Shock absorber is making a cracking noise

Hi.

The rear left shock absorber on our Golf is making a cracking noise.
You can hear the moment when the connecting rod engages with the piston.

You can especially hear it clearly on bike paths, where you travel slowly and quietly.

Okay, here's the general question:
Is the cracking sound just a minor inconvenience, or is it a clear indication of a defect?

Greetings.
m;

Quote:

Is the cracking just a minor inconvenience, or is it a clear indication of a defect?

What do you want to hear from us? If it cracks, then it's defective and should be replaced.

It is uncertain whether the damper will fail in the short term, break, or experience any other issues.

Hello Martin,

First, check if it's really the shock absorber: One person looks/listens, and the other shakes the car. If possible, you can also loosen the shock absorber at the bottom, and then it shouldn't make any more cracking noises.

It almost completely disassembled half of the rear suspension because it was making a cracking noise - it turned out that the spare tire was "stuck" to the rubber lining in the wheel well.
When the vehicle encountered minor bumps in the road, there were clicking and creaking noises coming from the rear. A few self-adhesive felt chair pads solved the problem.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi,

My question was aimed at:

I see a difference between noises that are disturbing and technical defects in the sense of a component breaking.

Is that cracking sound similar to the clicking of the climate control servo motors, or more like the loud noise of a worn serpentine belt tensioner?
The climate can be noisy, but it can still function perfectly.
The tensioner typically only makes noise when it's flapping excessively, indicating that it's no longer fulfilling its function.

Please provide the text you would like me to translate from German to English.

I can at least reproduce the cracking sound by pressing on the edge of the charging port.
For my ears, the sound really depends on the damper.
The spare tire has already been removed .

I will still check it more carefully.


Thank you for the tips.
m;

Quote:

I can at least reproduce the cracking sound by pressing on the edge of the charging port.

You do... I don't, or rather, I can't really judge that from a distance . That's why you won't hear anything else from me except: replace if defective. Anything else would be unprofessional.
It might continue to work well for a very long time...

Can you explain to me what "knacken" means?

Generally, there's always a "moment of breakthrough."
Why don't you normally hear that... sometimes you do (even if the shock absorber isn't obviously a complete write-off)?

Thank you.
m;

Quote:

Generally, there's always a "moment of breakthrough".

I understand a "breaking point" to be something different.
Either the piston rod is occasionally sticking, or one of the valves is no longer opening reliably.

Another possibility... the cracking sound isn't coming from the shock absorber itself, but from one of the numerous rubber bushings on the axle, shock absorber, or tie rod.

Have you already checked everything thoroughly to rule out other potential defects before we proceed further?