Rattling Shock Absorbers over bumps

J

jonesal26gc

Member
Often, and particularly when going over bumps, I can hear a knocking noise at the rear of the car. I believe this could be the rear shock absorber shrouds (i.e. plastic tubular covers over the top of the piston rods). Upon inspection, they do seem a little floppy !
If this is the cause, does anybody have any ideas about curing it ?
Thanks.
Tony.:eek:
 
Hi Tony, welcome to the A2oc
The covers are held in place by the bump stops which are prone to crumble. Its possible this has failed, allowing the cover to rattle around. See pics for more info. If you decide to remove the damper, the top end is located under the wheel arch and fixed with 2 bolts. Another possibility is the end coil of the rear spring has broken

Chers Spike
 
Spike,

Thanks for the very swift reply.
I think there is deterioration of the bump stops, but I need a closer inspection. I think they look similar to the rough looking one in the photo.
Can these be replaced individually, and I presume I'll have to remove the whole shock to do so ?
Thanks,
Tony.
 
possibly helpful answer ...

i used to get annoyed with a rattle whenever going over sleeping policemen etc, but after checking suspension i couldnt figure it out as i didnt want to get into strippnig the car down which had only 29000 on it. Audi dealer said there was nothing wrong and sprayed a bit of grease into the rear hatch mechanism which worked for a few days or at least seemed to dampen the effect.
For me, the cure was to do with the attachments for the rear bench which needed a bit of carpet (double sided) tape on them which is thick enough to stop the locating pin rattling in its hole but thin enough to not foul the thing up
Hope this helps worth a try driving it with bench down (if the rattles stop then its the bench) - assuming you've got one!
Paul
 
jonesal26gc said:
Spike,

Thanks for the very swift reply.
I think there is deterioration of the bump stops, but I need a closer inspection. I think they look similar to the rough looking one in the photo.
Can these be replaced individually, and I presume I'll have to remove the whole shock to do so ?
Thanks,
Tony.
Click to expand...

Hi Tony
The bump stops can be replaced individually but its good practice to do both if they are in a poor condition. With the car jacked up and rear wheels removed is should be easy to check the condition of the bump stops and see if the covers have parted company - they should locate in grooves at the bottom of the stops.
This link may help with removal of the shocks if needed - http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6456&highlight=arch+liner

Cheers Spike
 
Rattle over bumps

My Audi 80 had rattled at one time over bumps. Turned out to be small stones lodged in the spring coils near the bottom of the springs.
 
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