Front suspension noise again

[bigred]

Hi all, around a year and a half ago I had the local dealers all over the front near side suspension trying to find a knocking noise. They did say they heard the noise but could never pin point it. Anyway after six weeks of being in the garage they seemed to solve ish it. Now all of a sudden it's back but far worse. It sounds like something is either broke or badly worn. Upon another inspection again they say they can hear it but have checked all the joints and find no obvious damage or wear. The knocking noise is terrible when on uneven ground and the car just free wheeling, unusually though if a drive over the same ground when the car is actually pulling there is little if or no knocking at all?. Anybody have any ideas, drive shafts, cv ??. :confused:

Regards

Mark

[Bluefox]

Anybody have any ideas, drive shafts, cv ??. :confused:

I had this exact problem a while back on a Vectra V6. Turned out to be (either) worn anti-roll bar mountings or a broken coil spring - changed them both and the noise went away.

I suspected the coil spring for obvious reasons but I guess we'll never know!

Hope this helps.

[Supurbia]

Can you feel the knocking on the bottom of your foot when it happens, like the pedal box spring is shot and it's not dampening anymore?

[bigred]

The knocking is from the passenger side but you can feel something through the floor on really bad pot holes, noise is terrible when on full right hand lock and slowly moving on rutted ground.:confused:

[Bluefox]

The knocking is from the passenger side but you can feel something through the floor on really bad pot holes, noise is terrible when on full right hand lock and slowly moving on rutted ground.:confused:

CV...?

[Supurbia]

The knocking is from the passenger side but you can feel something through the floor on really bad pot holes, noise is terrible when on full right hand lock and slowly moving on rutted ground.:confused:

It sounds like the same thing I have, Skoda say theres nothing wrong with it, I will be having a test in about 6 weeks time and I know the inspector will find it if there is anything, someone else suggested some time ago that it is the rear top arm causing it, really annoying I know, I'll let you know if he finds anything.

[bigred]

That sounds as though it's a standard answer from skoda then, " there's nothing wrong". One of my mates use to work at this particular dealer, he's a good mechanic, he's been out with me and says there is something definately wrong. He suggests that it is the large radius arm that attaches it's self to the sub frame under where the passenger foot well is but getting the dealers to sort it may prove difficult now they employ donkeys for mechanics, you've only got to here this to know something's not right.

[ChrisBP]

same here. I have had knocking from the front when cornering for 1.5 years - was in last week to have drivershaft replaced on drivers side and steeingg aligned. Still can feel knocking at low speed when cornering gently, steering nor aligned (pulls to right and fels slack when turning left - have to keep adjusting wheel to left and feels spongy) also had to threaten local dealer with legal action to get them to reply to my email asking them to repair the damage they did to my centre console (not put in straight) after they took it out.

It looks like everyone is having similar problems.

The dealers service stinks - love the car - simple faults that if it were a Vauxhall etc would be sorted on first visit to garage.

I wont be buying another Skoda when I sell the Superb - just because of the dealers. I have had the car for nearly two years and it has always had faults - never driven it without there being a fault. I believe it has been to the dealers 7 times and only once did it come back without an aditional fault or damage to it.

Thinking of contacting Watchdog as Im sick of hearing this lie about how owners are so pleased with the dealers and thst skoda are "manufacturers of happy drivers" - Im not bloody happy!

[Supurbia]

You took it to Sparshatts didn't you Chris ?

[ChrisBP]

You took it to Sparshatts didn't you Chris ?

In Chichester. Was happy with them. Not now. The engineer who went for a test drive with me a couple of weeks back was spot on and took the trouble to explain what he had done etc. Not impressed with last visit. some things sorted out - replaced worn fabric on rear seat etc - but the fundamental bloody problem of knocking is still there - and the centre console looks like it was assembled bt Stevie Wonder.

Bottom line is I sick of having problems with the car. Im going to write to them Tuesday and tell them that they have one final chance to sort the problems on the car or I will start legal action against them for failiure to honor the waranty.

Its a bloody Superb / Passet - not a F1 car - how hard can it be to mend the F*****n thing? They just dont try / care - else they would have sorted it / checked it and would not have got someone with a white stick to put my dashboard back in.

