Please Help! Fabia VRS Clunk Noise

[smoothcasper]

Hi guys,

I really need some help/advice, i purchased a fabia vrs year 2004 a week ago from a local garage, its done about 20,000 miles. I didnt notice it when i test drove the car but whenever im pulling out of my driveway or reverse parking, anything that involves steering at a slow speed, i hear a clunk, its only a single clunk and it genrally happens if i have to turn the steering wheel to full lock and back the other way, its about half way through the turn that ill hear it.

I took it back to the garage and they said it could be brake pads moving???!!! Or maybe the suspension turning, or bushes. They have checked and tightened all of this and greased it all up apparently.

Yet its still doing it, 9 times out of 10 when i try and get it to happen with a mechanic in the car it never happens :(

The other thing is, it never happens if i have a passenger in the back, maybe taking the weight off the problem?

The only other thing ive noticed with the car is its very difficult to change gear when the car is first started, after about 5 mins of driving its perfect.

Please help if you have any ideas and thanks for taking the time to read.

Thanks,

Mike

[Confused_Cheese]

My cars always been notchy on cold mornings, gets better the warmer it gets. first and second are by far the worst.

Clonking could be the brake pads moving, i had this after very poorly fitted ones. Simplest way to test for this is move forward, brake, move backwards, brake. If it clonks then could very well be the brakes... either that or jack the one side and rotate the wheel, if they're really loose they'll move with the disc. Other than that could be console bushes, drop links (maybe), cv joints?

[smoothcasper]

My cars always been notchy on cold mornings, gets better the warmer it gets. first and second are by far the worst.

Clonking could be the brake pads moving, i had this after very poorly fitted ones. Simplest way to test for this is move forward, brake, move backwards, brake. If it clonks then could very well be the brakes... either that or jack the one side and rotate the wheel, if they're really loose they'll move with the disc. Other than that could be console bushes, drop links (maybe), cv joints?

Yeah i agree with you about 1st and 2nd gear, definately the worst! Ill take a look about the brakes, i just really didnt think that they could make such a clunk, its so hard to describe the sound other than clunk or a donk, almost like a "boing" at times.

Thanks for your help.

[Confused_Cheese]

That doesn't sound like the brakes to me, was definitely a metallic clonk when my pads were moving in the calipers. i'm becoming a bit of a clonk expert lol mine still clonks over bumps and swift cornering both when cold... can't find anything wrong though :(

I think the notchy gearbox is just a common thing... Had a clutch change, gearbox oil, hydraulic fluid, linkage adjustment and none have made any difference to it!

[MoggyTech]

Most likely a drop link, or upper bearing for the suspension upright. Nothing to worry about really.

[ric04vrs]

drop links will make a noise if there is a bit of stiction between the inner ball joint and nylon insert, what happens when you turn the steering is they twist the joint, if this is sticking, when you return the steering to the straight ahead position there will be a small moment where the joint doesn't move, then the stiction releases all of a sudden and you get a slight clonk when it happens

i would say its nothing to worry about, mine does it, it did it even after having new drop links fitted, and there has been many threads on here asking the same question

[giandougl]

Inclined to agree with Confused_Cheese with disc pad slap. No speed needed to check any disc pad movement/ slap.

Suggest get garage check it out, and take it from there. You could be buying parts not needed and miss what is actuaslly causing you grief.

Edited 9 March, 2010 by giandougl

[Confused_Cheese]

drop links will make a noise if there is a bit of stiction between the inner ball joint and nylon insert, what happens when you turn the steering is they twist the joint, if this is sticking, when you return the steering to the straight ahead position there will be a small moment where the joint doesn't move, then the stiction releases all of a sudden and you get a slight clonk when it happens

i would say its nothing to worry about, mine does it, it did it even after having new drop links fitted, and there has been many threads on here asking the same question

Maybe thats what i'm hearing? hmm

[smoothcasper]

Thanks for all the help guys, i spoke to the garage which dont seem too interested, they are going to "look into it for me" and see if its a common "normal" carataristic among fabias. It doesnt bother me too much but i just really dont want it turning into something worse.

I thought of another way to describe the noise, if you hear a CV joint clicking, its like one of those clicks, just one though, not click click click or anything! :no:

['Little' John]

Thanks for all the help guys, i spoke to the garage which dont seem too interested, they are going to "look into it for me" and see if its a common "normal" carataristic among fabias. It doesnt bother me too much but i just really dont want it turning into something worse.

I thought of another way to describe the noise, if you hear a CV joint clicking, its like one of those clicks, just one though, not click click click or anything! :no:

The garage I go to reckon that the clunk coming from my suspension is a normal 'common' characteristic amongst all cars that have driven off the forecourt! (Apparently it's due to the terrible state of the roads these days!).

[GREZA]

A normal characteristic of a car? WHAT A CONVENIENT EXCUSE and frankly so much eye wash!

But read on as I have finally fixed the clonk/clunk/bonk sound that has plagued my low mileage 07 vRS for many, many months.

Some history, the Stealer's service department greased the nearside gearbox/engine top mount a couple of times as per the TBS and yes the sound disappeared for a a few weeks but then gradually returned. That was all they could offer whilst the car was under warranty - SHAME ON THEM!

After wrapping a towel around my head and meditating on the matter and also reading about so many others seemingly being unable to find a solution to this not uncommon problem, I bit the bullet and had the mount changed (revised part number 6Q0199555BA for the BLT engine) at an all in cost of £130 fitted and finally I have tranquillity. So there is no need to spend fortunes changing consol bushes, dog bones, strut mount, ARB bushes, drop links etc. just try renewing that humble engine mount.

I hope this helps others who are plagued by this obvious design fault - really Skoda you should know how to build an engine mount by now.

Edited 13 August, 2010 by GREZA

[R1chard]

I have the same clunk noise but from the drivers side and only when pulling away from a standstill but it doesnt do it everytime now !

Could it be engine mount related ?

[GREZA]

I have the same clunk noise but from the drivers side and only when pulling away from a standstill but it doesnt do it everytime now !

Could it be engine mount related ?

When you pull away the torque generated by the engine is at pretty much its highest, the likelihood is that the engine is twisting on its mountings at this time.

Though you say the sound comes from the driver's side, sounds can be highly deceiving and I would nevertheless strongly suspect the nearside engine/gearbox top mount.