Steering Wheel Vibration Above 80 km/h?

Hello,
I've been having this problem recently, almost overnight.

Starting at approximately 80 km/h, the handlebars begin to vibrate slightly, and when accelerating, you can clearly feel vibrations in the footwell. This vibration doesn't stop even when driving faster (100, 120, 140 km/h).
Before, there was nothing, no energy, no excitement!
"They are the same tires (rims), with sizes 195/45 R16 and 215/40 R16, which were previously fitted. Nothing has been changed, and this happened suddenly, from one day to the next. I also don't notice any difference in how the car handles compared to before, whether it's in corners or when braking. And when I brake, the shaking is gone."

I already went to my trusted tire dealer, and he checked all four tires on a balancing machine. I was there while it happened, and everything was fine; they were all balanced perfectly at 0/0.
I'm completely at a loss and don't know what else could be causing the vibration. I even had it checked out by a master mechanic on a lift, but he couldn't find anything either!

I hope you can give me some tips!
Best regards.

P.S.: Regarding the car, a VW Golf 3 TDI with engine code AHU, mileage 200,000 km, manufactured in December 1998, and it is lowered!

[/b]

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...and when accelerating, you can clearly feel vibrations in the footwell!!!!

In approximately 80% of cases, one of the inner constant velocity joints (CV joints) is either damaged or dry, which prevents the necessary length compensation from occurring. This results in the seized joint putting stress on the engine and chassis.

The simplest and most cost-effective way to test is to swap the inner joints from right to left, unless the damage can clearly be attributed to a specific joint or both, or if they are demonstrably scrap. In many cases, this allows for several tens of thousands of kilometers of further driving.

Hello,
Thank you, that would explain it.

I got under the car again and discovered that the rubber on the right driveshaft has a tear. And probably grease has leaked out, so it will be dry now!
Would that also explain the handlebar shaking?
Can I repair this, or do I need a new one? The rubber bellows can be made yourself, like I did with my old Golf, but what if something else is broken?

Quote:

In many cases, this allows for several tens of thousands of kilometers to be driven.

I don't really want to test it out right now, but it would be nice if it could last until winter. I plan to disassemble it for painting then anyway.
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"MFG" stands for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English. It is a common way to end a formal letter or email.

If wear has already occurred due to lack of lubrication, that's a bad sign. In mild cases, it has reportedly helped to add some gear oil to the grease filling. However, I wouldn't want to go through the trouble of replacing the boot only to have to replace the joint itself a few days later.

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Would that then also explain the handlebar wobble?

If the inner joint is affected, then yes. If it's the outer joint, then probably not. These joints tend to start making cracking noises when cornering under load, but they rarely produce vibrations.

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I don't really want to test it right now, but it would be nice if it lasted until winter, since I'll probably disassemble it for painting then anyway.

By then, the joint will be ruined. What's stopping you from investing 1-1.5 hours of work and one or two seals?

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By then, the joint will be ruined. What's stopping you from investing 1-1.5 hours of work and one or two sleeves?

Actually, nothing . I need the car for a longer time .
I would normally do everything myself on the car, but I had surgery on my hand and have a disability until the end of this year! But a friend can probably help me. A repair shop is out of the question.

"Approximately how much would that cost? The rubber boot on the left side is torn, and I think that's causing the problem!"
And what do I need for that?
Or is it the rubber cuff that we're talking about? Am I misunderstanding something? Because wouldn't that mean the joint of the driveshaft is affected?

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

"MFG" stands for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English. It is a common way to end a formal letter or email.

Quote:

Or are we talking about the rubber cuff, or am I misunderstanding something???

Because the joint of the driveshaft must be affected!!

That's right. I assumed the cuff of an outer joint was damaged because inner cuffs rarely tear, and you didn't specify which cuff it was.

The joint costs approximately €120 including the }, while the cuff alone costs about €20.
In this case, I would remove both drive shafts, replace the defective joint, move the still-intact joint to the other side of the vehicle, and also proactively replace the remaining boots as a precaution.

Quote:

The joint costs approximately €120 including the cuff, while the cuff alone costs about €20. In this case, I would remove both drive shafts, replace the defective joint, move the still intact joint to the other side of the vehicle, and also proactively replace the remaining boots.

Thank you very much!
I've already ordered everything today, and it will be here on Monday .
And I will address it as quickly as possible.
Hopefully this will fix the errors; I'll let you know!

Thank you again!
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"MFG" stands for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English. It is a common way to end a formal letter or email.

Here I am again .

In my enthusiasm, I ordered all the joint kits for both sides and replaced them (on the transmission side, left and right), including new joints and axle boots.
I examined the peripheral joints for range of motion and any signs of abnormality, but found nothing unusual.
After successfully assembling it, I unfortunately discovered during the test drive that the problem still persists!

What else could it be due to?
Test drive: Handlebar vibration starts around 80 km/h and remains constant, doesn't disappear at higher speeds. When accelerating, there are vibrations in the footwell; when I release the accelerator, the vibrations stop, but the handlebar vibration persists!

Could it possibly be a support bearing? Or perhaps an engine mount, since you notice a slight vibration of the engine when giving it short bursts of acceleration?

