Clunk when transitioning to engine driving and engine braking (on/off throttle)

[kaanage]

So would I be better off taking my car to the dealer that I bought it from or is any VW dealer OK?

[seangti]

So would I be better off taking my car to the dealer that I bought it from or is any VW dealer OK?

Any of em will have to help you. National warranty. I had usually called em first to ask that I come down and they have a quick look, was always met happily by the guys at my local (highway auto - springwood).

[kaanage]

So it seems my passenger CV joint is failing which is causing the clunk - the car was less than 16,000km old when this started happening
Plus it isn't covered by warranty since the car has modified suspension & has been tracked so I had to pay for the diagnosis
Looks like it's gonna be expensive

Should I do another track day as is to finish the CV right off?

[Buller_Scott]

damn man! what are we talking - a couple of grand?

that's scary.

[vwthunder]

- unless you're being particularly aggressive (no mechanical sympathy) on the track, you're not too likely to break new components so I wouldn't be too worried about that aspect.

But I don't know your driving style

I guess anything can fail, maybe just unlucky

[noone]

I'd get that in writing. If they change it and the issue is not resolved, I'd want some paperwork for an 'engineering' refund.

They're supposed to be the experts, shoudn't have to pay excessively for them to diagnose, I'd also ask for their hourly rate. if its more than a few hours, I'd ask for a report as I cant imagine what they did with the time.

[kaanage]

I have a printed service report that states the issue is the passenger side CV joint plus a comment below that states the vehicle has modified suspension so is ineligible for warranty on suspension, drivetrain and possibly gear box.

The pricing for one VW CV joint is just under $300 and they recommend replacing both on the "if one is gone, the other is going" principle. I'm thinking I'll wait until this one get really bad or the other starts going before replacing either.

[BLAKROC]

I've got a similar problem, although I don't think it's CV related. Basically, when I go to shift gear and push down the clutch I get a slight jerk of the steering wheel and a little bit in the accelerator pedal - more so with moderate engine revs/load. Nothing major but it does seem to slowly be getting worse, the car is about a month of its 90k service, so i'll bring it up with the w/shop then..

In the meantime any ideas? I've had both lower control arms done late last year under extended warranty, reckon it could be the engine/gearbox mounts. The car has been on H&R 35mm springs for about 40k, the shocks still seem surprisingly healthy

Cheers

[kaanage]

Well it looks like the dealer has misdiagnosed the cause of the noise - and charged me for it since they deem the car to be out of warranty

A mechanic I know and trust is currently investigating the engine mounts (my suspect) and suspension components

[kaanage]

Update: if anyone cares

My mechanic changed the RH engine mount and this had greatly reduced the noise (which has slowly been getting louder) and, if I am very gently with accelerator transitions it's unnoticable, but generally it's still there so he thinks the torque arm (dogbone mount) bush has also developed slack in it.

It certainly isn't the CV joint as the dealer diagnosed, since reducing engine movement wouldn't affect noise in a CV joint at all

[Bflat]

Update: if anyone cares

My mechanic changed the RH engine mount and this had greatly reduced the noise (which has slowly been getting louder) and, if I am very gently with accelerator transitions it's unnoticable, but generally it's still there so he thinks the torque arm (dogbone mount) bush has also developed slack in it.

It certainly isn't the CV joint as the dealer diagnosed, since reducing engine movement wouldn't affect noise in a CV joint at all

I'd be looking at doing the same thing, my gearbox feels as though it's got too much play (in regards to longitudinal movement, especially when warming up). I'm concerned that by going the APR (or any other tuning company) route with an upgraded dogbone mount it could be too harsh and transfer into the cabin

[Stuwey]

I've got the poly lower mount. A superpro one, to be precise.

Sure, it's got a bit of a vibe to it, but are you here to drive a smooth, creamy S-Class Merc, or a lowered, bumpy, turbo'd hot hatch?

[kaanage]

I'll be refurbishing the original bush and getting a separate torque arm with a polyureathane bush for track use.

But then I've got a TDi and I've seen what the polyureathane bush does to idling vibrations MOST Gti owners don't seem to mind the added transmitted vibration and really only notice it at idle.

[noone]

Seems to be hit and miss. Mine has never been an issue, others have had a lot of vibration from AC passed through...

Mine was done by a dealer before I learnt to play, not that there is much to it to get wrong. Possibly a brand difference?

[kaanage]

I reckon it's more likely to be owner difference than brand difference.

That said, it could be that some people have installed the stiffer "race" spec polyureathane bushes (both APR and SuperPro have 2 variants) and then find them transmitting an unacceptable amount of vibration...