An orchestra of awful noises coming from under the car.

[veezee]

Right, to start with I've got a 1.2S, 02 plate. Now, the problem I'm having, on top of the squeaking that's started now the temperatures dropped inside the cabin, is my suspension seems to be making a lot of awful noises.

Going over bumps - which there a lot of where I live - I get some horrible dragging noises with squeaks and groans. What is the likely cause of this? I can't believe for one minute it would purely be bushes - possible failed drop links?

I'd also like to emphasise at this point that I have no technicians training whatsoever, but I'm always happy to give things a go

Sometimes when I push on (yes, entirely possible in a 1.2) around a corner or some of the big roundabouts near where I work, the car will...oversteer I guess is the best word - it will fail to straighten up coming off of fast/tight turns sometimes. Also, I've started to notice the edge of my tyres smoothing out - so they're hitting the arches when I do press on.

So, any ideas of the level of damage? What's it gonna take to fix? At the moment, I'm still in need of some alloys and I need my facelift bumper painting and fitting, so I hope it's not too costly :/


Thanks for your help as always.

 

[Aimez]

If I were you I would drive it straight to a garage and leave it there until they get it up on a ramp as it could be dangerous and you don't wanna have an accident knowing something is wrong!

And I would not do anything with your mods yet save your money for this I suspect alot of the guys on here will think it is the things you say drop links or ARB bushes etc.

 

[veezee]

I hesitate taking it to a garage at the moment, partly because I simply won't be able to afford costly repairs this month, as Christmas has to be paid for from this pay packet. That, and the car did make some funny noises when I bought it back in March, when we went through a particularly cold spell, though not as loud or ill-sounding.

I don't worry about having a smash, I always tame it down when there are other cars around or I'm carrying passengers, and knowing it's carrying a niggle, I'll slow down for a while all the time. Thanks for the concern though.

As soon as I can afford it, it'll be in the garage for a while - I want the bodywork touched up, so I'll have the underworkings all checked at the same time.

Anyone think it could be anything any more serious than bushes or drop-links? Anyone found it to be a simple fix for similar sounding symptoms?

 

[sydoggkdy]

from my experience(not stating i'm a mechanic of any sort) when the drop links went they made a banging knocking noise, not a squeak.

but every winter my rear suspension squeaks like a b**ch. and then its back to normal by spring.
aparently its a known problem and seat do a special lube for it to stop it squeakin.

si

 

[kriso]

Check your suspension springs haven't fractured or snapped, a load of people's went last year.

 

[Nosferatu]

Guys...I'm thoroughly pissed-off with the suspension on my car (54 plate FR130) as I've had loads of hassle. Based on my experiences, as regards to the problem you're having, I wouldn't rule-out front (rear) suspension bushes as a potentia problem....

 

[Rawsharc]

im also have a 1.2S on a 52 plate and had exactly the symptoms you are describing. Squeaks and groans over speedhumps and bumps. It was the front wishbone bushes knackered after 40k miles. (i knew they were going and to confirm my suspicions it failed an MOT on them, luckily had them prebooked to be fixed the same day!).

Cupra bushes have sorted all the noises, as well as making the steering and handling feel much nicer. Normally the wheels are restricted in their movements (ie up and down) but When the bushes go the wheels can move forward and backwards in the arches aswell (in effect one end of the wishbone becomes unattached from the car as i understand it!). this puts strain on other bits causing the squeaks and groans!

Recommend getting the solid cupra bushes as opposed to the rubbish voided ones that come as standard on our spec cars! cant remember the exact pricing but its about £2-4 more per side for the for the cupra parts as opposed to standard ones. be aware the labour cost is immense as it takes ~1.5 hours a side to do them. i think the final cost was in the region of £170!!!!!
Hope this helps!

 

[veezee]

It was the front wishbone bushes knackered after 40k miles. (i knew they were going and to confirm my suspicions it failed an MOT on them, luckily had them prebooked to be fixed the same day!).

Cupra bushes have sorted all the noises, as well as making the steering and handling feel much nicer. Normally the wheels are restricted in their movements (ie up and down) but When the bushes go the wheels can move forward and backwards in the arches aswell (in effect one end of the wishbone becomes unattached from the car as i understand it!). this puts strain on other bits causing the squeaks and groans!

Recommend getting the solid cupra bushes as opposed to the rubbish voided ones that come as standard on our spec cars! cant remember the exact pricing but its about £2-4 more per side for the for the cupra parts as opposed to standard ones. be aware the labour cost is immense as it takes ~1.5 hours a side to do them. i think the final cost was in the region of £170!!!!!
Hope this helps!

This is like the holy grail of a post, spot on. I thought I'd felt the wheels kind of shift BACKWARDS but couldn't be sure.

My car's around the 40k mark as well, so thanks for this sweet reply. As regard to the labour rates - if the bushes don't need to be changed again after putting cupra ones in, £170 isn't going to be all that much to me - my car is my big luxury, I spend £110 a month keeping it insured and £100 or so paying off the loan for it.

So glad I asked now, top man, thanks for all your replies.


Now, anyone have the part number for the cupra bushes? I'd rather try and buy them myself, then tell the mechanic to fit them at the garage rather than have him ignore me and fit the voiders again.

