Have suddenly started getting a knocking/clunking noise over bumps in the vrs - jacked it up and took the wheels off to look at the usual bushes etc.

The guy I bought it from did a load of suspension work, almost everything looks like new and there's no obvious play in any of the bushes. Top mounts are brand new, no play in the ARB drop links, console bushes look fine.

However on the passenger side there were blobs of grease all over the inside of the wheel, and on various parts around the suspension. It's obviously grease from the cv joint, the boot isn't split but it's seeping from the inner edge.

I've also noticed a clicking in time with the rotation which I can hear when the window is down. So is the cv joint likely to cause the knocking noise? The joint kit looks to be sub £30 - is it a simple DIY job?

Sounds more like a drop link. CV joints are noisy when setting off and turning.

Take the wheel off and investigate the grease. If it's a split boot and your changing it yourself then it can be a lot quicker and easier to replace the drive shaft for not much than a cv boot kit.

Wheels were both off - there's no play at all in the drop links - assume there would be obvious movement in them?

The boot doesn't look split, it seems to be coming out the end of the boot

Hi Iaind1.

 

I have just had to replace the nearside cv joint on mine. Initially during hard accelleration above 50mph I would get a scraping noise from the front engine bay area. Investigated the problem but could not find anything. Few months on the CV joint started clicking when on full lock, and then when pulling away with just a small amount of steering applied. It sounded bloody awful.

Took the wheel off, no evidence of any split, no grease released, and clips on securely. Replaced the CV joint with one from GSF using one of there 35% deals (£50) Job done in about 2 hours including driveshaft removal from gearbox. Now it sounds much better, no more clicking, no more scraping .

On taking the old boot off the joint was in a right state. Some of the grease was a rusty colour. Car milage 80,000.

 

Skoda wanted aprox £220 inc for the joint or Approx £500 for the driveshaft inc the two joints.

 

If you go for it make sure you have got all the correct tools to hand inc a big a** torque wrench, various sockets for the hub nut which maybe an allen key style bit (very large) or a hex head. You have to drop the wishbone. It is recommended to replace the bolts that connect the inner driveshaft to the gearbox. And make sure you know all of the correct torques required especially for the hub nut, wishbone bolts and gearbox to drive shaft bolts.

 

Greasy horrible job maybe worth paying an independent to do it.

 

Good luck!

Found a receipt for drop links dated jan 14 so surely can't be those? They were GSF pattern parts but surely they'd last longer than that...

After driving today it seems to be worse when dead ahead or turning right - haven't heard a noise when turning left yet.... Tempted to try the drop links, but could they really have failed after 18 months?

I'm having the exact same issue. Knocking noise but no obvious issues other than Cv boot split near the clamp (I've glued that back up before it gets worse) had the wife's uncle have a look whose been in the industry for over 40 years and he was baffled too, no play in anything and it only seems to knock for me when turning full lock. Shocks, droplinks, wishbone bushes, ball joint, are bushes no issues.

Slightly different symptoms as I'm getting the noise when dead ahead, it does seem to stop when more than 1/4 turn to the left though.

I think the cv boot is a red herring, I'm not sure how it can be related. I need to get mine properly up in the air to see if I can find anything else... Still tempted to replace the drop links as they're so cheap and easy, have read about aftermarket ones being crap and not lasting long so it's not impossible that mine have gone after 18 months

Conclusion to this - it was the drop links. Had it in to a decent local specialist who diagnosed it within an hour of dropping it off. New CV boot and drop links on both sides, all genuine VAG parts for £195

Car feels and sounds much better now