Front End Clunking

Well, a slight clunk from my front end has gotten worse with the cold weather. I'll likely be off to the dealer for routine service later this month. Any ideas about what could be wrong would be welcome. Anybody else have this problem?

Symptom: knocking sound over bumps. Can feel it slightly in the steering. Bushings? Ball joints? Tie rod ends? It's annoying more than anything but I'd like to put it right.

I'm not entirely surprised. Our roads around here are absolutely horribile, and on top of that I live on a rutted, potholed dirt road (I have to drive on it for 1.7 km before hitting pavement and even the pavement isn't great around here, in some places it is downright awful).

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PlaneCrazy
99.5 Jetta TDI GLS
76 Piper Cherokee

First guess, it's a strut bearing.

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couple of Rabbits, a Golf and a Passat TDI

My girlfriend's Golf TDI had the same symptom when it was new, after four months the noise went away...Strange

Had this in my Mercury Tracer, damaged tie rod ends from hitting pot holes. Tie rod ends can be felt in the streeing wheel, not strut damages. Strut can only be felt while moving, tie rods maybe felt while parked. Jack the front-end up and move the wheel left to right and back, not up and down. There should be no play in the wheel. If there is some play look for a loose bearing, then tie rods, then ball joints (if we have them).

Let us know what they find.


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Mthiker
2000 Jetta TDI, Green
GLS, 5-Speed

Is it a Golf? I think clunking was a symptom of the control-arm weld problem that was the subject of the recent recall. If it's 2000 or 2001 Golf, I'd call the dealer and/or VWOA and have it checked out.

Nope, it's a Jetta.

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PlaneCrazy
99.5 Jetta TDI GLS
76 Piper Cherokee

Plane Crazy, Drivin EZ had the same problem, it took me alittle while to find it but one of the sway bar bolts was loose, check them.

Thanks for the info, Valois, I'll give it a check over the xmas holidays.

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PlaneCrazy
99.5 Jetta TDI GLS
76 Piper Cherokee