Oversteering on left hand bends

[Peteb1951]

I've had my  2020 A4 b9.5 diesel 2.0 35 for 4 months, it's an Audi approved  used and fitted with the standard 225/50 R17  tyres. On LH bends, even gentle ones the oversteer is very noticeable the front end is tucking in and the rear feels like it wants to turn out.  On RH bends theres a slight understeer and and the car can be cornered  much  faster with no issues. (I'm running the lower"comfort" tyre pressures at present).  Please note, this is on UK roads driving on the left.  I've had several people drive the car and they've experienced the same issue so I'm confident it's not my driving style. Has anyone had similar issues?

My Audi dealer advised that on the pre sale inspection  one of the rear shock absorber was replaced . Maybe they should have changed both?

[Magnet]

Hello Peter,

Could we get back to first principles, and gather a little more detail:- 

Tyre pressures used?

Matching tyre brands, patterns and tread depth on each axle, and hopefully all around? 
Mileage -to better judge why one rear shock absorber needed to be renewed? Renewed by who?  Why both weren’t renewed at the same time? Brand of replacement, if not renewed by an Audi dealer? 
Has the car been inspected for acceptable steering and suspension wear? 
Has the wheel alignment been checked - and perhaps adjusted - recently? 
How you would best describe your diving style - ‘normal just getting there’, slightly enthusiastic > very enthusiastic? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

[cliffcoggin]

Peter.

Assuming the tyres match each other in regards to brand, pressure, condition etc. as Gareth suggests, the problem is likely to be too much toe-in, which will be revealed by extreme wear of the outer shoulder of the right tyre. You may even find the shoulder has been completely scrubbed off while the majority of the flat surface is unworn. If so, your car is dangerous and should be repaired without delay, as the problem will very rapidly worsen.

You should first get the steering and suspension checked for wear, and then get the tracking adjusted. Usually only the front toe-in needs to be done, but it is possible the rear also is mis-aligned if the car has been crashed.

[Peteb1951]

Thanks for the replies.

Ref requested info. The shock was replaced by my Audi main dealer with an OE item. The tyres are Michelin Primacy,  ranging from 4-6 mm of tread and no uneven wear pattern.  My driving style can be very enthusiastic at times.

I've switched from comfort to dynamic mode. Changed the pressures from the comfort setting of  33f,30r to  the standard 38f, 35r. It did give an improvement.

Today visited my Audi dealer, Swansway Garage at Crewe. They were very good and with no notice arranged for a technician to go out with me and he drove the car. His opinion is it that didn't feel any different to others of the same model he drives on a regular basis. Everything was OK in his opinion. He asked me what my previous car was? A Passat high line 2.0tdi 190. He went on to say that he'd  worked for  most of the VAG marques and that the Passat was a "drivers car" but in his honest opinion my 2020 A4 b9.5 TDI 35 is not. It's a comfy small exec milemuncher. 

He's right of course, I was taking the A4 out of its comfort zone and was expecting too much. (My Passat had 235/40 low profiles, virtually nobody roll and could corner as though on rails)  I expected  the same, but the A4 is adequate until pushed hard. If I wanted one  to chuck around he recommends the S4. I still love the car, just a case of driving it within it's limits (I bought the car in January and on the test drive we had cold frosty conditions so I never pushed it too hard)

NB my shortlist prior to purchase consisted of the Jaguar XE, Mercedes C220d, BMW 320d series and another Passat.

 

 

[Magnet]

Many thanks for coming back on this Peter, and I think we can agree that this can be concluded as ‘car is fine, driver expectations exceed normal driving style’. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.