How to inspect the tie rods on a G IV.

Hi.

In the summer, I was constantly plagued by the squeaking of the stabilizer bar bushings. Since I highlighted them, things have been quiet so far.
'For the past two weeks, I've been hearing a slight clunking sound in the front axle when driving over bumps, uneven surfaces, and potholes. I suspect the stabilizer bar bushings are worn out (current mileage is 135,000 km) and I plan to replace them as soon as the weather gets warmer. What about the bushings on the tie rods? Is there a way to inspect them? If I'm already working on it, I'd like to replace those parts as well if they're worn.' But how do I figure that out?

Hati wrote:

In the summer, I was constantly plagued by the squeaking of the stabilizer bar bushings. Since I highlighted them, things have been quiet so far. For the past two weeks, I've been hearing a slight clunking sound coming from the front axle when driving over bumps, uneven surfaces, and potholes. I'm assuming the stabilizer bar bushings are worn out (current mileage is 135,000 km) and I plan to replace them as soon as the weather gets warmer. ...

Okay... Does grease destroy rubber?

Just replace the rubber bands, and that should fix it. I also managed to complete that task last Friday.
For safety's sake, I also replaced the rear metal-rubber bushings of the control arms at the same time. After removing them, I was really glad I had taken that step. The crates were already broken open on one side, about halfway through.

EDIT: When you replace the stabilizer bar bushings, be sure to replace the mounting brackets as well!

Hi Bertil.

Thank you for the information.

I had almost feared that I would ruin the rubber bands by getting them covered in grease. However, since it became relatively unbearable just 2 days before our vacation, I didn't care about the existing mileage.

Thank you also for the tip about the rubber bushings on the control arms. I will keep that in mind.

Okay.

The rubber bands were replaced a week ago; now everything is quiet again.
The rear rubber bushings of the control arms were in perfect condition and remained untouched. According to VW master technicians, they haven't had to replace these parts on any ID. series Golf, A3, or Octavia models yet.

Right now, I'm getting a new clutch because the old one was slipping. Well, 90,000 km as a driving school car, and the performance boost about 10,000 km ago probably took its toll on the clutch. But since it had been extremely difficult to get it started ever since I bought it with 90,000 km on the odometer, I wasn't very surprised.

"I've also replaced those rubber/metal things in an A3 before. However, that one had approximately 200,000 kilometers on the odometer." They were, as Bertil already wrote, very torn.

Don't get too excited too soon.

I also had the stabilizer bar bushings replaced 6 weeks ago.

It lasted for 3 weeks--now it's creaking again.

I have no idea why they're making noises again so quickly.
Does anyone know more about this or know of other possible causes?

Hi!
Okay, I've already replaced the rubber bushings and the rubber boots on the tie rod ends of an A3 due to squeaking and clunking noises. Mainly, the stabilizer bar bushings are the cause, but the tie rods will also wear out sooner or later.
It's not really a big deal to replace them yourself.

Sure, here's the translation:

"MFG" is an abbreviation for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English.

Did you install the original plastic control arms or did you upgrade to the metal version?

Would there be an improvement expected with the metal versions?

Hi!
No, I've reinstalled the original parts. Even though it seems the original parts are likely to break again, I'm not a fan of aftermarket replacements. I can't say whether the metal version might be better.

Sure, here's the translation:

"MFG" is an abbreviation for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English.