[Supurbia]

They're supposed to be the better of the two, but the firm never has had a good name tbh, it started off like Car Giant etc before gaining franchises, I went for a car I specifically asked if was in stock, ohh yes sir, so over I go, sit there for an hour and a half with the salesman assuring me they have the car and it's just being delivered from the site they had at Warsash way under the name of Concept iirc, different company same ethics, anyway after two and half hours he asks me to follow him out back and presents me with a 4 yr old V8 BMW 7 series, 100 pound a week he enthused, how long over I reply, 5 yrs he says, so he thinks I'm gonna buy a 4 yr old car that does 12 mpg for 25k and make a living, I then asked where the Omega was....haven't got one he replies, I'll leave you to fill in the blanks as to what I said next.

I feel sorry for the staff tbh, they all seem nice enough and try to help, but I read it like they struggle to get the money back from Skoda for repairs carried out under warranty, and make no mistake Skoda are even more reluctant to help out, I had a really nice and helpful lady took my case on to start with who was then replaced with some snotty cow who reliably informed me they could do no more and weren't prepared to either.

My answer to this is they could've sold me a late Skoda car every 30 mths for the next 20 yrs, but now it will be some other car firm that benefits.

Had I known more about this car before I bought it the words ..... It Touch Wouldn't Bargepole would apply, the oil issue, the cambelt, the tyre wear and the suspension.

[ChrisBP]

Chi is better than Fareham and on the whole, they have been okay, just livid the car still has knocking and not put back together with any care. It seems that if resolving a fault requires any analysis, it is beyond a Skoda dealer to sort.

Its such a shame. The car is so nice, but the dealers and Skoda customer service mean BMW will be getting my money in two years when I buy a new car.

I feel a sense of pitty as I have always liked Skoda - best friend had about four of them - old 120r etc when we were teenagers / early 20s, but the huge effort Skoda puts in to treating peole like **** means they have eventualy turned me against the brand and rather than liking Skoda, I now make a point to telling everyone hos c**p they are.

Skoda "manufacturers of BMW drivers"

[rotodiesel]

It's the VAG corporate boot camp at Milton Keynes which is responsible for this kind of customer contempt (some people call it service). Within the bounds of politeness, I have found contact with them "unrewarding".

I still think Skodas are generally well-screwdrivered VAG cars which can represent good value if you are aware of the backup and residuals in the case of some models.

The front suspension is a well known weakness on the B5.5 and the Superbs are now getting to an age where this will show up. The best test for front ball joints is either a compression test using a giant pair of slip-joint water pump pliers across the joint (give it a hard squeeze and any end float will be evident) or else put a 17 AF hex key on the hub bolt and revolve the roadwheel in each direction. If you do this with the wheel on the ground and observe each of the 4 balljoints per side you can usually spot a loose one.

Remember also that there are 2 ball joints per side on the trackrod and that the rubber bushes which form the inner pivots of the suspension arms also break up. You just have to go round it very carefully.

Not one of VAG's better designs - they didn't do it again.

rotodiesel.

[Supurbia]

I'll list what I thought Chris so you have it all fresh tomorrow

1 - Tyre pressure

2 - Tyre itself, possibly from an emergency stop thats put flat spots on them

3 - Brake disc warp - This is the 1st thing that came to mind when I heard it

4 - Wheel bearing

And on seeing what they've done to Chris' dashboard it just goes to show how sloppy and couldn't care they really are, his CC unit looks like someone put it in and when it wouldn't locate properly, just thought...oh wtf.

Consider this, Chris' car has done around 38k it's a 55 plate and the thing's I found without really looking are poor to say the least, electric windows that squeal when operated, tyres worn on the outer edges, I'm only glad that in 6 mths time maximum I can offload mine, and guess what I won't be buying again, the Skoda experience to me is a lie, dealers that plain don't know and Skoda themselves with the you bought it live with it attitude.

[ChrisBP]

Hi Ian. IThanks for your help. I set the pressure to 33 on all the tyres last night (on my way to buy a 20 pack of Stella from Tesco) - the pressure was a bit low before. the knocking sound is there just the same.

I picked my daughter up from school today and thought I would turn the air con off and open all the windows - discovered that whan the dealer changed the blastic door handle (on the inside / drivers side) they knackered the switch that controls the near side rear window - now it gets stuck in the wind down positiod due to the poorly fitting handle and switch surround. so they have now put two more faults on the car that were not there before.

