Squeaky problem in Front left suspension and may be left rear suspension

VWINDIA

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Location
India
TDI
VW Jetta 2010
Hi, I have a peculiar problem. Car - VW Jetta Year - 2010 Miles - ~4000 Problem - The left front suspension squeaks when it goes over a bump at very low speed. The squeak seems to come from the strut bushings. Even when the vehichles is stationary and i try to move the suspension i hear these squeaks. My fear is if its just a lubrication of the BUSH that will solve this issue or if there is something that is majorly wrong with the suspension. The reason why i fear the bushing could be a problem is because, when driving in rain or after a water wash i usually dont get any sounds. But after it dries i start getting these noises again. Can someone help if i should leave it to the mechanics to fix this problem or just buy the ATP AT205 and just spray? Do guide. VW from India.
 

nord

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Location
Southern Tier NY
TDI
All turned back to VW. Now a 2017 Hundai Tuscon. Not a single squalk in 10k miles.
I must first assume that VW has left the suspension systems pretty much unchanged from the MK4 onward. If so, then I'd be willing to bet that your problem is actually related to the sway bar bushings. Both are mounted low on the car and are exposed to the elements. Road grime will enter between the sway bar and the rubber bushings and an annoying squeak will be the result.

I went through this with my MK4 and found the same things as you. A nice splash with fresh water would quiet things immediately and dry weather would make things positively annoying.

Lubrication (as in WD40 or the like) is not the answer as some oils will degrade the bushings and all oils will attract dust and dirt. While a shot of oil will alleviate the symptoms, it won't fix the problem.

I finally solved my squeaks as follows:

Using the same nylon strapping we tie down our motorcycles when in transport, I cut off two lengths that approximated the diameter of the sway bar. I coated both with Anti-Seize compound. After removing the mounts and bushings and cleaning the sway bar I wrapped the bar with the strapping, slid the bushings over the strapping, and re-mounted the entire assembly. You'll probably experience a bit of difficulty as the bushings will be slightly larger and the mounts will protest a bit. Be patient. With just a bit of persuasion they'll accept the bushing and all will be well. Now with well over 50k miles on the "modification" the car remains squeakless.

One further point... Bushings are inexpensive. Yours may be degraded and this is the time to simply replace them.
 
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VWINDIA

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Location
India
TDI
VW Jetta 2010
@nord Thanks nord. I am from India and the first word that comes out of the dealers or service centre if you do something on your own is "Void Warranty". It may sound crazy but its definitely not worth the hassle to do something and end up voiding 4 year warranty that i have now. I am going to leave it at the service center where i have already explained what you helped me with. The SA is a good friend of mine and has agreed to check the suspension bushing and change them if they are worn out. The sound seems to come from the Upper strut bushing than the sway bar bushing. Anyway i am going to get this checked completely today and see how it helps from driving without the annoying squeaks. Thanks again.
 

nord

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Location
Southern Tier NY
TDI
All turned back to VW. Now a 2017 Hundai Tuscon. Not a single squalk in 10k miles.
The Internet is a wonderful tool for making friends no matter their physical location. Thank you for your kind response and good luck with your squeak.

Just so you know... If I'm correct you'll find that the squeak is transmitted through the subframe to places within the vehicle you might never suspect. The squeak on my Mk4 drove me crazy as it was nearly impossible to determine the source from inside the car.

In my case because of our harsh winters and road salt the portion of the sway bar surrounded by the rubber bushing had corroded. When dry and then mixed with a bit of road grime it set up perfect conditions for a squeak but showed no obvious evidence of a problem until I removed the mount and bushing.

My best from the green hills and deep lakes of the Southern Tier of NY.
 

Peytron

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2008
Location
Canada
TDI
Jetta
Had the same issue with mine. It was the lower control arm bushings. There is a TSB out for it.
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Had the same issue with mine. It was the lower control arm bushings. There is a TSB out for it.
+1. However, TSB is VIN# specific (both my TDIs had them replaced under warranty), and I should think that by the 2010 model year, they were installing the "upgraded" version.
 

VWINDIA

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Location
India
TDI
VW Jetta 2010
Hi guys, Just wanted to keep this thread updated. The SA did check the complete set up and even lubricated the same. After exactly a days time i started to hear the horrible sound again. Most of the times i hate driving with some music and like to hear the engine out. Now i am forced to drive with the music on. Took it back to the SA who said the problem could not just be the bushing but could be the strut itself. They even requested the warranty team to take this forward. As i already said, the Indian scene works way too different. The warranty team now wants to exchange the struts alone in the front and see if the sound still comes from right. I had no words to describe but felt if they want to test to prove its a problem that can be fixed in warranty, i should go by their ways. This way i am pretty sure they will be checking the bearings as well. So will keep this thread posted on how it turns out. It is a little worrying knowing the car is just few months old and has done only 7000 kms. Hope this gets fixed. The mechanic is a nice friend of mine who also checked for any TSB for car. The only TSB that had come up was the horns which was changed. :) Will update once i hear from the team.
 

nord

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Location
Southern Tier NY
TDI
All turned back to VW. Now a 2017 Hundai Tuscon. Not a single squalk in 10k miles.
Good luck! Hope they take care of things quickly.
 

VWINDIA

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Location
India
TDI
VW Jetta 2010
Another update - The strut was changed to the right side and now the sound is coming from the right side. It does look like the strut is going for a warranty replacement. Just wondering how the strut would go kaput in less than 7500 KMS of normal driving. Have not done any really bad roads in this period.
 

Carl_Seattle

Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2015
Location
Seattle
TDI
2005 VW Golf
UPDATE: Squeaks returned. However - happy news - I was able to eradicate with the installation of a Stabilizer Suspension Bar Bushing Kit ($32.85). The ever-efficient Zahntech Import Service in Redmond, WA changed the two bushings out in 45min for $110 (Expensive, I know, but they are worth it). No more squeaks last 2 weeks! (Say it out loud)

Zahntech said the reason they squeak is they are "a natural rubber product", every 5 years they wear out n squeak and there is no aftermarket alternative that they know of. But I'll bet Google knows a few. In any case, in 5 years I'll just replace them myself. P/N 1J0 498 314 GMY

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I sprayed silicon lube around every bushing I could find in the front-end. Was a little tough to do this, even with the car jacked up. Might have been better to do while car is on a lift for another reason.

In any case, the squeaks did not disappear immediately, but after a few days (guess the lube had to soak in) they dropped by about 80% I'd say. That was 3 weeks ago and they have not returned.
 
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tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Another update - The strut was changed to the right side and now the sound is coming from the right side. It does look like the strut is going for a warranty replacement. Just wondering how the strut would go kaput in less than 7500 KMS of normal driving. Have not done any really bad roads in this period.
Manufacturing defects can occur with any part.;)
 
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