Hi there, Have a skoda octavia 1.6tdi 12 plate and have an odd wobble when driving that I cant diagnose!! It doesnt feel like wheel imbalance and the tyres seem good with no obvious damage or misformatioin. You feel slightly  through the steering wheel but also through the car as well. Its worse between 25 and 40 when accelerating and seems to almost disapear near 60mph. If I get it up to to a speed when the wobble is bad then I depress the clutch and let it free wheel it seems to disapear so I reckon its only there when there is power to the front wheels/drive shafts?

Never come accross this before so any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Alasdair

Best get the car on the ramp and someone competent look under and around and be sure it is safe.

 

Have you checked all the wheel bolts for tightness?

Jacked up and felt for movement of wheels / bearings?

Are you sure that Tyre Weld has never been used in any tyres?

It can come off and form a ball in a tyre that feels like as you describe.

 

Have you looked properly at the tyre wall that requires getting to the other side for a bulge?

 

Thanks for the reply, Wheel bolts are tight and no movement or sound from bearings. Checked CV boots etc and no splits or noise when cornering. Engine mounts also seem fine. Tyres are good, Its weird it disappears when clutch is pressed and car is coasting? Might be slightly more noticeable when turning corner to left but difficult to tell.

Alasdair

Get wheels on balancer at a different garage to usual. Before removing weights to see if anything out 

I thought of that but I thought that if the wheels were out of balance why would the wobble disapear when clutch depressed and your free wheeling. Will pop into my local tyre service and see if they can help. They are very good. Been using them for years and no problems. Have only had the car a short time and it started fairly soon after I bought it. Was wondering if it was a shock absorber problem? Its done 100 000 and I reckon its the original shocks.

alasdair

Been doing a bit more checking and so far can't find anything worn or loose. Checked suspension bushes, Ball joints, drop links steering and tyres and are all  good plus wheels are balanced and no signs of tyre damage or alloy damage. Even put the wheels off my old Octavia on and its the same. Engine mounts seem fine with no obvious cracks or excessive play. Wheels seem solid with no play and bearings are good but still have a wobble when accelerating and worse when about 40-50mph. Seems slightly better on recently surfaced roads so as previously mentioned could it be front shocks? The car doen't roll excessively and seems positive to drive with no knocks or clunks. Also CV joints inner and outer seem solid and no clicks or clunks in forward or reverse at full lock. Really got me beat. I do all my own servicing and repairs but this one has got me. Any pointers would be most appreciated 

Alasdair

DMF may be on its way out, explain why the vibration stops when you press the clutch. The springs in the dmf can fail causing excess movement 

Had thought of that but theres no judder etc when taking off and no noticeable odd noises. It could though be as the car has done 108,000. Hope not as I don't need to do a new clutch at the moment. Its a weird one as it varies. Sometimes its bad sometimes its not really noticeable. This is on the same strecth of road and at the same speeds. Seems better on newly surfaced roads so was thinking hopefully a shock absorber problem. Theres no sign of oil leakage etc.

I've recently just bought a mk2 1.9tdi 4x4 estate and seem to have the same wobbling sensation at speeds above 60 or if a bump unsettles the car whilst driving. Mine can be felt through the seats I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to a rear suspension component worn. 

 

Seen a Few posts mentioning bushes deteriorated on the rear just need to pull the rear wheels off and inspect asap

Many thanks. I checked the rear suspension and all seems ok but its difficult to tell if the bushes are worn as I don't have a ramp. May have to chuck it into a local garage but problem is I do all my own work and most aren't happy to diagnose but not get the job. Have a mate who works in an MOT centre with vibrating lifts etc so might ask him a favour. Hes an ex mechanic from the garage I used to use before his dad retired so might be able to help. I had a similar problem with a Seat altea. It was one of the tyres that had deformed slightly and you felt it through the seats but it was noticeable at all speeds. When I took the tyre to the tyre service the guy said probably a Michelin and he was spot on. He said that most tyres that they get like that are older Michelin. The rear swwing arms have concentric bolts that adjust the rear camber angle. When the bushes go the tyres tend to wear on the inside. Not sure of the 4x4 but my old 1.9tdi had that problem. When it gets really bad it sounds as if a rear wheel bearing is failing.

@Alasdair1 were you able to identify the issue?

I have a similar problem - at speeds after 30mph when accelerating the car wobbles. The wobbling is coming from rear right side. My local garage told me it is a driveshaft issue, changed that and additionally the bearing wheel. However, the problem is still there :(

Interestingly enough if I don't accelerate or let the car go in a free wheel mode the wobbling stops

14 minutes ago, albert_scout said:

@Alasdair1 were you able to identify the issue?

I have a similar problem - at speeds after 30mph when accelerating the car wobbles. The wobbling is coming from rear right side. My local garage told me it is a driveshaft issue, changed that and additionally the bearing wheel. However, the problem is still there :(

Interestingly enough if I don't accelerate or let the car go in a free wheel mode the wobbling stops

Sorry not yet. Exactly the same symptoms as you. Going to change the bushes in rear suspension to see if it makes a difference, Front suspension and bushes seem solid as do drive shafts. Got a few clonks which I think are drop links to change at rear as well. Did the front drop links but still no improvement. I do find it more noticeable on rougher tarmac and when cornering but it could be my imagination so hoping its rear suspension related. Also thinking of changing front struts and top mounts as they look and feel ok with no leaks but they are original I reckon and car has done 110K so wil be getting a bit tired. Being trying to track it down for six months now. Asked in a few garages and my mechanic mate but they said they couldn't help. Mechanic mate said to leave it and hopefully it would get worse over time and be easy to pin point.

Alasdair

6 months! It is troubling me for a month already and I am out of patience. Will appreciate if you can keep us posted here

Will do. Havent been using it much apart from short journeys. Will need to get it sorted soon as I have a fair few long ones coming up. Not bad with me if your at a steady speed or in town. Only when accelerating 40mph and above.

Quick update.

Just noticed that the rear offside wheel seems nearer to rear of wheel arch (further back) now than nearside one. Not sure what bush/suspension issue would cause this but it may be causing wobble. Maybe a rear bush has failed or worn. Theres quite a few to choose from. Not talking huge amount and a rough measure its aprox 10-15mm closer to rear of arch on offside than nearside. Car sitting level. Feeling crap at moment so can't face getting under car but will have a look when feeling better. If anyone knows what part of the suspension controls the actual wheel position let me know. I know I have dodgy drop links at rear but I cant think they would affect the rear wheel position. As my old mechanic friend said if its not obvious leave it a while and monitor it and will become clear. Will post on here once I investigate further

Alasdair