What else could it be, and how can I check it?
Please help, I don't know what to do anymore!
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"MFG" stands for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English. It is a common way to end a formal letter or email.

Hi.
Have you ever had your tires checked for flat spots?
Or maybe someone is having a moment of madness.
Were you just at a tire shop?
Let's have the wheels on the front axle balanced precisely.
Are the tie rod ends in good condition?
Accessory rims?
Are the centering rings okay?


Regards,
Sascha.

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Hi. Have you ever had your tires checked for flat spots? Or maybe someone is having a moment of madness. Were you just at a tire shop? Let's have the wheels on the front axle balanced precisely. Are the tie rod ends in good condition? Accessory rims? Are the centering rings okay?

If you had read what was above, you would know that I...
"At the tire shop, the tires didn't have any brake plates and showed no signs of uneven wear."
OPTIMALLY balanced!

The tie rod ends are in good condition!
Centering rings are also okay!
Accessory rims? What do you mean by that? If those are not original rims, I've had the tires on for a year and they are almost new. [/b]
Lass mal die Räder an der Vorderachse Feinwuchten. For what?
Did you read that correctly?? THAT was from today to tomorrow without me having driven over it or near it anywhere!!!! Otherwise, I would know where to look!!!! }

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If you had read the above, you would know that I... "At the tire dealer, the tires didn't have any brake plates and showed no signs of uneven wear." OPTIMALLY balanced! The tie rod ends are in good condition! Centering rings are also okay! "Aftermarket rims?" What do you mean by that? If those are not original rims, I've had the tires on for a year and they are almost new. Lass mal die Räder an der Vorderachse Feinwuchten. For what? Did you read that correctly?? THAT was from today to tomorrow without me having driven over it or near it anywhere!!!! Otherwise, I would know where to look!!!! [/b]

My dear friend. The way you are behaving here is not acceptable. Please always remain objective and do not provoke anyone.

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My dear friend. The way you are behaving here is not acceptable. Please always remain objective and do not provoke anyone.

@BM Why am I acting this way?

Okay, I didn't mean to sound provocative or act in a way that would cause trouble; I hope it didn't come across that way!

But if he had read at least my first post (which I certainly didn't intend to be provocative when I wrote it), he would know that this happened overnight, that I went to the tire shop, and the rest were just normal responses/questions to what he had written!
Subject:

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The tie rod ends are in good condition!! Centering rings are also okay! Accessory rims? What do you mean by that? If they are not original, I've had the tires on for almost a year and they are still almost new

.
Regarding accessory rims, I'm not sure what he means either!!! A normal answer/question.

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Let's have the wheels on the front axle balanced precisely. For what purpose????

What good is that supposed to be? I don't know it; I've never heard of it! Normal question/answer.

But if it came across that way, I would like to APOLOGIZE because that was never my intention!! And I wouldn't do that either; we are humans and can communicate normally with each other!!
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"MFG" stands for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English. It is a common way to end a formal letter or email.

Good evening.
With "were you at a store," I meant to ask if you were at the same store.
There are actually several [places/options], and they vary in terms of the quality of training provided by their staff.
Accessory rims are rims that are not original equipment but are purchased separately.
Consequently, there are no originals.
For example, there are SMC rims that have quality issues.
A friend of mine got a flat tire on his car while driving on the A5 highway because of those types of rims.

I've already read your post. Those were just the things that came to mind.

Every well-equipped tire shop offers and performs wheel balancing services.
In this process, the entire wheel, including the drive axle and other components, is balanced on the vehicle.
In the process, some strange noises emerge that you would normally only hear while driving (and can't quite identify), as the wheel is accelerated to approximately 90 km/h.

Good evening.

Hello.

@bakkano I'm sorry again; what I said from Vohin wasn't meant to come across that way.

Yes, it's the tire dealer I trust; he's a friend of mine who runs his own business.
The rims (now I understand what you mean by accessories) are not original, but from Alutec Design STORM. I've had them for a year without any problems!

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Those were just the things that came to mind.

No, no, I am also grateful for any help!

Regarding fine-tuning, thanks, now I understand that too! No, he hadn't mentioned anything about it.
Yes, but I don't hear any other noises, except for the quiet sound of the tires rolling.
But maybe it would be a solution if it started happening around 80!
But why are there vibrations when the load changes? Is that related?

But what I should have added is that I took my car to a friend at DEKRA, and he put it on a special platform that can move left and right. This platform is used to detect things like bearing damage or other issues, but even he couldn't find anything wrong?

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

"MFG" stands for "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," which translates to "Sincerely" or "Best regards" in English. It is a common way to end a formal letter or email.

Quote:

But if it came across that way, I would like to APOLOGIZE because that was never my INTENTION!!

No problem, if you now remove your keyboard stickers, it will also work out with the neighbor .


Subject:

To definitively rule out the wheels as the cause, you should test a different tire or wheel set on the front axle. It's possible that one of the tires has casing damage (I've seen this before), which would cause the tire to run unevenly under load.

When the vehicle is on a lift, you could rotate both wheels simultaneously, evenly, and at the same speed forward and backward to test whether there's any point where resistance or binding can be detected during rotation. In the case of a Golf IV, this can sometimes indicate an impending differential problem, even with intact drive shafts. I am not aware of similar issues occurring in the Golf 3.