Audi A3

[Chris.m]

Hi anyone help me please, for some reason my suspension on the rear of my car is about 10m different to the other side does anyone know why this is ? 

[Steve Q]

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum, you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch :) 

Could it be a broken spring? 

Have you got any pics? 

Cheers

Steve

[Chris.m]

Hi Steve thanks for getting back to me and thanks for welcoming me to the forum, my car has been like it since I bought it and I raised the issue with the garage they are willing to repair it if I diagnose the issue, it was in for a cambelt and water pump yesterday and they had a look and springs are fine .

Thanks 

Chris 

[WPAWS]

is the lower side where the fuel tank is, maybe it drops when you fill the tank?

[Chris.m]

Hi I did think this myself but its the same with or without a full tank but yeah it is the same side as the fuel tank

Thanks 

Chris 

Edited January 13, 2018 by Chris.m
Spelling

[WPAWS]

1 hour ago, Chris.m said:

the garage they are willing to repair it if I diagnose the issue

surely its their job to figure out the problem that's why we trust our cars in their hands and pay them to fix them lol

could there be a missing rubber, so i can't help really i`m just guessing

[Chris.m]

That was my argument aswell but I'll see what feed back I get and go from there it' just one of them things it don't make no difference to the drive but it's annoying me because I know it's different. 

Thanks 

Chris

[Magnet]

Hello Chris,

I'm very much with Paul on this. It would be the sellers responsibility to diagnose the problem, and  your responsibility simply to identify there is/maybe an issue. Having said that, let's first get some measure on what we are talking about here. 

'Bleeding obvious' this might be (but never ignore the obvious) - take a note of the exact sizes of the tyres on the rear and confirm they are a match, particularly the profile part, e.g. the middle figure, say 50 , 55 etc. 

You say the height difference is around 10mm, but I wonder how you are measuring this. If from the ground to say the underside of the arch, then this isn't the way to measure it. Measurements should be taken from the underside of the arch to the wheel centre to ensure the tyres are not influencing your measurements. 

10mm? OK, a difference, but perhaps borderline significant. Might be accounted for by the higher side having had a new spring fitted at some time ( not uncommon for springs to break in this cost cutting design change situation), leaving the opposite side with its original (settled) spring.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Chris.m]

Hi Gareth 

I will have a look and measure it the way you say it should be done as I have been measuring it from the underside of the arch to the top of the tyre ,will get back to you shortly, I feel that the garage should be sorting this issue as I have raised it with them but they have had a look and can not see anything wrong with it and it still has the original springs.

Thanks 

 

Chris 

[Chris.m]

Hi Gareth 

I have just just checked the measurement from arch to centre of wheel and it's actually 1/2 an inch diffrence.

Kind regards 

Chris.

[cliffcoggin]

A half inch difference between the two sides is really quite a lot. Like Gareth and Chris I reckon it is likely one spring has been changed, possibly for a shorter (i.e. lowered height) one, or perhaps a rubber bush has disintegrated. I also agree that the garage should be investigating as this problem can affect handling. That the garage will not do so is suspicious to my mind. Did you buy the car from there?

[Chris.m]

The handling does not feel bad at all it corners well , I am going to get the garage I use to have a look and see if he can see anything and then report back to the garage I bought this from , the garage I bought it from done the cam belt and water pump Thursday and did have a look he said the springs were the same as the dots on them are the same colour , he did say that the damper was a little wet at the top but did say this may be due to the wet weather we have had , could this be the issue if a damper is leaking?

Kind regards 

Chris 

[Magnet]

Hello Chris,

Apologies for labouring this, but there some significant points about which we are not clear of here, and which may dictate the course of action you need to take from this point on. 

Can we take it you did not buy this car direct from an Audi main dealer?  Car is 5 year old so probably not. How long have you owned it? Did you have a HPI type search done on the vehicle before purchase to establish if it had been accident damaged or not? Probably hasn't been, but.... Was the car bought with this issue, or has the problem arisen since you bought it? If the car came with the issue, did it come to you with a recent MOT at which it would have been spotted? 

Appreciating Cliff's opinion that 1/2 inch difference is significant, all other things being serviceable, this may not be considered to be a significant 'claimable' issue with a 5 year old secondhand car. If it were mine and it bothered me, then I would be informing the supplying used car dealer that you are going to have this car inspected with an aim of locating the reason for the issue - getting their permission to do so. Try to find a reputable independent in your area, since trying to diagnose the problem via. a forum ( although a good start) is rather hit and miss, when anyone would need to see the actual animal to offer meaningful explanations.

Again from the school of the bleeding obvious, but we take it you are checking this on absolutely level ground. The drive here has multiple minor ( and I mean minor) differences in flatness, and you wouldn't believe how lopsided vehicles can look when parked on certain parts of it.

Good luck in getting it sorted.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Shock absorber associated issue? Unlikely in my opinion. 

[cliffcoggin]

If it was my car I would measure, or get someone else to measure, the free length of the left and right springs. That may be easier said than done as the car would have to be jacked up until the wheels were off the ground, but would confirm whether the springs are at fault or there is something more serious like a twisted chassis to contend with. It is not unknown for springs to break within the cup shaped end cap, making the break invisible without removal, yet shortening the overall length.

