Wishbone bush

[skodarog]

Hi all,

ive got a November 2015 190 day estate.

was out in it today and started making a horrible grinding noise when steering wheel turned left. Most noise is in 2/3s of steering travels from right lock to left lock, so probably the bit most used.

no noise turning right.

 

have just got it up on jack and stands and noise goes.

springs and suspension all okay. 

Track rod ends all look tight.

 

when dropped down onto wheels noise starts again.

 

think I’ve pinned it down to the front near side trailing arm Bush.  Bit more movement when steering left to right than on the equivalent on the offside.

 

car has only done 22k.

 

question 1. would this be a warranty thing?

question 2. I’ve got a 1500 mile trip late Tuesday onwards.. It’s pretty annoying, but will it affect safety?

question 3. My closest dealer normally booked 3 weeks ahead. What’s the chances of them fitting it in tomorrow so I can take it Tuesday night (being a biggish job and part on shelf?) ? I need a big family car as it’s a big family trip.

 

i intend to voluntary terminate my pcp in 2 months so if they class it as wear and tear I’ll be not having it done as I expect it’ll be 300 quid min of work. 

 

Ta very much in advance.

 

 

 

Edited 8 April, 2018 by skodarog

[skodarog]

have also read it could be sub frame bolts.  i think they might be connected in the same area. 

 

Local dealer said they couldn't look at it or  sort it by COB Tuesday and advised i contact Skoda assist. Skoda assist are due to come to me at 2pm today. hope it can be sorted as i don't fancy taking the 2nd car on our holiday. the lady on Skoda assist did mention a courtesy car but the paperwork suggests this would only be for 48 hours a replacement "vehicle" could end up being a Ford Ka so i don't want to rely on that.

i couldn't upload much, but this is the sound of it. no video as the phone was sat in a slipper on the road so it didn't get damaged.

Clips18-04-09_10-51.mov

[dg360]

Really hard to understand the audio alone.  I think it would mean more to the experts on here if they could see the wheel turning and the corresponding noises?

Is the noise continuous at a given angle of lock?  I.e when you turn the wheel to the point at which the noise is made, does the sound continue whilst the steering wheel is kept at the same position?

[skodarog]

36 minutes ago, dg360 said:

Really hard to understand the audio alone.  I think it would mean more to the experts on here if they could see the wheel turning and the corresponding noises?

Is the noise continuous at a given angle of lock?  I.e when you turn the wheel to the point at which the noise is made, does the sound continue whilst the steering wheel is kept at the same position?

hi, sorry, was difficult to film and turn wheel.

i chopped the video down so i could upload it.

the clicking starts at c.5 seconds and goes click click click - this is whilst going from full right lock to full left lock and continuing to continuously turn the wheel left.. 

the sound seems to be originating from the rear bush of the front wishbone - almost to the centre of the vehicle in line with the front axle.

i couldn't get my head fully in as wheels need to be on ground for noise to happen. when lifted onto stands, noise disappears. i used to have a mechanics stethascope for these types of things but i couldn't find the wretched thing yesterday.

 

i had an audi s6 many moons back during a dry summer, the bushes always used to creak - but considering we've had so much rain and it looked pretty damp underneath yesterday (no sign of stuck stones). 

there appears to be slightly more movement in the bush on the side when the noise is louder noise than on the other drivers side - only a fraction though.

 

[skodarog]

Skoda Assist chap has just left. 

has checked all bolts. was unable to stop noise but said its safe to drive.

he thinks it'll need a new steering rack. 

[skodarog]

Skoda Assist chap has just left. 

has checked all bolts. was unable to stop noise but said its safe to drive.

he thinks it'll need a new steering rack. 

 

bit of a joke. both local dealers are booking 3+ weeks ahead if i need a loan car. 

managed to get one 35 miles away who can look at it next week.

 

[penguin17]

8 minutes ago, skodarog said:

Skoda Assist chap has just left. 

has checked all bolts. was unable to stop noise but said its safe to drive.

he thinks it'll need a new steering rack. 

 

bit of a joke. both local dealers are booking 3+ weeks ahead if i need a loan car. 

managed to get one 35 miles away who can look at it next week.

 

Will that be covered under warranty?  I appreciate it could be classed as 'wear and tear' but surely  a steering rack failure within 2.5yrs is a little premature and is likely indicative of a defect? 

Edited 9 April, 2018 by penguin17

[skodarog]

Just now, penguin17 said:

Will that be covered under warranty?  I appreciate it could be classed as 'wear and tear' but surely that a steering rack failure within 2.5yrs is a little premature and is likely indicative of a defect? 

