Passat 3B 4Motion: Wobbly, Breaks Loose When Braking

Hello.

I've been having a problem with the suspension of my Passat for quite some time.

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'Starting point:'

In August of last year, the entire front axle was replaced (with a Meyle HD part).
After that, things were never the same. The car started to swerve at speeds of around 160 km/h when driving straight, and it simply wasn't stable anymore.
Anyway, things got even worse when it came to mounting the winter tires in November.
Speeds above 160 km/h were only possible with a considerable amount of courage .

While troubleshooting the issue, we noticed that two large rubber bushings had torn out of the rear differential. We then replaced the aluminum pressure-cast cover (rear side) of the differential housing, along with the two large rubber bushings, the two tie rods, and the two lower control arms on the rear axle.
After that, I adjusted the tracking, and it was slightly better.
But not yet optimal.

After many unsuccessful attempts, I had the Passat placed on ATU's shock absorber test bench...
-> Result: 3 completely defective, despite being only 1 year old and having 30,000 km (Lowtec).
So, I installed new yellow Koni shock absorbers.
--> Better... Not yet optimal...
Okay, I then attributed it to the winter tires - Continental tires, size 225/55/16, mounted on new 5-spoke alloy wheels from VW.


Last week, I put on my summer tires - Good-Year Eagle F1 GSD3, size 225/45/17 - brand new - and headed onto the highway...

What happened there wasn't very pleasant.

-> The car constantly pulls slightly to the right.
-> When braking from high speeds, it pulls violently to the right, I have to hold the steering wheel tightly, and it pitches and sways aggressively, as if the rear end is about to spin out at any moment.
-> There's a constant fluttering of the steering wheel, sometimes even causing the entire dashboard to vibrate. However, after a few steering adjustments or braking maneuvers, the vibration disappears.
It's like the tires aren't balanced... but then it would always vibrate.
Mostly, however, it becomes noticeable only at speeds of 120 km/h or higher.
-> The hood lifts slightly and vibrates/flutters excessively above 200 km/h.

People, I'm slowly but surely starting to lose hope...
What else could it be?

-> Brakes are completely NEW (front 312 discs).
-> According to the brake test conducted two weeks ago at the TÜV (German technical inspection agency), the braking effects were also not different.
-> Air pressure is correct.
-> Wheel bolts are tightened (120 Nm).

Today, I accelerated to 150 km/h on a straight country road and then braked hard... Again, the same thing happened... The rear of the car swings from side to side until I come to a stop.

Yesterday evening, while maneuvering out of a parking space, I noticed that something seems to be making a cracking sound in the steering.
When I quickly turn the steering wheel sharply to the left (about a quarter of a turn) and immediately slightly correct the steering, I hear a 'click, click' sound coming from the direction of the steering linkage.
You can also feel it in the steering wheel.
The tie rod ends are new and not worn out.

I can't seem to find any connection, and the workshop is also at a loss now.

Regards,
Marcus.

Then I suspect the problem is in the steering system, and there shouldn't be any cracking sounds coming from it.

Before I read your entire post (excluding the comment about the steering), I would have guessed that the issue was related to the toe-in setting. A simple wheel alignment isn't enough. Incorrect toe-in becomes noticeable when the car pulls during braking. Adjustments to the axles are necessary, which you have already done.

The vehicle is lifted at the front and measured. Then, it is measured again with the front axle under load.

Hello,

'Yes, a friend of mine (a specialist in chassis and steering systems at Audi) is going to listen to the noise today.'
Let's see what he says.

As you describe how to adjust the toe-in... *grumbling*
No, that wasn't done.
The car was simply placed on a lift with measuring plates attached, and then it was measured and adjusted.
That's all.
The way it's usually done.

Regards,
Marcus.

Okay. Typically, a standard alignment costs around EUR 50, while an alignment including tracking and a four-wheel steering system costs around EUR 100. Definitely get it done!

You'll notice it during acceleration and braking, which is exactly your situation. They support the front axle at two points and set the alignment, then perform a normal wheel alignment. If they don't know how to do that, it's best to go somewhere else.

Regarding the steering issue, if the tie rods and joints are okay, it's likely the steering gear. It's best to have it checked first, rather than spending money unnecessarily just because I suspect it's the steering gear.

Did you install the handlebars correctly, or did you fully install them and tighten them to the rubber bushings while applying pressure?

Good luck.

PS. I once bought a used Turbo from a snowman24 on eBay (US1200). It has already been driven for 50,000 km .

Hello,

There's a 'Snowman_24' on '321...meins,' and that's me.
and another Snowman24... but that's not me.

Yes, the workshop, or rather, the , has already done quite a bit to me:

- Forgot to tighten the wheel nuts.
- Front screws were only inserted and not screwed in after the repair.
- During the brake fluid change, it was overlooked that the brake hoses at the front were leaking (and I drove another 2000 km in Switzerland with that).
- The hood has been fluttering since the alternator was replaced, and no one has been able to fix it (it's said that it starts flapping around 190 km/h, and it feels like it's coming towards you).
- Wheel alignment performed without specifying toe-in/toe-out, and a charge of 200 EUR was applied.
- etc... etc...

