# A3 8P SUSPENSION QUESTIONS & ANSWERS noise bushing ride height shocks struts springs



## RyanA3 (May 11, 2005)

*A3 8P SUSPENSION / STEERING QUESTIONS & ANSWERS noise bushing ride height shocks struts springs*

I've had to replace several random parts lately (on the wife's A3) and wanted to keep a consolidated list of info I've found to be useful. Everyone is welcome to share info/tips/part diagrams/beer. You are welcome to ask questions here, I won't be answering them personally, as I'm clearly not an expert. I don't think we have a consolidated list of FAQ on this topic. 


2006 Audi A3 2.0T FWD rear blow up 









2006 Audi A3 2.0T FWD rear suspension 









GTI m5 rear suspension 












From what I've read, all GTI suspension are "sport". 

 




A3 you have original premium (2006, which is base suspension), sport, and then it was renamed s-line somewhere around 2008, not sure. 

 




Ride Height 

 


mre_2011 said:


> My 2011 S-Line measures:
> Front: 26 3/8"
> Back: 26"
> That's from ground to the highest point on the fender, and with half a tank of gas.


 


Crunching noise from front end 

 
...When going over bumps at any speed, in cold weather: 
Try the front position bushing in the lower control arm 


[email protected] said:


> the bushings warm up the noise can go away sometimes. The new bushing is an updated part number too.


 part 2A in the diagram below 
*We are experiencing this noise personally. And I'll reply once we get the bushing replaced. 
Killajr had replaced this on a friends car and said that it solved the issue of the crunching noise. 
*however, I believe my noise is more than one bushing that is centrally located. so I'm going to look at this diagram closely in the next few days to identify what other bushings could be bad. 



Steering and some of the front suspension including bushings are shown here 

 




















Lower Engine Mount (front) 

 
krazyboi got me interested in this. 
not sure if my bushings are worn enough to make the crunching sound. 
but, the item promises to fix: 
incorrect tracking angles under braking with worn bushings, which causes incorrect and excessive tire wear as well as braking instability. 
obviously fwd cars are known to be tough on rubber. but the A3 front trac is the worst I've ever seen. 
http://www.sparktecmotorsports.com/pff85-505-x1.html 
Link above is for 2006, but if you click there, and put pff85-505 in the seach box, you'll find the other option(s). 














Front suspension from 2006 A3 fwd with premium/base suspension


----------



## RyanA3 (May 11, 2005)

Pics of rear suspension parts from 2008 GTI (sport) 
(shocks are inside springs for storage purposes, they are not installed like a coil over) 
note the color markings on the springs.


----------



## KiltedCasper (Oct 21, 2011)

Don't suppose you have one of those exploded diagrams for the front suspension?


----------



## RyanA3 (May 11, 2005)

KiltedCasper said:


> Don't suppose you have one of those exploded diagrams for the front suspension?


 I will get that uploaded here today asap.


----------



## KiltedCasper (Oct 21, 2011)

Perfect, thanks! Will be doing an install soon, want to make sure nothing unexpected pops up as I won't be doing it at home. Last install I did ran into a couple of issues...


----------



## RyanA3 (May 11, 2005)

2006 A3 fwd 
Front suspension 

I'll post a higher resolution version of this over the weekend:


----------



## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

read this diy 

http://deviantspeed.com/suspension-installation-2006-2007-vw-gti-jetta-gli-gti-2-0t-fsi.


----------



## kgw (May 1, 2008)

Let me recommend West End Alignment in Gardena, Ryan; top-notch work done by Darin Nishimura. 

18008 S. Vermont Ave., Gardena, CA 
310-808-9234 
Suspension-Alignment-Brakes 

Last Monday Darin corner-balanced and aligned my A3, with me sitting in the driver's seat. He is an enthusiast himself, and goes the extra distance to get your car done right. 

For anything you can't or don't want to do yourself.


----------



## azoceanblue (Aug 13, 2006)

kgw said:


> Let me recommend West End Alignment in Gardena, Ryan; top-notch work done by Darin Nishimura.
> 
> 18008 S. Vermont Ave., Gardena, CA
> 310-808-9234
> ...


 Ryan is east coast, I believe. 

How is the corner balancing affected by passengers?


----------



## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

Good information, thanks.


----------



## kgw (May 1, 2008)

My bad...I thought it was Ryan from Surf City. 

As Darin put it, when driving aggressively you're usually alone, since you don't want to kill family members. . The car should be loaded up as desired though before corner-balancing.


----------



## RyanA3 (May 11, 2005)

( •Crunching noise from front end
...When going over bumps at any speed, in cold weather:
Try the front position bushing in the lower control arm. )

I ordered this part and my mechanic buddy just called me, he said it doesn't appear that the old bushing is bad.

I really don't know where else to look. I'm tired of this noise.

Any input?


----------



## vtraudt (Mar 1, 2010)

*2006 A3 2.0T FWD: Raise Rear?*

Rear sits lower than front (and wide tires rub). 
Is a there existing (source?) solution to RAISE it 10-15mm? 
Thinking about a spacer between spring perches and chassis, or similar bolt on solution?


----------



## mattA3 (Feb 24, 2010)

I installed the TT rear spring perches to resolve the reverse rake.

MK2 TT Rear, Upper Spring Perches - Pair
Removes unwanted "reverse rake" from rear-heavy vehicles

Mfg Part #
8J0512149KT

8J0 512 149 KT


----------

