My bushes are beggered ........

[Keithchesterfield1]

In the last few weeks I've heard a disturbing knocking noise when driving around town - usually on uneven roads caused by the roads being dug up and re-laid in not the same flat condition as they were supposed to be.

 

I took the car to the Skoda dealer and they diagnosed that the 'bushes' need replacing which they will do under warranty.

 

The car is less than three years old and only 14,000 miles on the clock - are the bushes a problem on this model or is this likely to just be a one off ?

 

The last time I had front end problems that required renewal after only a few thousand miles was with a Minivan needing CV joints back in the 1960s - please don't tell me it's back to the 'good old days' with Skoda ........ 

 

I have a Fabia Colour Edition MP1 2016.

 

       

 

 

[rum4mo]

Can you say which bushes are goosed?

 

Now if it is the front wishbone rear mounting bushes, then all I can say is that my wife’s August 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS 6SPD started to make noises after its 2nd year service at maybe 16K miles!  I handed it in prior to the end of its 3 year warranty to get the LHS bush replaced as it was split top to bottom and not just what you might expect which is torn at a void web, this was done FOC which was okay, I needed to press them harder to replace the gearbox top mounting replaced as it had ended up getting “lifted” maybe both these issues were related to one too many potholes being encountered.

 

It is not a good situation and I have already bought a kit to change these bushes really to prepare for the next one!

[Keithchesterfield1]

Thanks for the response.

 

I don't know which bushes - Receptionist said 'bushes' and no more - will ask which ones next week if I get chance -  booked in for Dec 5th

 

Not a jot of a problem with my previous car - Fabia Estate with around 50,000 miles when I swapped for this smaller car

[rum4mo]

Was your previous car a MK1 Fabia, if it was it had a completely different design for the bushes that I was talking about - though quite a few of them ended up with failed bushes in that same position.

[ettlz]

44 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

Was your previous car a MK1 Fabia, if it was it had a completely different design for the bushes that I was talking about - though quite a few of them ended up with failed bushes in that same position.

 

Ditto the Mk 4 Ibizas (same chassis as Mk 1 Fabia).

[Ootohere]

MK4 SEAT IBIZA 2008-2017 and now a Facelift.  So like the Fabia from 1999 the platform only evolved.

 

Not a common issue to have premature bush failure in Polo, A1, Ibiza or Fabia, but they can fail early, as with all sorts of cars.

[rum4mo]

Well the owners/users take on this is:- Ibiza MK1 pre VW, Ibiza MK2 1993 - 1999, Ibiza MK3 1999 - 2002, Ibiza MK4 2002 - 2008, Ibiza MK5 2009 - 2017(inc F/L) Ibiza MK6 2017 -.

 

Just clarifying the situation in case the OP replies to my question.

[JustAFlabbyPanda]

I've had the bushes replaced on both of my 2016 Fabias. The first was the combi I owned since new, They replaced the anti roll bar bushes and another set (cant remember which). Mileage was around 20K ish. 

I bought another 2016 Monte in Oct that had the same issue almost straight away. I sent it back and said do the same thing again. I didn't ask what bushes they replaced but the car is silent now again. Mileage was 30kish. 

[Keithchesterfield1]

I wasn't trying to compare the mechanics of the two Fabia as being like for like but just commenting on the reliability, or not, of each one.

The Estate did around 50,000 miles without even a bulb going, rattle or any type of problems in the time we had it.

This Fabia has, beside a seatbelt problem which was our fault, the 'bushes' needing replacing at 14,000 miles and my hope of a totally trouble free ownership and many more years of worry free motoring dispersed.

Perhaps this will be the only hiccup with a usually reliable make of car but after seeing that others think the bushes problem may rear up again then I become a little wary.

As I said earlier the last time I had front end problems was way back in time with a Minivan when people with red flags walked in front to scare the horses away – and that's despite having Renaults for over thirty years …......

Although one Megane did break down with 150,000 miles on the clock – that's why I moved to Skoda.

[rum4mo]

Why I was asking was to work out what design of bush, if it was even a wishbone rear bush as the car's design changed completely in that area between the MK1 and MK2 Fabias.

[Ootohere]

Moving to Skoda is one thing but moving to a Fabia is another, it is hardly a sophisticated vehicle or built to  high standard of Quality Control.

 

But here is the right place for those with Fabia of the same 2014/15 on generation to say if they have yet had Bushes failing prematurely.

 

Location location location can have a lot to do with suspension failure, places with lots of speed bumps maybe or the type of speed bumps.

