My 14K mile Octavia vRS.. seems to have a problem or two....

I need to know if other Octavia vRS owners suffer the same problems

when travelling over roads with bumps in them ( 99% of UK roads ) at around 30-40mph .. It seems that there is something clonking from the front end of the car, as the car hits a 'bump' in the road the suspension reacts bit there is

sort of a loose clonk at the same time ,, like the wheel nuts are loose ( they aren't ) ?? It does'nt happen all the time though.

Also the rear of the car on these roads clonks and bangs .. This was not on the car only up until recently..It feels like the back doors are moving against the body....

I travel these roads daily...

Also there is play developing again in the Steering wheel,, rocking it left and right through the rest.. This has already been sorted once before ( steering column was replaced )...

Any ideas... Or does anuone else suffer this problem?

Cheers

Dazz

Have you had the suspension bushes checked - I know its low miles for them to be the cause ? For the record 33k 4x4, no clonks.

I'm with fab on this one, get the bushes checked. My mondeo was clonking away and it was because the bushes had worn, The rear knocks could be the shock absorbers.

My octy at 38k now has no problems though.

I really need to drive another Octavia vRS, to have a comparison..

But there is a definite clonk... Suspension bushes already??

Having said that the car does want to sometimes follow every rut in the road under acceleration... I can't honestly remember if this has happened

when it was new... By the way the tyre tread depth is 4mm all round.

Cheers

Darren

An update...

Car went into dealers for 2 days, They could not detect any 'clonking' from the front suspension.. I've done some more driving and it seems like it occurs when the weather has been dry for a few days,, so the underside of the car is dry..

Rear knocking etc,, was the rear seat catches, which have been readjusted but

the noises are still there...

Stereo was replaced, but new one doesn't want to remember its settings..

the GALA function which I allways turn off keeps coming back on when the

stereo is powered off/on....

The steering play was put down to 'it happens on all of them' BUT i've already had the coloumn replaced once already and the clunking is back..???

the demo vRS had a tiny amount of play in it @ 6k miles....

Just because they all do it does'nt mean that it isnt a fault!!! same goes with the coilpack issue etc...

I will be booking it back in for a further longer term period for investigation...

:woot:

Ta

Dazz

Just because they all do it does'nt mean that it isnt a fault!!!

Hmmm...good point...

Rob.

Dazz, IIRC its the wishbone bushes or driveshaft boots. Had it on mine and it was the wishbone bushes drying out and then cracking that caused the clunk. If it was wet the clonking went away (until they dried out again).

Darren, the clonking noise could be your EDL activating if the electronics detect one wheel turning faster than the other over certain bumps.

When new my car used to make a clunk when turning right over mini roundabouts. This has now settled down as the miles have pilled on. My mate's RS also did this for the first few months.

Clunks can be heard every now and again if I hit a speed bump too hard, or harder than I should and the front wheels lift momentarily.

With regard to the steering, both our cars have some minor play in the steering at rest, but it is unnoticeable on the move. You would need to compare it with another RS to check weather it is excessive or not.

On the other hand, you could swap for a Fabia RS with soft suspension and not have to slow down for any bumps.

The bumps are not severe enough to cause the EDL or ASR system to kick in,, anyway the dash light would flash... TaviaRS suggests a good point..

The steering play was compared to the dealers demo and the play is more noticeable.,, It has already been replaced once, eliminating the play totally..

I don't have to slow for bumpy roads but the car is not as quiet as it was

but it handles well with no skittish behaviour.......

Ta

Dazz :inq:

Does this clonking noise on the front only happen over bumps or when you accelerate and stop?

I too am starting to notice a noise at the rear, but unsure what is causing it at the moment.

Does this clonking noise on the front only happen over bumps or when you accelerate and stop?

I too am starting to notice a noise at the rear, but unsure what is causing it at the moment.

Try replacing the torsion bar bushes on the sub frame.

Try replacing the torsion bar bushes on the sub frame.

Holy thread revival!! 7 years....

i had the same clunking noise on my 03 octavia vrs and i replaced top mounts, wishbones, drop links and still the noise was there, then i disconnected the ant-roll bar at the drop links and took it out for a drive and the clunking was no longer. obviously i re connected the anti roll bar after the test drive so i replaced the bushes (there are two sizes!) this in itself didnt cure the problem .... i replaced the anti roll bar itself because the plastic coating was flaking away causing the noise.... what a job that was the haynes manual describes it as a simple task. it didnt mention having to loosen both wishbones and loosen the stearing rack. but anyway no more clunking. yippee.

i had the same clunking noise on my 03 octavia vrs and i replaced top mounts, wishbones, drop links and still the noise was there, then i disconnected the ant-roll bar at the drop links and took it out for a drive and the clunking was no longer. obviously i re connected the anti roll bar after the test drive so i replaced the bushes (there are two sizes!) this in itself didnt cure the problem .... i replaced the anti roll bar itself because the plastic coating was flaking away causing the noise.... what a job that was the haynes manual describes it as a simple task. it didnt mention having to loosen both wishbones and loosen the stearing rack. but anyway no more clunking. yippee.

I have this clonking noise on my 52 plate Octavia Vrs. The slightest pot hole or manhole cover causes a clonking noise. What was the total cost of the work you carried out? The rest of the car is in good condition.