Noise was still there.
that's why I can only point to the only thing left, the shocks.
the clunk is pretty loud when the step change, think from one type of rosd surface to another woth a sudden change and like a 1in drop/step down. Similar bump the other way hitting the 1in step bump but upwards, no noise.
its really odd, and both sides do it.
Unless i did something wrong in all my replacement work.

Ben Tan

I doubt the struts can make such clunk noises. Try retightening the arms etc especially the 2 bushes on the lower arm. Maybe the bolt torque is insufficient and when it’s on high level when geometry changes it becomes obvious. There’s really only a few things there. Another possibility is the steering links. Just throwing out ideas here. Worst case get the struts from AliExpress. Inexpensive.

Also if the swaybar bush is bad. Even disconnecting it when you hit a bump it might still clunk due to the free play and movement. Do you have pdcc? The pdcc swaybar bush also has a clamp to it. Once mine was broken and it kept jumping around causing clunk noises. Took me a long time to find that one as it looked like it was fine from the engine bay.

Corvetteboy6988

Yep, good advice. Im going to go over everything again, to make sure its torqued properly, I did once shortly after the repair. I remember some saying if you didnt torque the suspension at the normal ride height, that could be an issue, but I did that too. But I will double check.
I used to get clunks over any bumps before, cause my upper and lower control arm bushing where shot, now its just this loud clunk on big drop offs.
I did do the steering end links even thought they were ok, to help solve this noise, but no change. And the whole servotronic rack is new, a local indy shop did the rack and lower arms as my extended warranty was still in effect. Shortly after out of warranty I myself did the upper arms, strut top mounts, air spring orings, tie rod ends, sway bar end links. So really, everything in the front end is new except the shocks and air springs, and the sway bar to frame bushings.
Ill do the sway bar bushings as you suggest to be sure (no I dont have PDCC), might as well have all new anyway. But when I disconnected the end links, I violently moved the sway bar as much as I could with no noise.
Its a mystery.
The one thing that is on my mind is the top strut mount bolt. I used an impact gun to tighten it, held the shaft with a rubber pad and vise grips, but could never get the full torque value (think its 35 or 40 ftlbs), and I got something like 30 before the shaft would spin in the vice grips. I did use blue thread lock. But maybe the top nuts are too loose or came loose. Might be why up bumps are ok cause the strut is already resting down on the mount due to the weight of the vehicle, but on downward bumps the top nut if loose smacks down on the strut mount bushing. I didnt have the right socket that allows you to tighten the nut but hold the shock shaft with a allen wrench, I bought one now to have if I pull one side out to check and tighten better. Still, I think if the top nut was loose, I would hear it on every bump.
Im gonna try letting the air out of one front strut, and work by hand the suspension to see if I can duplicate the sound the help track it down.
One other thought is perhaps its related to the front cradle mounts. Maybe the whole front subframe is moving on the drop down bumps. Again, the weight of the vehicle keeps things compressed and in contact on upward bumps, but if loose, will drop down and move a bit on doward bumps with gravity, and then smack back up after the downward travel.
Thanks for all the suggestion and welcome any more ideas!

Ben Tan

Something really fxxked up would be a bolt or nut that’s resting in the compartment left and right between the firewall and the engine. 😎

I doubt the strut nut is the issue. I never did torque it to specs. Just air gun and a grip. Unless the thread on the strut is deformed.

when I hunted my swaybar clunk I too suspected the top mounts but they were fine. Changed them anyways.

another possibility perhaps could be front driveshafts. Since it only happens at high level. Clunk only happening past a certain angle but not while driving the wheels? You can’t drive too fast on high to create the usual driveshaft noise.

Corvetteboy6988

Im positive its not bolts/nut lying around under there, lol, I put back or replaced all that came out with the repair, all accounted for!

Sounds like you did what I did then. I hear and felt no play after tightening the top nut, and no deformation for sure. I even used a new nut.

My top mounts were ok too, they had slight cracks, but only on the surface or less than 1 mm deep, nothing completely torn, but of course replaced them while I was in there.

Someone else mentioned the drive shaft noise. I check to see if anything seem loose or out of sorts, at least from inspection and trying to move them with both hands, nothing loose or making sound.

It is definitely related to the geometry, but also the stiffness of the shock settings. On low height, no noise regardless of shock setting. On normal height, it will make the noise in the softest setting, in terrain height it will make it on soft and normal, and louder, on stiff it does only some times. I shock stiffness influences the amount of movement, stiffer, less movement, less noise. The ride height is for sure putting the suspension in a position to create more or less noise, more the higher. They key is what aspect of the geometry change is making the noise.

Once it warms up, Ill do more investigative work and come back and let you know what I find.

touareg

My driver's side rear suspension holds air for about 1 to 2 weeks, then bottoms out. Is it likely this valve? It's a 2009 turbo s.

Does anyone have a recent link for the tool? Was it determined of the front and rear are the same parts too?

Thank you.

touareg

I went ahead and ordered https://www.ebay.com/itm/166579220359 VAG 803 clone tool for the socket to remove the air valve.

If anyone has a non broken link to the valves themselves would still appreciate it as most of these are dead in the thread.

touareg

Duplicate

JAGMAN1

Might be the valve. Might be a leak in the airbag, or might be a leak in the upper or lower o-ring that seals the airbag. The o-ring (and corrosion on the seating surface) caused my car's rear to sag after a few days.