I'm not going to allow anything else to happen with this.
My repairs are done by another friendly mechanic who also worked on my engine last year (camshafts, etc.).

Regarding the creaking noise in the steering:
My acquaintance listened to it briefly a while ago and only glanced at it from the top.
->>> SHOCK!!!
The steering linkage is loose... It moves about 1 cm to the left and right when steering.
Crazy...!!!
Either a screw is loose or missing, or there's a loose weld seam on the body.
On Tuesday evening, we're going to his place.
We'll just have to wait and see.

Great!

With that:

snowman24 wrote:

The steering linkage is loose... It moves about 1 cm to the left and right when steering. Crazy...!!!

Have you asked your question?

snowman24 wrote:

Passat 3B 4Motion - very floaty, unstable when braking: What else could it be?

Okay, then I think it's completely answered. My guess is that the steering linkage wasn't reattached at all after the axle was changed.

I'm surprised that the symptoms were so (relatively) mild. Just be glad that nothing serious happened to you, and talk to the person who installed the axle again; that's gross negligence.

Regards,
Guste.

Hello,

'Although I was present when the axle was replaced last year,...'
Since I 'modified' my KATs at that time,
But I wasn't really paying attention.

Stupid question from a steering novice:

Why does the steering linkage need to be loosened?
When are the VA cards renewed?

Regards,
Marcus.

snowman24 wrote:

A silly question from a steering novice: Why does the steering linkage need to be loosened? when the VA carriers are renewed?

That's not a dumb question.

I can only imagine that the steering might be loosened or removed if it's in the way when replacing the axle. However, I'm not familiar with the axle on the Passat, so I can't say for sure whether the steering would be in the way there.

I only suspected that it might have been loosened during the axle replacement because you wrote that the driving behavior has been significantly worse since then.

Regards,
Guste.

I can't imagine what they could have done to the steering linkage. I would never have thought of taking anything apart like that. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Please don't drive it until then, or drive very carefully . I had the wheel alignment redone after the repair, and it was done properly this time . Then everything should be correct again.

Hi,

Maybe it just came loose on its own? It's not supposed to happen, but we had something similar with a Trabant 12 years ago. Well, you can't really compare the two, but the symptoms were very similar (in that case, you could only steer with brute force, but the Passat has power steering, so that's different).

Best regards,

Jan.

Hello everyone,

Yes, it will become clear on Tuesday evening exactly what 'locker' means.
Let's see.

'But I've been using this for about 30,000 kilometers already...'

I'll just say this... Something's broken again and needs to be replaced.
The cart will be offered for sale immediately on Wednesday morning, which is when I actually wanted to go for a drive to adjust the alignment .

I'm really at my wit's end.

'I invested almost 5000 EUR last year, and I still have to keep going.'

-> Camshafts...
-> LiMa...
-> Front/Rear axles...
-> Combination instrument...
-> Complete rear brakes (VA/HA).

And here's what still needs to be done:

-> Injector nozzles...
-> Gear, 2nd gear...
-> Clutch...
-> Upper and lower oil pan gasket.

It can't really be true. The car only has 230,000 km on it, and it's already a write-off, especially considering it's a long-distance vehicle.

I'm really at my wit's end.

Okay, so the 3B is mostly identical to the B5. That means the steering linkage isn't in the way. I even replaced the axle myself.

@Snowman
"I'm experiencing a similar situation right now, although I'm doing everything myself. The V6 engine is just too expensive because it's not reliable. Unfortunately, the problems don't stop with the engine; everything else around it isn't quite what you'd expect. Another VW, but with a different engine, helps with some of the issues, but as you can see, there are still too many problems remaining."

I'm moving on, hoping that one day everything will be new and things will get better.

Hello,

Happy Easter!


'Thank you, it makes me feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one.'
who is experiencing some problems with this model.

But never mind...
If it turns out on Tuesday evening that...
that something is broken again or needs to be replaced (steering...).
Then there are only two possibilities left:

a.) We're scrapping a Passat... -> Selling off the parts.
b.) Sell it as-is... -> My dealer has already given me an unbeatable offer for the Touareg, which I'm probably going to accept.
Of course, only with a guarantee...

I still have to wait for the expert from my car insurance company to arrive.
I had a wiring harness fire about 6 weeks ago, which I managed to fix, but it's still not quite 100% reliable.
The cable from the crimp connector in the wiring harness (terminal 15) to the navigation system (wider connector), which has a cross-sectional area of only 0.35mm², was not factory-protected and, when I removed and reinstalled the navigation system for cleaning, I damaged precisely this cable.
--- THANK YOU VW for not installing a fuse there ---

'With the Touareg, there's not much left to do yourself in terms of repairs and maintenance.'
But that's what my 'classic' car is for (a VW Golf 1 Cabrio, manufactured in 1980 - first series).
which I have been rebuilding to its original condition again for almost 2 years now...

I'll get back to you on Tuesday evening with the results.

Have a wonderful holiday season until then.