Hey,

I've a T reg 1.8 NA octavia mk1 and have had practically no problems with it. On friday however I was driving home and noticed a loud squeaking/groaning noise coming from the front nearside. It hasnt been there at all - and it is there now when driving in a straight line at 5mph.

Was guessing maybe I have a snapped spring? Couldnt see in the dark and havent been home since. Suspension seemed to stay level. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

Hey,

I've a T reg 1.8 NA octavia mk1 and have had practically no problems with it. On friday however I was driving home and noticed a loud squeaking/groaning noise coming from the front nearside. It hasnt been there at all - and it is there now when driving in a straight line at 5mph.

Was guessing maybe I have a snapped spring? Couldnt see in the dark and havent been home since. Suspension seemed to stay level. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

ive had a snapped spring and my ride height stayed the same. also could be wishbone bushes as ive had that aswell but car pulls all over when the bushes went??. i would get the wheel off and check the springs and bushes to be sure

I would major a guess at the Spring.

Ride height on mine was un-effected and even drove ok, except for the noise.

Edited 7 February, 201016 yr by chissey

Mine creaks and on the MOT they said the lower suspension bush was worn but no excessive movement so they didn't fail it. Getting it done on next service as that is due soon.

The springs often lose an inch or two at the tapered part of the coil, right at the bottom. I've known them to go through MOTs like that without the garage noticing because it's not always obvious.

It'll probably either be an ARB bush, or the top of the spring has snapped off.

When my spring snapped it was pretty obvious because of the almighty bang, and wonky car! ARB bushes are renowned for creaking, I know mine did.

The springs often lose an inch or two at the tapered part of the coil, right at the bottom. I've known them to go through MOTs like that without the garage noticing because it's not always obvious.

Heh, as in an inch or two around the circumference, which amounts to a drop in ride height of 1/4-1/2 an inch at most. Sorry, I realised how that sounded a little too late

Thanks for the replies guys.

Bought it into the garage today and they said it was the wheel bearing and changed that at a cost of £100. Got the car back and the noise is still there, its as bad as it was. I asked them to check the springs and bushings and they said they were all fine. Sounds like a rubbery squeaking noise which you can hear at low speeds and is worse with steering input.

1. Do I have any comeback seeing as they changed a perfectly fine bearing and didnt fix the issue?

2. Any ideas - maybe as it sounds like a rubbery squeak it is an arb bushing? They do look ok though.

Could it be steering related?

I don't think I've ever had a squeaky wheel bearing.. rumbling and knocking, yes, but not squeaking. Is it possible that they recreated the symptom by yanking the wheel around and disturbing the real source of the problem? As it stands, I'd want to know the rationale behind changing the wheel bearing and why they didn't test it to make sure it had worked. I'd also want to see the bearing they took out, but that's probably long gone; ask anyway.

Did they not even give it a test run?

Did they not even give it a test run?

They did, and he said he "changed the wheel bearing cos thats what it sounded like.....eh....hopefully the noise is gone but eh.....its a noisy car anyway"

Granted there can be some tyre roar but at low speeds the noise is really obvious and it wasnt there this time last week!

Pain in the ass, dont know whether to bring it back to them or not tomorrow - they might just change something else random and charge me for it without actually getting to the bottom of it!

The ARB bushes can look totally fine, mine did. But that doesn't stop them creaking.

They only cost like £5-10 and can be changed in 30mins, so a cheap one to try.

Buy some spray silicone grease, and get under the car and give both bushes a jet of grease. If the noise goes away for a few days you know what it is. (the garage should have known this)

The garage sound like complete muppets who obviously know nothing about cars. I wouldn't bother going back.

The ARB bushes can look totally fine, mine did. But that doesn't stop them creaking.

They only cost like £5-10 and can be changed in 30mins, so a cheap one to try.

Buy some spray silicone grease, and get under the car and give both bushes a jet of grease. If the noise goes away for a few days you know what it is. (the garage should have known this)

The garage sound like complete muppets who obviously know nothing about cars. I wouldn't bother going back.

Thanks Bodge, that's good advice.

I'll try that over the weekend and report back then!

