Knocking/clunk coming from front of car.

Reese Hodgers

Active Member
Jul 1, 2019
26
6
2017 1.2 tsi fr (ibiza)

Having issues for about 2 months now with a rattling clunk coming from the front passenger side of the car, I thought it was the roll bars and sway bar bushes so I replaced them all and rattle is still there, only when going over bumps, little holes or quite even road surface at all speeds. I've also checked the wishbone bushes and they seem to be fine... shock and springs seem fine also and no issues with balancing/tracking. I'm stumped at what it could be but it's driving me mental and I feel like it's gona cause some sort of issues elsewhere if the source isn't found. I gave the car to seat dealership and they couldn't find the noise and replaced the roll bars, since I've replaced the bushes myself also as the garage misdiagnosed in the first place with the anti roll bars. Does ANYBODY have the same issue?? Or even suggestions on a fix/source of noise?
Thanks!
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
My wife has a 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL and since the weather has started to be colder with lower temperatures, it has started making these sorts of noises from the front. I would have hoped that changing the ARB drop links and/or the ARB mounting bushes would quieten it down again - but after you have found not so, I'm a bit disappointed!
I'll not be doing anything until the warmer weather at which point I'll be checking the the wishbone rear voided bushes.
One remaining area will be the the struts, either the small top bearing and/or the top rubber mounting - or wear in the damper(s), after that it might be worth checking the track rods inner joint or even the TREs. None of that should be expected at this age even on my wife's 2015 Polo with 37K miles.
 

Reese Hodgers

Active Member
Jul 1, 2019
26
6
My wife has a 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL and since the weather has started to be colder with lower temperatures, it has started making these sorts of noises from the front. I would have hoped that changing the ARB drop links and/or the ARB mounting bushes would quieten it down again - but after you have found not so, I'm a bit disappointed!
I'll not be doing anything until the warmer weather at which point I'll be checking the the wishbone rear voided bushes.
One remaining area will be the the struts, either the small top bearing and/or the top rubber mounting - or wear in the damper(s), after that it might be worth checking the track rods inner joint or even the TREs. None of that should be expected at this age even on my wife's 2015 Polo with 37K miles.
Disappointed myself to be honest, it's a stiff suspension as is what comes on all fr variants and it's great with cornering etc...but seems like suspension takes a beating because of it (correct me if I'm wrong) my sister has a 2015 ibiza regular 1.2 and she hasn't had any suspension issues and has 88k on the clock where as mine only has 70k and was bought new in Jan 2017, ARB drops links have already been replaced after 32k aswell as they were knackered. The car has developed a slight squeak from the front end also since yesterday (cold weather maybe).. Guess I'll be looking at the struts and top mounts the weekend and then replacing the wish bone bushes seeing as they are pretty much inexpensive! Have to get to the bottom of it eventually!
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
The wishbone or actually lower arm rear bushes are voided, my wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL ended up with one of these bushes getting torn before it was 2 years old, VW coughed up and fixed that which almost surprised me as it would/should have been due to hitting one too many unsighted potholes.
Talking about this reminds me, that car started off the same sort of noises as your car has, and I worked out that if I grabbed the engine top and rocked it, the engine moved quite a bit and made noises - these noises came from the gearbox end/top rubber mounting which is a bonded rubber<>metal assembly, VW just fitted the normal petrol engine option and it had failed slightly, VW directed fault pathway insists that at the first workshop appointment, the mounting is removed absolutely completely covered in goldish looking grease - looked a lot like copperease to me! All new bolts gets fitted and the part refitted, that worked very well - for a week! On the internet I had read that the next move is to fit the TDI engine option as it is a lot stiffer and so maybe stronger, so I left a word document on the passenger seat when I handed it back in, and in that document that VW tends to replace any faulty gearbox mountings on a petrol engined car with the Turbo Charged Diesel engine variant - which makes a lot of sense seeing as these engines are also turbo charged and normally, in the past, the petrol engines were all non turbo - note here that these gearbox and engine mountings are the same as used since at least 2002 Polo/Ibiza/Fabia/A2-A1.
The car was returned fixed, I checked the part number on the new gearbox mounting and they had replaced the petrol engine variant for the Diesel engine variant.

So, maybe you need to try rocking the engine to see if it makes noises and moves "quite a bit" then check the part number on the mounting currently fitted and if it is a petrol engine one, buy the mounting for a Diesel and all new bolts, and swop them over.
The factory fitted gearbox top mounting to that June 2015 build VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL was 6Q0 199 555 AR, VW replaced with 6Q0 199 555 AS. Just one thing, maybe check up online for part numbers for 2017 Ibiza 1.2TSI FR as while they are all physically the same, they go by differing part numbers including some starting with 6C0 which probably only implies a later iteration of that original 2002 first used part.
 

Reese Hodgers

Active Member
Jul 1, 2019
26
6
The wishbone or actually lower arm rear bushes are voided, my wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL ended up with one of these bushes getting torn before it was 2 years old, VW coughed up and fixed that which almost surprised me as it would/should have been due to hitting one too many unsighted potholes.
Talking about this reminds me, that car started off the same sort of noises as your car has, and I worked out that if I grabbed the engine top and rocked it, the engine moved quite a bit and made noises - these noises came from the gearbox end/top rubber mounting which is a bonded rubber<>metal assembly, VW just fitted the normal petrol engine option and it had failed slightly, VW directed fault pathway insists that at the first workshop appointment, the mounting is removed absolutely completely covered in goldish looking grease - looked a lot like copperease to me! All new bolts gets fitted and the part refitted, that worked very well - for a week! On the internet I had read that the next move is to fit the TDI engine option as it is a lot stiffer and so maybe stronger, so I left a word document on the passenger seat when I handed it back in, and in that document that VW tends to replace any faulty gearbox mountings on a petrol engined car with the Turbo Charged Diesel engine variant - which makes a lot of sense seeing as these engines are also turbo charged and normally, in the past, the petrol engines were all non turbo - note here that these gearbox and engine mountings are the same as used since at least 2002 Polo/Ibiza/Fabia/A2-A1.
The car was returned fixed, I checked the part number on the new gearbox mounting and they had replaced the petrol engine variant for the Diesel engine variant.

So, maybe you need to try rocking the engine to see if it makes noises and moves "quite a bit" then check the part number on the mounting currently fitted and if it is a petrol engine one, buy the mounting for a Diesel and all new bolts, and swop them over.
The factory fitted gearbox top mounting to that June 2015 build VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL was 6Q0 199 555 AR, VW replaced with 6Q0 199 555 AS. Just one thing, maybe check up online for part numbers for 2017 Ibiza 1.2TSI FR as while they are all physically the same, they go by differing part numbers including some starting with 6C0 which probably only implies a later iteration of that original 2002 first used part.
Thats actually extremely helpful, I'll get on that first thing in the morning because if it does look like it's the mounting then all problems solved! I'll let you know tomorrow the outcome 👍🤞
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Oh, and the lower arm rear bushes are the same as are fitted to Leon/Golf/Octavia/A3 - and the Golf R version is non voided, I have noted the part number for that and already bought the tool to press the old bushes out and the new ones in - just in case I need to!!
 
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