 

[Aimez]

Cupra rear of front bushes 6LL407183
Alot of peeps on here buy these and also powerflex front of front bushes as well (this is what I am going to fit as I'm approaching 40k)

 

[RUM4MO]

You really need to search out for an independant VAG specialist that knows these cars and their problems as their charges should be a lot lower (head out of town - M-K too far?). There is an exVAG tech on www.briskoda.net - Fabia section (Lummox) - he will sort you out! (email him at [email protected] otherwise known as Ross)

 

[Nosferatu]

Guys…I had my front (rear) wishbone bushes replaced (at 35K miles) in March this year as they’d gone South! Since they were replaced under warranty by the SEAT dealership, it saved me £280. Yes, £280 they billed this out at. At one of the guy’s points out here, it’s the labour that’s the issue. The replacement bushes are about £6 each. I believe there’s an issue with the bushes on the Ibiza (Mark IV) which SEAT never address. The Leon on the other hand, did have similar issue; however, SEAT sorted them out.

Anyway, when my car was in for it’s 40K service at an Audi garage a few weeks’ ago, in their attempt at humour, they asked me if I’d been driving through fields! It transpired that the bushes had gone South yet again! Regardless of the car just being out the years’ warranty I got when I bought it, I took it back to the SEAT dealership, who replaced them them, presumably because they should have lasted more than 5 months. Having spoken to a really good mechanic I know though, it’s likely that some numpty was given the task of fitting them, and subsequently torqued the bolts (a definite no-no) whilst the weight was off the front wheels. When the weight was put back on the front wheels, the effect of torsion wasn’t long in splitting the bushes.

I agree with Rawsharc, that the quality of these bushes is questionable. It would be much better to go with the Powerflex bushes (around £13 each?) or the Cupra bushes.

Can anyone tell me. Are the same front Coil Springs, i.e. the same part number, fitted to all variants of the Ibiza diesels, for example, the 1.4, 1.9SDi, 1.9TDi, 1.9TDi FR, and Cupra?

Please advise if you know. Thanks.

 

[RUM4MO]

Guys…I had my front (rear) wishbone bushes replaced (at 35K miles) in March this year as they’d gone South! Since they were replaced under warranty by the SEAT dealership, it saved me £280. Yes, £280 they billed this out at. At one of the guy’s points out here, it’s the labour that’s the issue. The replacement bushes are about £6 each. I believe there’s an issue with the bushes on the Ibiza (Mark IV) which SEAT never address. The Leon on the other hand, did have similar issue; however, SEAT sorted them out.

Anyway, when my car was in for it’s 40K service at an Audi garage a few weeks’ ago, in their attempt at humour, they asked me if I’d been driving through fields! It transpired that the bushes had gone South yet again! Regardless of the car just being out the years’ warranty I got when I bought it, I took it back to the SEAT dealership, who replaced them them, presumably because they should have lasted more than 5 months. Having spoken to a really good mechanic I know though, it’s likely that some numpty was given the task of fitting them, and subsequently torqued the bolts (a definite no-no) whilst the weight was off the front wheels. When the weight was put back on the front wheels, the effect of torsion wasn’t long in splitting the bushes.

I agree with Rawsharc, that the quality of these bushes is questionable. It would be much better to go with the Powerflex bushes (around £13 each?) or the Cupra bushes.

Can anyone tell me. Are the same front Coil Springs, i.e. the same part number, fitted to all variants of the Ibiza diesels, for example, the 1.4, 1.9SDi, 1.9TDi, 1.9TDi FR, and Cupra?

Please advise if you know. Thanks.

Yes he's right about how to tighten up these bolts, also maybe the new bushes were fitted in in slightly the wrong rotation as that would cause a similar problem by in a different way. Even the Cupra ones need fitted in in the correct rotation or they will start to tear loose eventually. I think Golf 5 Leon Octavia and maybe A3 will all have a similar set-up but the bush is located in an aluminium ring and has three "ribs" instead of our two - some one once said that this bush is the best one to fit, its a bit more expensive and you need to saw off the aluminium ring first but it gives a halfway house between the crappy voided Ibiza one and the solid Cupra one - personally I'd always go for the Cupra one.

Most of the coil springs will be different - first there is the engine etc weight loading then there will be the different height options with that loading.

 

[Aimez]

Sounds like it has to be someone who works on VAG vehicles that fits these. Dunno when I'm gonna get mine done as the original ones got though the car's second MOT I must be one of the lucky ones but I have the parts standing by for when I want them done!

 

[RUM4MO]

Sounds like it has to be someone who works on VAG vehicles that fits these. Dunno when I'm gonna get mine done as the original ones got though the car's second MOT I must be one of the lucky ones but I have the parts standing by for when I want them done!

I reckon that you should just get a good indep VAG specialist to fit these Cupra ones as soon as possible and not just to wait until they give you grief, by doing that you will probably get away with just leaving the small front bushes alone. Plus you will improve the feel of the car and score on tyre wear and maybe even improve the drive by getting a four wheel re-alignment - win-win-win (hopefully). I'd think its better to get the use of this "mod" now than wait until your car has become "horrible".

 

[Aimez]

Yeh I totally agree what I want to do is get coilovers and rear ARB and have these fitted at the same time as I know 4 wheel alinement needs to be done after these jobs so get it all done in one expensive hit. Will be in the next couple of months had all my nicked form my bank account (all recovered!) and made me think sod it spend some of it!
Do you think I would need anything else done at the same time as all this stuff?

 

[RUM4MO]

Only other thing I can think about that might need done at the same time is the ARB - that is if its the older style one with the plastic stops - I'd try checking the stops with a small magnet to see if they are steel or plastic. If plastic then I'd replace it while you are doing all of this work as, as you will know, the front crossmember gets dropped to do replace it and if it is the older style with the plastic stops, then it will fail eventually - its just a matter of time. If doing this job then you will also need to buy new mounting bushes along with the new ARB.