Hey,

Gave them the car back today for another shot at it - they have it up on the ramp now and are doing a noise test on the diff

Surely its not that? Would have thought that would be a whining related to accel/decel not a rubber squeaking related to road/steering input?

Hey,

Gave them the car back today for another shot at it - they have it up on the ramp now and are doing a noise test on the diff

Surely its not that? Would have thought that would be a whining related to accel/decel not a rubber squeaking related to road/steering input?

Sounds like they are just picking expensive things to replace!

Sounds like they are just picking expensive things to replace!

Yeah I've no confidence in them anymore, I'm gonna take it somewhere else I reckon. He said that the diff oil needs to be changed which is fine - il have a go myself. Is it an easy job? Where would you get the diff oil?

Yeah I've no confidence in them anymore, I'm gonna take it somewhere else I reckon. He said that the diff oil needs to be changed which is fine - il have a go myself. Is it an easy job? Where would you get the diff oil?

Be careful here as the garage are trying to persuad you to agree on there symptoms and based on what they changed before they have no idea.

So you will end up replacing stuff you don't need to.

A diff does not make a squeaking noise when causing problems. Get the car off them and go somewhere who knows what they are talking about.

My guess would be a ARB bush or play in the wishbone bushes. Sometimes worn suspension top mounts will make a squeaking noise as they shift in play on uneven road surfaces.

My VRS brand new suspension squeaked at very low speed and drove me nuts. It was the dust cover rubbing the spring. I sprayed WD40 over the springs and dust covers and it went away.

So it could be a number of items relating to suspension. A good garage would be able to get to the root cause. Provide the garage with as much information as to when the squeaking occurs and what makes it worse, as all this info will help them drill down to the problem quicker and save you money.

Hey,

Gave them the car back today for another shot at it - they have it up on the ramp now and are doing a noise test on the diff

Surely its not that? Would have thought that would be a whining related to accel/decel not a rubber squeaking related to road/steering input?

Haha squeaking diff! Are they mental?! Who are these jokers?

The way they mention diff oil specifically is maybe a little worrying too (or is it just me being padantic!). Because your car has a transaxle, where the gearbox and diff share the same housing and transmission fluid. I wouldn't let them change it, because they'll probably pour tomato soup in there or something!

To do it yourself all you need is a 17mm allen socket, to remove the filler and drain plugs, which are the same size. Plus 2 litres of VW spec transmission fluid (75W90). I bought 2 litres of the proper VW stuff from Skoda last week for about £10.50. So it's not expensive. It's good to do if you have a notchy/noisy gearbox, but it won't cure your squeaking. For info Skoda have no service schedule for these gearbox's anyway, they are supposedly sealed for life.

Did they even bother trying to lubricate the bushes? Sounds like you're being taken for a ride I'm afraid.

Haha squeaking diff! Are they mental?! Who are these jokers?

The way they mention diff oil specifically is maybe a little worrying too (or is it just me being padantic!). Because your car has a transaxle, where the gearbox and diff share the same housing and transmission fluid. I wouldn't let them change it, because they'll probably pour tomato soup in there or something!

To do it yourself all you need is a 17mm allen socket, to remove the filler and drain plugs, which are the same size. Plus 2 litres of VW spec transmission fluid (75W90). I bought 2 litres of the proper VW stuff from Skoda last week for about £10.50. So it's not expensive. It's good to do if you have a notchy/noisy gearbox, but it won't cure your squeaking. For info Skoda have no service schedule for these gearbox's anyway, they are supposedly sealed for life.

Did they even bother trying to lubricate the bushes? Sounds like you're being taken for a ride I'm afraid.

Thanks Bodge.

I've taken the car back and won't be visiting them again!!

that info is really useful - I am planning a major service and was going to start a new thread with fluid capacities, but you have now answered my gearbox oil capacity qu anyway!

To save putting up a new thread, what is the coolant capacity and brake fluid capacity? Its the 1.8 NA engine.

Thanks lads.

p.s. anyone able to recommend a better indy in the Solihull/south birmingham area?

Well, TBH very few vehicle manufacturers have a recommended change interval for transmission oil/fluid. OTOH ZF Transmissions (who you'd think would know a bit about gearboxes) recommend changing every 50_000 miles.