# Rear Suspension Low Speed Creaking



## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Alright fellas, this one is driving me crazy. I have been experiencing a low speed creaking noise that seems to be emanating from the passenger side rear suspension. My wife noticed it easily enough when riding in the rear passenger seat that she mentioned something about it to me. It seems to be more noticeable when stopped and taking off, or this morning I noticed it consistently while crawling through the parking lot looking for a place to park. The noise is almost like a binding creak, and seems to be coming from up high (rear shock mount?). I cannot duplicate it by bouncing the rear of the car but then again I can't really make it move very much on my own.

Rear suspension mods: Hotchkis ARB set on medium (I keep the bushings lubricated), adjustable rear end links, KW V1 coilovers with their perch spacer. Not sure if this is a worn bushing (they are all original as far as I know, ~115,000 miles on the car) or a worn shock mount, or something else entirely related to the spring or possibly the spring perch.

Any helpful input is welcome! :thumbup:


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## neu318 (Feb 18, 2003)

Not sure if this is the problem but on my car I had a squeak and a few weeks later came to the car the next day and noticed my bumpstop was on the ground, it had deteriorated and fallen off.


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

Could your RSB need lubricating?


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

skotti said:


> Could your RSB need lubricating?


Maybe. I don't remember the last time I greased it but I typically do it at least twice a year. I'll probably start there. This is a recurring issue that seems to pop up after driving in the rain after it's been dry for a while, almost like some kind of lubrication is being washed away. (There's a joke in there somewhere). I think I will just have to grease/lube one thing at a time until it stops and that will help me figure out what the issue is. :banghead:


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

LOL Yep, mo' lube always does the trick! 

Did you have a temperature change- cooler weather? I notice my RSB (Neuspeed) tends to creak when it needs lubed- but in cold weather. Instead of having to remove it to lube the bushing, I installed a bushing with a grease fitting- quick and easy! (Just like me  )


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

skotti said:


> LOL Yep, mo' lube always does the trick!
> 
> Did you have a temperature change- cooler weather? I notice my RSB (Neuspeed) tends to creak when it needs lubed- but in cold weather. Instead of having to remove it to lube the bushing, I installed a bushing with a grease fitting- quick and easy! (Just like me  )


We did have a bit of a cool front come through (relative to Texas weather). Fortunately, the Hotchkis bars have grease zerks on the brackets that hold the bushings, so it's a fairly quick process to grease them. I'll try that first and see if it quietens down. :thumbup:


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Well, I greased my sway bar bushings this weekend and also tightened up one of the end links that was a little bit loose. I could put a wrench on the nut where the end link attached to the sway bar and move the sway bar enough to hear a bit of a noise. After driving it initially it seemed to have quieted down for the most part, but I still feel like I can hear some noise from the rear suspension. :banghead:


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## Tcardio (Mar 19, 2009)

if all else fails then you need to look under the rear fleece liner at the strut housing to see if any play exists in the bolts that attach the shock to the tower. I believe those are stretch bolts and may become loose over time. If they are ok then the real bitch it checking the shock top nut with is a disassemble job. This happened to my front coil and now no noise. You can also check the strut mount as I also replaced my rears with the TT mount. Noise is frustrating for sure


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Tcardio said:


> if all else fails then you need to look under the rear fleece liner at the strut housing to see if any play exists in the bolts that attach the shock to the tower. I believe those are stretch bolts and may become loose over time. If they are ok then the real bitch it checking the shock top nut with is a disassemble job. This happened to my front coil and now no noise. You can also check the strut mount as I also replaced my rears with the TT mount. Noise is frustrating for sure


Yeah, this is next on my list of possible culprits. Fortunately, removing the rear shocks is pretty painless, so I may do that and go ahead and have some replacements on hand...pretty sure the rear shock mounts are the originals


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

TBomb said:


> Yeah, this is next on my list of possible culprits. Fortunately, removing the rear shocks is pretty painless, so I may do that and go ahead and have some replacements on hand...pretty sure the rear shock mounts are the originals


Ok so when I was inspecting things I noticed what felt like a slight amount of play in the strut mount, so I replaced those today. With the passenger side strut removed from the car I could tell a noticeable amount of play before removing the old mount. Considering they were the originals, I'm sure they were overdue to be replaced at 115,000 miles. The noise I was hearing is pretty much gone.