Or just the luck of the draw...

[vc-10]

My car sounds like the bushes might be gone. But two different Skoda dealerships have said that it's all OK. The sounds remind me of my old Mk.4 Polo (same platform as the Mk.1 Fabia)  when the bushes went on that. Although the Polo had done 84k by that point, whereas my Fabia has done 24k now. 

[rum4mo]

It would be good to pin this/these current bush issues down to which bushes - some people end up calling the wishbone rear mountings bushes, so I'm quite keen that we are able to differentiate between wishbone rear mountings and ARB mounting D bushes.

 

Come to think about it, my wife's August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS with 24K miles might just be beginning to make more front suspension noises!

 

Her previous 2002 Polo 1.4 16V 75PS left it until it was roughly 10 years old and 85K miles before it needed new ARB mounting D bushes, well maybe not exactly true as it needed a new ARB at 4>5 years old due to the usual "end stops secured by plastic coating failure" - and that repair would have changed the ARB mounting D bushes size requirement!

 

Edit:-  time for new ARB drop links anyone?

Edited 27 November, 2018 by rum4mo

[vc-10]

The mechanic who came with me for a test drive did mention drop links as a possible source of the noise. It's noticeably worse in cold and damp weather, in particular when the car is still very cold (such as first thing in the morning). I'm no mechanic though (I used to do basic things on my old cheap cars... but I'm not up to messing with suspension components or a new Fabia on finance!) 

[JAMMYZ]

I’ve got to say, I do like VW group cars but their suspension for noises are appalling. I’ve had a 2002 polo which had the common fault of the bushes sounding terrible and needing replacing often. I’ve had two Audi’s, 2014 A3 - that had a suspension noise they could not cure and a 2016 A1 which had a suspension noise in the wet when new but didn’t hear it after 2k miles.

 

I’ve now got a 2015 FABIA, I notice a knocking noise when temperatures are hot, also notice it when changing gear... in the wet it turns into a different sound, it’s on the passenger side. I’m certain it’s the bush in the wishbone, I sprayed wd40 and the noise improved for a while so that’s why I’m thinking... plus reading this thread I’m sure it’s the bush.

 

does anyone know the cost for replacement? My car is out of warranty, it does have a warranty from the Skoda dealer I bought it from but I can’t be bothered arguing with a stealer like I’ve done countless times before as they just say - everything’s fine!

[rum4mo]

JAMMYZ, try turning your attention to the gearbox mounting - ie what you might call the gearbox top mounting, VW Group advise to workshops seems to be, when a car is presented with complains about knocking on the LHS, first attempt to cure should be to remove the gearbox mounting and grease it, then refit it - now that seems to fix this issue for a couple of days or weeks, if or when cars get handed back in for a second attempt to fix this, they replace the gearbox mounting - in the case of my wife's August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS 6SPD they replaced the lighter weigh petrol engine version for the heavier weight DERV engine version and now no knocking.

 

By the way, it is a solid profiled rubber bonded mounting that VW Group officially request that they grease as a first attempt to sort this out, in the case of my wife's car and maybe others, I'd think that some encounters with deep potholes have damaged this bonded mounting, so if they had been smart/brave enough, they might have considered that and examined that mounting for damage, ie tearing.

 

Edit:- one other thing, the LHS wishbone rear mounting bush was also torn and that was initially replaced but did not stop this knocking.

Edited 30 November, 2018 by rum4mo

[JustAFlabbyPanda]

Your post reminded me of something. When I took my fabia combi back the first time they claimed the knocking noise was coming from the gearbox mount. They tried to justify this as being expected.

 

When I rejected this idea they then said they we're going to grease everything. this only solved the problem for a few weeks before the noise returned again and then they changed bushes.

 

I'll check my paperwork to see if there's anything listed about what they changed.

[JAMMYZ]

Yes, actually when I first heard the knocking noise I did indeed think it was a gearbox mount. Had a similar experience in a SEAT Ibiza years ago. However it's not constant like the Ibiza, I normally hear it after a long distance drive or on a hot day after about 10 mins of driving but I haven't heard it knock when changing gear for a few months now... then again it is colder now i'll see next year.

 

Maybe just something i'll put up with but i'm sure either way the bush is making a sound... need to be certain though as i'll probably have to pay for it, won't be a warranty job as I explained above.

[JustAFlabbyPanda]

I meant to update last week, it was the anti roll bar bushes in the front of both cars which were replaced to fix the knocking noise.

 

Hope this helps. 

