gazthecab Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 It's atrocious and disconcerting. It wanders, is camber sensitive, tramlines, at times feels like the back is steering the car, at times it feels "wobbly". I've been all over it and can't find anything, and yesterday we put it up on the lift at ATS and rechecked........very slight movement in o/s track rod end........not enough to fail an MOT.......other than that.....nothing....nada. There is no play in the steering.........but....for some reason I keep thinking the rack is the problem...........if any of you were to drive it for a short run you would probably say..."nought wrong with it", but drive it as I do and you almost certainly wouldn't want to drive it again. LCA's changed about 40k (10mths ago), has Eibach sport shocks and springs fitted (20k ago), Goodyear NCT's just fitted, to complicate matters on occasion there is a "groaning" or "creaking" noise from the front end, normally (but not always) when near full lock. HELP REQUIRED PLEASE BEFORE I DO SOMETHING RASH AND GET RID OFF IT.........YES IT REALLY IS THAT BAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9969 Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 This may sound obvious - but have you checked the tracking and the wheel balancing (for all 4 wheels) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Sorry to laugh! I have just spent 2 hours on Sunday looking at my front suspension, cant find anything wrong! Maybe we should meet up on Christmas eve and park them side by side and burn them? I do still love mine but i have a feeling somethings going to go wrong. On the motorway i get a sudden bump and the car shakes, feels like its hit a large piece of brick or something! Nothing on the road though, car shakes and i can feel it through the steering wheel. Still get the sudden steering wheel shaking side to side on the motorway, mostly when i take my foot off the throttle. Its now started doing it for no reason as well. Yeah, lets burn the fecking things!!!! Before one of us dies!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 New tyres fitted on Sat so no problem with those 2 items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Did ATS check your tracking for you? Was it all ok? Mines was out when ATS checked it and they tried to adjust it but made it worse and ended up leaving it wrong and not charging me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 I am Soooooooooooooooo glad it isn't just me, the next car I buy will NOT have multi link front suspension. On Friday night the car got what I can only describe as a "shimmy" on, felt like a half flat tyre or a wheel about to fall off. I turned right off a major road, no need to stop at this junction - no traffic - and the road is not a a 90' angle, or should I have said I TRIED to turn right - the car only really half turned, how I missed the kerb I don't know, nearly had a pile of on my seat. Stopped the car and walked round and checked the tyres - no flats, I actually thought at this stage that a top control arm had snapped - so decided to drive VERY slowly to the petrol station where I could look at it, feck me if it happened again at the next junction, this was a 90' turn onto a major road, and again we slithered round, made it to the petrol station......to cut it short AA sent a recovery truck when I wanted a patrol to get it in the air to check for anything broken, arrived at hom elater and put it on the jack myself........couldn't find anything......I did clean both front abs sensors though. I went back to work, giving it some thought I decided that as it had been raining the car COULD HAVE AQUAPLANED, didn't feel like it at the time, so changed the tyres from some cheap budget to GOODYEAR NCT 5's. And I have still felt this "shimmy" or "wobble", I have now fell completely out of love with this car, and if I had the money to change it I would even though I didn't plan on doing so until at least 250,000 miles (about another 2 years). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 [ QUOTE ] On the motorway i get a sudden bump and the car shakes, feels like its hit a large piece of brick or something! Nothing on the road though, car shakes and i can feel it through the steering wheel. Still get the sudden steering wheel shaking side to side on the motorway, mostly when i take my foot off the throttle. Its now started doing it for no reason as well. [/ QUOTE ] These cars are fitted with steering dampers aren't they?? Worth a thought or look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 There is a damper fitted, bit of a to get at though. I am taking it off the road the back end of Jan. Going to change the engine (or play cars as mrs wobby puts it!!). Thinking of flushing the intercooler and pipework at the same time. Also going to take the steering rack out inspect it and the coloumn. Looking to buy a Citreon Dispatch van 110HDI, i am starting to feel the Passat is going to kill me!! TBH the steering feels ok most of the time since i did the inner track arm. It just doesn't ride smooth like it used to, feels the bumps and feels weird on certain corners like its going to go straight on!! Hoping to get to the bottom of it, don't like to think i can be out smarted by a car!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 [ QUOTE ] ........feels weird on certain corners like its going to go straight on!! [/ QUOTE ] I know that feeling well, please let me know what you find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 In desperation I took it into Central Tyres for another tracking check, they said the fronts were okay in relation to each other but not in relation to the rears.........I told them to adjust it, it now is much better but not as I think it should be, could it be subframe or rear axle bushes?