Dealerships i spoke with didn't raise a concern over it being rejected by warranty. 

If its not covered under warranty then the work won't be done and i'll VT the PCP even earlier.

[penguin17]

2 minutes ago, skodarog said:

Dealerships i spoke with didn't raise a concern over it being rejected by warranty. 

If its not covered under warranty then the work won't be done and i'll VT the PCP even earlier.

Seems sensible 

[skidpan]

3 hours ago, penguin17 said:

Will that be covered under warranty?  I appreciate it could be classed as 'wear and tear' but surely  a steering rack failure within 2.5yrs is a little premature and is likely indicative of a defect? 

 

Items such as steering racks are not classed as "wear and tear" items. On most cars the rack fitted to the car when new is still there when its scrapped.

 

Wear and tear only applies to components that are changed as per the service schedule or are components that are expected to wear out.

 

You have absolutely nothing to worry about. But if the dealer is an idiot and says "NO" go to another or contact Skoda. You should not be expected to pay.

[skodarog]

i've decided to voluntary terminate my PCP agreement on this car - which thankfully is available in 3 weeks time on my next pcp finance payment. this is primarily due to Skoda's "Customer Service", or lack of it. 

the noise of the steering rack sounds dreadful and has got worse since last week.  i've just completed a 1500 trip to and around scotland and back (family wedding). none of my local skoda dealers were prepared to view the car before i went. Skoda assist did view and verbally said in their opinion it was safe to drive but i'd need to take it to a dealer.

 

the earliest my local Swindon or Gloucester dealer could see the car for investigation work was 3 weeks, then another 2-3 weeks before they'll have the part to fit (if its not available in the UK).

i have an appointment booked for tomorrow with a dealer 30 miles away, but i can't be bothered to do 2 x 2 hour round trips to take the car for diagnostic then another trip for repair. so they can collect the car as it is.

 

All Skoda Customer Services said to me in a message when i raised my concerns on safety was ""if you still feel as though the vehicle is unsafe then we recommend that you do not carry out the journey". not what you are expecting when complaining about the noise which you've been told is coming from the steering rack before a large journey. 

a large family estate would have cost me £400 to hire for the week which i was not prepared to swallow given i spent so much on the superb. all they needed to have done to keep me happy was give me a Superb courtesy car for my trip whilst they dealt with mine.

 

i'll be going back to Volvo which i had prior to this Skoda for the past 15+ years - which between our 2 car household has been at least 5 x S60's; 1 x V40, 1 x C70; 1 x V70, 1 x XC90. whilst i'm sure  a V90 probably won't be 100% problem free, i have previously had excellent customer service from 2 local Volvo dealers, and Volvo UK who have even given a "goodwill" payments of £500 on 5.5 year old car when a component had failed. just need to decide whether i get a banger to run for 3 months whilst i wait for a new build, or get a nearly new next month.

 

Adios - good luck with your cars.

 

 

[skodarog]

just to update this.

dealer has now inspected the car. the steering rack which was identified as being at fault by Skoda Assist (and got me very concerned) now appears to be diagnosed as a bush problem - which is what i originally suspected (hence why this thread is called wishbone bush).

skoda dealer want to grease the bush and fit new bolts - which i was surprised about - i thought they'd just replace the bush/wishbone rather than grease the bush. still, as i won't be keeping it much longer it won't be my problem if it starts again in 12 months when the grease dries out.

 

[skodarog]

just to update on this. i've been fairly vocal on my annoyance by Skoda Customer Services and the dealership network when i first complained about my issue, so much so that i requested the paperowrk to start the Voluntary Termination which i can do from my May/June payment.

my car went in last week for a regrease of wishbone bushes and i believe a new pair of bolts. that didn't cure the issue, so they have now started to replace the steering rack.

 

i have been very impressed with my local dealers and Skoda Customer Relations since i complained to Skoda about how annoyed i was that i'd have to drive the car for 3+ weeks with a grinding noise and they didn't seem concerned to get it in quickly. they have now put me in to a VW Sharan for the duration of the repair, and have even confirmed they will address another warranty issue i had on the gearstick with delamination of the silver cover.

 

 

i think its safe to say that i never bonded with the superb as much as i have other cars, but after doing 300 miles in the Sharan over the weekend, the Superb does driver very well and my SE-L model is significantly better equipped than the VW SE-L equivilent. i'll need to decide what to do over the next couple of months as to if i keep it longer than i had planned, or change back to volvo. i'm now on the fence.

[freelunch]

Yeah, the Superb is just that when it works. Fortunately, mine does...