[vc-10]

Odd that you were getting the noises when the car is warm. Mine's the opposite- it's worst first thing on a cold morning, and in the rain. 

[rum4mo]

My wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS was the same, ie only getting noises when the engine had warmed up, which does tie in with the one of the engine/gearbox mountings softening off slightly and allowing one of the others to move about or have to handle more of the restraining forces.

[Keithchesterfield1]

When I first posted this thread I had been to the Dealer with concerns about a 'knocking' noise and they loaned me a courtesy car for the day, apparently did a test run and physical examination and later that day rang me to say that 'bushes' needed replacing.

They didn't have any in stock, would order them and rearrange a new date for replacing them.

That day was today.

The noise had been heard by me and my wife, who also drives the car, time after time in the intervening three weeks but not every time we went out.

I don't know if the weather or temperature affects anything but it was an intermittent noise.

When we took the Fabia in this morning the Service guy suggested I have a test run with one of their mechanics.

They apparently had a test run, without me present, on the car's first visit and diagnosed 'bushes' as requiring replacement but now asked for another test drive.

As I drove I heard the noise once but it certainly wasn't as bad as it had been on other days.

They loaned me a car and said it would probably take two days to do the work.

Mid afternoon they rang to say they couldn't find anything wrong with the car and, other than doing some greasing, had not changed or altered anything.

The car was ready to collect.

So how did a car that apparently needed new bushes a few weeks ago miraculously repair itself ?

The Service guy replied, after I pointed out the anomaly of his staff diagnosing a problem and being mended by itself, that as they had decreed the car perfectly okay and road legal then that was the end of the matter.

If it made a knocking noise before the warranty runs out, he said, then bring it back and they will investigate further.

So I've spent two days riding round in a courtesy car, time taking and fetching the car from the Dealers, and now find my bushes aren't whacked.

I did point out that the likelihood of them seeing me and requiring their services after the warranty runs out are negligible he said “That's your prerogative, Sir”

I'm glad the car is deemed okay but dubious that I won't hear the knocking noise in the future – time will tell.

Thank you for reading – rant over and I feel a bit better now …......

[rum4mo]

Not a good outcome, neither owner or dealership satisfied, this is why so many people end up stopping wasting their time and driving a defective car until something really bad, maybe happens.

I suppose we can all see the dealership's side of this in this sort of situation, but if the car maker they represent designed and built cars fit for purpose then this would not be happening so often.

I don't mean this in a bad way, but I do hope that these noises do "develop" after the next few months so that you are taken seriously, I think that the day that I took my wife's Polo in for its second warranty visit with these noises, the car had stopped, for the moment, making most of these noises due to temperature change - unseasonal drop in summer temperature, but my VW dealer seemed to take the hit and changed either what needed changing or just read my word document that I left in the car documenting what I had done so far, what the dealer had done so far, what effect this had on the car and its noises, and what I had read online that VW Group consider the next step to be - it all panned out as I had scripted it, which is either a bit strange, or did they just give in, or are the internet stories correct about these issues with Polo/Ibiza/Fabia?

[Josdad]

My 14,000 mile Fabia started getting the feeling and sound of something loose and rattly on poor surfaces, not only on bigger bumps.

The Skoda dealer couldn't find anything wrong so I took the car to Vasstechnik, an independent VW group specialist. They checked the suspension over and said that the ARB bushes were a bit worn but not really enough to replace and to monitor the situation. Kevin, the owner, didn't charge me either. Very impressed!

When I saw this thread and that the O.P. had bushes replaced @ 14,000 miles I went back to Kevin and arranged to have the drop links changed, which was done yesterday.

It's done the trick. I've still got the standard Fabia thumpy suspension but that loose rattly noise has gone.

It hasn't done much for my faith in Skoda that things like drop links should need changing at such low mileage.

[rum4mo]

My only experience of drop links on these cars is, my wife's 2002 Polo needed a new front spring at maybe 5 years old - getting the nuts off these drop link was not easy so I reverted to cutting the stub off one end of each, so that was why it got new drop links, these new VW Group sourced drop links lasted the remaining of that car's 105K miles and 13 years with us. I replaced the front springs on my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza and bought new drop links just in case they were needed, they were not needed. After having lots of noises on my wife's August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS, I carried out a very simple check on the drop links - all I did was to check the resistance to rotation of the links themselves on the pivots, and one felt like it had a lot less resistance than the other, so maybe they will ask to be replaced soon, if so I'd like to think that I'd make the effort to get hold of Meyle HD ones.  Current ones have a U section link instead of the old solid rod.