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted December 22, 2006 Report Share Posted December 22, 2006 Update on my problem!! Set off to Manchester yesterday morning and got about half way and the steering felt terrible when i lift off the throttle. It was frightening and difficult to keep the car straight unless i took it out of gear. Quickily decided this has got to be the CV joint (outer hopefully and ordered one). The car wasn't safe so i turned around and limped it back. It changed from making no noise and shaking the steering wheel to making a slight knocking (only with the foot off the throttle) and not affecting the steering. Borrowed a car the rest of yesterday and this morning. Other poeple decided it wasn't the CV joint but would be an engine mounting. Tonight i decided to go shopping in it, not motorway so thought i'd risk it. Started knocking louder and then lost drive while turning a corner (had to be recovered back home), looks like the CV joint has collapsed. Changing it tomorrow when i get in from work. There was no abnormal movement on the driveshaft when it was rotated, just a slight movement in/out. I am amazed that this has collapsed so quickily, changed loads on cars over the years and this is the first that has shown these symptoms. The car had no clicking when turning full lock driven either way. Seems strange. Will report how it handles when changed, might be of interest Gaz. But i think you have already changed both yours haven't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 The n/s is original AFAIK, something tells me after the performance last night that this could be ARB related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 New CV joint has sorted mine, feels spot on now as far as the handling goes. It was the inner tack rod that had caused most of the steering issues. Turned out we had fitted the wrong CV joint yesterday! Typical VW sticking any part on that comes to hand, my CV joint stopped being fitted to Passats in 1999. Mines 2001 and still has them! First time i have been recovered home in many many years, i knew i was going to either break down or crash and die. Thats why i left it at home. All well now, thats until the engine blows up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermitfrog Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Did ATS check your tracking for you? Was it all ok? Mines was out when ATS checked it and they tried to adjust it but made it worse and ended up leaving it wrong and not charging me [/ QUOTE ] Please fellas, don't trust ATS or Fit with tracking. You'd be better off buying a chocolate teapot with your money. Go to a good suspension specialist - somewhere that uses Biesbarth or Hunter laser 4 wheel alignment kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 [ QUOTE ] The n/s is original AFAIK, something tells me after the performance last night that this could be ARB related. [/ QUOTE ] The ARB is intact and not loOse or damaged in any way........back to the c.vjoint or a problem with ESP/DIFF/GEARBOX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugboy Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 This doesn't sound like quite the same problem as I had with mine, but when my steering went funny and I was getting a knocking over bumps it turned out to be the steering rack bolt on the NS had worked loose. Tightened it up and all has been well since. I was shocked the first time I saw how complicated the suspension is on a Passat. Lowering the car is just going to complicate matters further and make things wear out. My mates A4 TDi used to eat suspension parts after being lowered. Wishbones in particular didn't last long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 It's going in to the indie on the 5th,they reckon the rear axle bushes are shot (not uncommon apparently) based on what I have told them. I have to be honest and say I am getting tired of all these problems, my old Vectra had 160k before I started having any major bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] they reckon the rear axle bushes are shot (not uncommon apparently) based on what I have told them. [/ QUOTE ] Hmmmm, a new bit to look at!! Yay!! Wheres my spanners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted January 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 They couldn't find anything wrong with it Said it COULD be a duff n/s shock, as I have said that seems to be where all the problems are, they were replaced less than 20k ago with Eibach, so they will get one and change it........I'm going car shopping......I just keep thinking I am going to end up in a ditch or worse when whatever it is lets go, cant afford the change but cant afford that either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted January 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT as the saying goes, I take delivery of a Vauxhall Vectra Estate 1.9CDTI SRI "56" plate with 6k miles on Monday.........the way I've worked the finance it will cost me £27 a week more..........hell the Passat cost me double that in repairs, The Veccie has 20k service interval, 100k cambelt and even a rebate from the insurance company, I bought the Passat with very high expectations and it failed miserably.......maybe I just got the Monday am/Friday pm one, I shall still look in from time to time and hopefully I can give some advice where needed. Thanks to you all for your help and advice. Gaz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugboy Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Its a shame, but the Passat just doesn't seem to live up to its perceived quality. To look at everything is really nice quality, but they do suffer from loads of niggles. I dont think the VW's are any more reliable than Vauxhall or Ford these days. They do still use nicer quality plastics and the paint always looks deeper though. My mate has recently chopped in his Passat 110TDi for an 06 plate Vectra 1.9CDTi Design estate and he loves it. Much prefers it to the Passat, but then it is much newer and more powerful. I have read the Vaux 1.9 CDTi engine's are not all that good fuel wise though. On paper good, but in practice people seem to only get about 40mpg. Shame you didn't buy the V6 model as I have a "V6 SRI" private plate I need to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemfox Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Yeah the handling of my v6 TDi wasn't brilliant either. Had it up at Demon Tweeks (Wrexham) and they laser aligned it and found the front drivers side was toe-in by a couple of degrees. Handled better after the adjustment, but the car never felt settled in fast sweepers despite having the "sports" suspension. Have part-ex'd it today for a 540i. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazthecab Posted February 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Here it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobby Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Can't believe you've done this ! Sold the Passat !! Tut tut tut! Now who am i going to moan to about my suspension and steering? Whats the BHP then? Bet it it don't corner like my Passat! I reckon its really boring that car Gaz . At least with the Passat cornering was exciting and you never really knew if you would get home alive or dead Looks a nice car though Keep calling in for a chat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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