Now, I was compressing the shock with it off the car and noticed a slight kind of "sticking" for lack of a better word as the shock was rebounding. I'm not sure if this is an issue or if I shouldn't worry about it. No signs of leaking or anything, but it seems like the seals or bushings inside are not lubricated properly? Not sure. There is a very slight "knock" kind of noise that I still hear on occasion at low speeds such as when reversing or changing directions when parking. 99% sure it's coming from the passenger rear but honestly it could be anything and I could just be blowing it out of proportion.


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## npace (Sep 3, 2012)

Not sure about the knock sound, but it sounds like your shocks need to be rebuilt or replaced. Are they originals or aftermarket? If they are sticking on rebound off the car, then they're likely slower to return on the car, which could cause binding elsewhere and some noise. Just a thought.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

npace said:


> Not sure about the knock sound, but it sounds like your shocks need to be rebuilt or replaced. Are they originals or aftermarket? If they are sticking on rebound off the car, then they're likely slower to return on the car, which could cause binding elsewhere and some noise. Just a thought.


Aftermarket. They have been on the car for just shy of 4 years now. I'm almost certain they are the culprit of the last remaining noise at this point. I may just see if I can get some replacements for the rears at least, as they shouldn't be too expensive and I don't seem to have any other noises. The odd thing is that at normal driving speeds over bumps/dips there is no noise whatsoever. It's only when I am barely rolling like when coming to a stop/rolling out of a stop like in stop and go traffic, or rolling through a parking lot. The suspension would be barely moving.


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## npace (Sep 3, 2012)

TBomb said:


> Aftermarket. They have been on the car for just shy of 4 years now. I'm almost certain they are the culprit of the last remaining noise at this point. I may just see if I can get some replacements for the rears at least, as they shouldn't be too expensive and I don't seem to have any other noises. The odd thing is that at normal driving speeds over bumps/dips there is no noise whatsoever. It's only when I am barely rolling like when coming to a stop/rolling out of a stop like in stop and go traffic, or rolling through a parking lot. The suspension would be barely moving.


What shocks do you have? The bilstien B8s are off of my car now. I'm selling them but haven't started a sale thread. I'm willing to let them go cheap if you're interested.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

npace said:


> What shocks do you have? The bilstien B8s are off of my car now. I'm selling them but haven't started a sale thread. I'm willing to let them go cheap if you're interested.


PM inbound.

For the suspension gurus among us, will I run into any issues using the B8 rear shocks with my KW V1 coilovers? I'm hesitant to run the B8 rear dampers with the KW fronts, even though the springs are the same all around. It could be a negligible issue but I'm uncertain.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Alright boys and girls - this is driving me insane. I still have an inconsistent, sometimes barely audible but at the same time incredibly annoying creaking/grinding type noise that seems to be coming from the rear suspension. I have replaced the rear shocks and mounts, greased my sway bar bushings and ensured my end links are tight. It's only noticeable when rolling at a slow speed like in a parking lot or into my driveway. It doesn't seem to make it when the suspension is compressed. At this point I think my best option would be to spray some silicone lube on one bushing at a time, test drive it, and see if that resolves it. It will be a long and arduous process but I don't know how else to find the culprit. :banghead:


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## neu318 (Feb 18, 2003)

Just out of curiosity, have you checked the dust shield for the rear brakes? Could it be rubbing on something? Are they bent maybe rubbing up against the back of the rotor?


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## kgw (May 1, 2008)

Does anyone with aftermarket coilovers NOT have noise?  Well, maybe Jrutter when his suspension was new...


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

neu318 said:


> Just out of curiosity, have you checked the dust shield for the rear brakes? Could it be rubbing on something? Are they bent maybe rubbing up against the back of the rotor?


I've haphazardly checked them when the wheels have been off, but haven't looked at them very closely. I would assume they would make the noise all the time though, this is only noticeable at very low speeds...of course it could just be that the noise can't be heard over road noise at speed. I plan on taking a more thorough look at it this weekend so I'll be sure to check that.


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## kgw (May 1, 2008)

Mine creaks and pops more than an old dude's knees...Started soon after install. Dead silent after 50-60 mph, smooth as butter at high speed: like its on rails. I've got a set of the 034 strut mounts, but a very good audi mechanic (indy) told me they will not quiet the coilovers. Rattling on my ride seems to be caused by loose sway bar connectors, front or rear.

It appears to be like TP* says, if you want quiet, stay oem.