As for the shock absorber leak, forget it, it has no influence on the ride height, though it should be replaced for other reasons. Shock absorbers do not support the vehicle and and exist only to control the rebound after going over a bump. You could drain, or even remove the shock absorber completely, yet its absence would not alter the ride height.

[cliffcoggin]

By the way I got a name wrong earlier in my first response when I mentioned Gareth and Chris. I meant Gareth and Paul. Apologies to all.

[Chris.m]

Hi Gareth

I did buy the car second hand yeah and noticed this issue a day later and took it back , they have said if I get it diagnosed they will sort the issue as they have had a look and they can't see nothing ,the car had a brand new M.O.T when I bought it, the starnge thing is on level ground the car dont look like its leaning at the back you can see this from the side ,I'm hopefully going to get this into the garage this week to be checked if not by the garage I would normally use then by an Audi garage ,

Regards 

Chris  

[Chris.m]

Hi Cliff

I will be looking into this further this week to try and rectify the issue. I did think that if I had a broken spring then it would bang now and then when cornering or with a full car?, 

The car drives fine dont pull to left or right its had a HPI check and an AA inspection as all cars at this garage so say have!

Thanks all for your help with this .

Kind regards 

Chris 

[Magnet]

Hello Chris,

No offence meant, and indeed I guess we have all been there at different times, but it is possible to get too tuned in to a certain issue, and simply get bugged by something which might just not be as significant as we worry it is. A clue could be ..." on level ground the car don't look like its leaning...."

I define a 'problem' as the worse thing that is happening at any one time, and very often that problem/issue disappears from the worrying state when something more major comes along! Perhaps we have been too critical of the supplying garage, who have probably inspected the car and cannot find a significant issue, but simply kept the door open by saying, 'if you can source the issue then we will put it right' . Perhaps very fair in hindsight. I think you are now doing the correct thing and getting this car inspected locally. As Cliff says, springs can break within the spring seat even, and can be difficult to spot. In a way, I hope they do find something wrong and you will have peace of mind. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

 

[Chris.m]

Hi Gareth 

No offence taken and I appreciate everyone trying to help with the problem,it's booked into be looked at the garage I use and costing me 5 costa coffees for the lads in the garage still cheaper than Audi so happy days, hopefully I'll have an answer to the problem tomorrow.

Regards 

Chris 

[Chris.m]

I have had the car looked at and been advised to get both springs replaced and get it optilined,

The garage I have bought the car from has said he will do the springs free of charge including the Labour if they are broke etc but if not then I just have to pay for the springs (not bad I spose)

I spoke with the garage that will do the optiline and he has said could it be the shock absorber what do you people think in this matter or would the shock absorber not make this be a 12mm difference from the other side .

Sorry to keep on about it but I'm trying to avoid spending out loads and still having the problem.

Kind regards 

Chris 

[Magnet]

Hello Chris,

I think your closing really statement sums where you go from here, and the bottom line is :- 

I think it's fair to assume that the inspecting garage cannot really find anything wrong with the car. It does not have any fractured springs, but it seems common sense to suggest replacing both springs with a matching pair of new ones and your car's ride height should (emphasis on should) be correct and even. 

I think the supplying used car dealer action can be considered reasonable - it is a used car - and it might be worth considering that if you had bought a not-new house, you would be expected to have to spend to correct wear and tare. Their offer to do this work free of labour charge therefore seems generous. 

I take it Optiline must be a wheel alignment - are you able to confirm that? 

The call must be yours Chris since only you know how strongly you feel about this - my feeling is you feel (rather) strongly about it and if that is the case you must buy a pair of springs and ask the kind car dealer to fit them for you - end of. 

Wheel alignment necessary after doing this?? Not sure how many others have seen tyre wear following such adjustments where there wasn't tyre wear before. So.... .?

Perhaps others on here have different thoughts, but I would return to your ..." on level ground the don't look like its leaning...." 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Shock absorber- think this has been covered already. 

[Chris.m]

Hi Gareth 

Yes optiline wheel alignment is correct as the camber of the wheel can be noticed also the inside of the tyre is wearing badly so all this fingers crossed will rectify the issue we shall see if not then I know that it's all been done and I'll deal with it but hopefully it will be sorted once a lair of brand new springs are fitted.

Thanks again

Kind regards 

Chris 

[Magnet]

Well done Chris. 

Inside of the tyre wearing badly is/would have been a significant point in deciding what to do, had we known. Cats and pigeons - might this tyre have been on the front until recent times? Clue might be if the rear tyres are not a matching pair. 

If this inside-wear tyre is worn because it's been on the rear for some time then it could put a whole lot more emphasis on establishing why this car is not sitting right. But.... 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Chris.m]

Ok now then the tyre I'm about to change is pretty warn has about 4mm treat other side is brand new.

Regards 

Chris 

[cliffcoggin]

Chris. Let me re-iterate that the shock absorber will not affect the ride height. Any garage mechanic who tells you otherwise is either an incompetent fool or a blatant liar. Either way he is not to be trusted.

Why are you getting the tracking and/or the shock absorber done at a different place from the springs? If you are just chasing the lowest prices without considering the quality of the work you are doomed to disappointment and will end up paying more to get the job done properly, and that does not include the number of tyres that will prematurely wear out at £70 each.