I took it in to the dealers to have the following looked at:

1) Passenger head rest rattles

2) Centre console vibrates

3) Steering not aligned (after they did work repairing faults on the suspension)

4) Rubber flaking on door handles

4) Steering wheel sqeeks

5) Wear to rear seat

Now, after they have worked on the car:

1) Passenger head rest rattles

2) Centre console vibrates

3) Steering not aligned (pulls to right)

4) Drivers door handle / switch surround not fitted properly so rear NS window switch jams.

5) Cemtre console not put in straight.

There is the issue of the bumpers not fitting properly (Snows in Fareham - authorised Skoda agent wrecked the car and spent a year bodging it)

I dont think its a flat spot as the knocking is at a higher frequency than the roration of the wheel - sounds like 2-3 times the rotational frequency - so could be the discs.

Have to wait until the end of the month to buy new tyres for the front, but dont think that will solve it as the rears which are new, were on the front up until 2 weeks ago and problem was the same as I recall.

I have decided to write a long and detailed email to the dealer listing all the faults again and the fact Im less than impressed. I have tracked down the details of the Skoda UK Quality Manager and the Brand Director. I will treack down dcontact details of at least one more Skoda Director and cc them and BBC Watchdog in on the email and state that I expect the issues resolved this time and the car to be 100% perfect when they return it (eg - f*****g check the work is done perfectly) If they fail to resolve these problems (the knocking has been an issue for 1.5 years) I will see them in court for breach of contract.

The waranty is part of what I paid my £13.2K for. Skoda are obliged to sort out any faults on the car as part of this waranty. They are not paid to take the car awaf for 3 days at a time, change a few bits and give it back with most of the original faults and some new ones. The central premice of the waranty is they must effect repairs to resolve any faults. So far, they are not doing this.

Im also sick of visiting the dealers and weasting my time.

I love the car (or at least, I would if it had these simple faults sorted out) but the dealers dont care. I remember reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Mantenance" many years ago. There is a line in that book the author read in a badlw translated set of instructions for putting a japanese bicycle together, it read "Assembly of japanese bicycle requires great peace of mind" - the author pointed out that in his view the translation was accurate, but that sentence reflected a diffeent philosophy and way of thinking - eg - you should concentrate, take care, focus and bloody care about what you are working on.

Sorry to harp on but it ****es me off as I wear myself out working making sure everything I do for my clients is perfect or as good as it could ever be and yet 90% of the people about me give me crap service and dont care. They dont have any pride in what they do. Service is run down to the lowest common denominator - as low as they can go. Reminds me of a quotation by William S. Burroughs:

"Junk is the ideal product. The ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy. The junk merchant does not sell his product to the consumer, he sells the consumer to his product. He does not improve and simplify his merchandise. He degrades and simplifies the client"

Anyhow, end of rant, must put daughter to bed.

PS Cheers for your help Ian.

[ChrisBP]

I forgot about the squeek from the drivers window and the ignition switch that is tiugh to turn. Clearky, these need sorting as well!

[Supurbia]

Chris, I've been having a good think about it since I saw you, the disc's I think can be ruled out, the pedal would up and down all the time if they were warped, if the front pads are low changing them might cure it depending on how old and worn they are, gut feeling is pointing at the wheel bearing if it's not a tyre running untrue. only other thing that comes to mind is that they have blagged you that they replaced the CV joint, not that I think it was that anyway, it took me two attempts to get my egr valve replaced despite both job cards stating replace it.

If anyone reading can shed some light what I experienced was a faint sound like a tyre with 10psi in would sound and definitely a rotating component that is unbalanced.

[ben-andrew]

I had a knocking sound / feeling from the front drivers side whenever I went over one of those speed ramps.

Mentioned it at the dealers when some other warranty work was being done. I had thought it might be the anti roll bar bushes , but it turned out to be the shock absorber --- replaced under warranty was told later that they had a hell of a job getting the old shock out , so maybe it was a duff one to start with ( only 13,000 miles)

[ben-21]

??

[ben-21]

]Chris, sounds like you have nothing better to do than harass your local skoda dealer. I know skoda is a great car but it is still a skoda at the end of the day, i think you expect to much from them..

[bigred]

Car now sorted, dealers had it for two weeks but they finally got it. Replaced both top arms on the suspension set up, noise completely gone plus the car feels so much more together on that near side, just like new again.