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## npace (Sep 3, 2012)

FWIW I have an aftermarket setup and no noise, but I've had the car's suspension on and off several times. Some of the culprits when dealing with suspension noise for me have been end links and bushings. Spraying something like WD-40 on the bushings won't quiet them; you'll need to use a grease gun and needle with something that is rubber or poly friendly (depending on what you have) to get between the bushing and the mount to quiet it down. Even then, you have to drive around for a while to get the grease to work it's way in. Hope that helps.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

kgw said:


> Does anyone with aftermarket coilovers NOT have noise?  Well, maybe Jrutter when his suspension was new...


Not THAT noise, even now. Just rattling from the 034 spherical bearings in the trailing arms


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

npace said:


> FWIW I have an aftermarket setup and no noise, but I've had the car's suspension on and off several times. Some of the culprits when dealing with suspension noise for me have been end links and bushings. Spraying something like WD-40 on the bushings won't quiet them; you'll need to use a grease gun and needle with something that is rubber or poly friendly (depending on what you have) to get between the bushing and the mount to quiet it down. Even then, you have to drive around for a while to get the grease to work it's way in. Hope that helps.


Yeah, I've previously used some silicone spray lubricant (rubber friendly) but it does not last terribly long. I'm also considering the possibility it could be the rear brakes  When going through a parking lot over a speed bump, for example, it is totally silent. When rolling through our concrete parking lot at work, I can hear it. I also hear it when coming to a stop and when leaving from a stop. I don't hear it if I try to jounce the rear of the car. Definitely starting to grasp at straws here...


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## Pretarion (Jun 13, 2003)

Don't know if you figured it out, but I had this problem since I bought my A3 a month ago. Found out it was the air dam underneath. It is held on by two plastic grommets and was really loose. Removed it and my car is so quiet now.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Pretarion said:


> Don't know if you figured it out, but I had this problem since I bought my A3 a month ago. Found out it was the air dam underneath. It is held on by two plastic grommets and was really loose. Removed it and my car is so quiet now.


Nah, those are long gone on my car. They made more of a rattle/clunk sound and I took them off years ago. This is very faint and really only noticeable when coming to a stop. Still happens...


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

npace said:


> FWIW I have an aftermarket setup and no noise, but I've had the car's suspension on and off several times. Some of the culprits when dealing with suspension noise for me have been end links and bushings. Spraying something like WD-40 on the bushings won't quiet them; you'll need to use a grease gun and needle with something that is rubber or poly friendly (depending on what you have) to get between the bushing and the mount to quiet it down. Even then, you have to drive around for a while to get the grease to work it's way in. Hope that helps.



Well, if anyone cares, I seem to have finally found the culprit and fixed this issue. The other day I was driving and noticed the noise had gotten significantly worse, to the point that as I was pulling in the driveway my wife, who was outside working in the yard, noticed it and gave me a funny look :facepalm: I backed the car up on ramps and got underneath it to see what was going on - I suspected the end links at this point and that seems to have been the problem. By putting a wrench on the nut the holds the end link to the sway bar and turning it, I could put torsion on the sway bar and hear the same noise. After taking things apart it seems one of my end links was binding up making the terrible noises I was experiencing. I installed a new pair of SuperPro rear end links yesterday and all is quiet so far!


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## Pretarion (Jun 13, 2003)

Good to hear it wasn't anything major. Thanks for the update 

As Depeche Mode always say... Enjoy The Silence!


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## primaryw (Feb 1, 2018)

TBomb said:


> Well, if anyone cares, I seem to have finally found the culprit and fixed this issue. The other day I was driving and noticed the noise had gotten significantly worse, to the point that as I was pulling in the driveway my wife, who was outside working in the yard, noticed it and gave me a funny look :facepalm: I backed the car up on ramps and got underneath it to see what was going on - I suspected the end links at this point and that seems to have been the problem. By putting a wrench on the nut the holds the end link to the sway bar and turning it, I could put torsion on the sway bar and hear the same noise. After taking things apart it seems one of my end links was binding up making the terrible noises I was experiencing. I installed a new pair of SuperPro rear end links yesterday and all is quiet so far!


So, to summarize (and for search purposes):

*Problem:*
Awful Creaking from rear of your 2007 Audi A3 8P 2.0T (Pre-Facelift). A suspension issue was suspected.

*Solution:*
Replaced rear endlink bindings with SuperPro rear end links

*Result:*
Happy, quiet ride. No more creaking from the rear.


GREAT to hear that this was a problem solvable for under $125.00. 

Well done.


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## primaryw (Feb 1, 2018)

Speaking of creaking... I'm having my front strut mounts replaced on Monday with the ECS Upgraded Front Strut Mount Kit.

I have crazy creaking from the front of my 2010 A3 Quattro (8P, Facelift). 

151k on her.


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