Clicking/Popping/Clunking noise

Ok, so here's the deal.

I decided to put my stock suspension back into the car this weekend. The fronts were complete assemblies because I bought separate strut mounts for the coilovers.

Regardless, I have read through a bunch of threads about noises after suspension install but all of them relate to lowering the car etc

So my issue is as follows, sitting at stand still turning from left to right there is a single *pop* sound that comes from the front LT wheel area.

Going over bumps at under 20mph, there is a clunking sound that kind of resonates though the floor (I can feel it in the pedals, sounds terrible)

At highway speeds, car drives fine, no noticeable noises.

I rechecked all the bolts, everything is torqued to spec.

I had that when my sway bar was loose, double check it's attached nice and right to the subframe as well as the linkages on the struts.

Otherwise could still indicate a strut mount malfunction or improper install of the strut mount (directionally, arrows).

Going to double check strut mount orientation tomorrow night and I guess re-check everything else while im doing it. Will look at subframe bolts as well

Ah, the clunk.

Sounds like a disease huh. It is for the mk5 and mk6. And can happen to relatively new and stock vehicles, or it can and usually does happen to higher mileage stock mk5 and mk6 chassis

Whenever you loose the union between frame and subframe on these cars this is almost guaranteed to happen, more so if you reuse the subframe bolts. The bolts are stretch to yield bolts, so they are one and done and need to be replaced every time they are un torqued, they get torqued to something like 66ft lbs and then yielded 90* iirc. There are six bolts that get this procedure iirc, and iirc, they are all 18mm.

The fix:
Low budget $20 bucks or so, cross your fingers
Short term fix for sale could be as easy as buying new bolts and properly installing them, this will be temporary and if the car doesn't sell quickly and you still drive it, the clunk can return before you sell it.

A better band-aid
Low budget better function $35 iirc? Bought some time but don't go wookie to often, or possibly at all...
Ecs tuning has a kit that includes bolts and perforated shims/spacers that are intended to establish better bite between the frame and subframe connection, thus eliminating the dreaded subframe clunk. This might be ok for most, but for me it failed w/in 10k miles, on my modified mk6 tdi

The permanent fix, the real solution
High dollar $235 for w.a.l.k compatible bushings, breathe easy drive hard, wookie on!
Enter TYROLSPORT and the front and rear subframe collar or "deadset" kit. This kit comes with new ARP bolts for the rear of the subframe mounting points and 12 bushings that center the 6 bolts that connect the subframe to frame, the collars decrease the tolerances of the bolt to hole union and have lips that recess into the frame and subframe to hold them in therefore eliminating the potential of the subframe to slip against the frame and cause the clunk. The advantages of these little brass bushings are amazing and worth every penny.

Because you did so much work, it makes sense to double and triple check everything over, possibly and preferably with a torque wrench and while you're at it, get new bolts for all TTY locations and replace them one by one. The "dogbone" mount bolt in the subframe is also a TTY bolt, if it is loose a tiny, you will feel some modulation through the floor, so check it out too. Do that and see what happens, but if the clunk doesn't go away, the above options I mentioned are most likely to be your best bet

Good luck

have the same thing going on with my Koni's out of left field...have a werid clunk at random (youd think hitting potholes would cause it, but no its more of dips and up and downs in the roads)

Ive tried to tighten the sway bar and still have it...fuck it for right now

Update:

Got a chance to get back under the car tonight, found that both of the TTY subframe bolts were not torqued properly (re-torqued until I can pickup/install the A4 bolts). Also found that the LT front swaybar endlink nut was loose, re-torqued that. Looked up and noticed that the strut mount was not oriented correctly. Dropped the strut assy and positioned the mount correctly and re-installed.

Haven't driven it yet, will report back in the morning if the noise is gone.

I'm getting that clunking sound as well, but mine is over every imperfection in the road...sounds like something is loose. I've checked the end links, verified everything that I removed was tightened, but still get that noise! Driving my CC use to be a nice and quiet ride, but now it sounds like a dump truck.



From a phone tapped by NSA

Noises are gone. Going to replace tty subframe bolts with the A4 bolts this weekend

Sent from space using dark matter

racinrabbit said:

Noises are gone. Going to replace tty subframe bolts with the A4 bolts this weekend

Sent from space using dark matter

Click to expand...

guess ill have to spend some time working on this damn car again...:mad0259:

My question is why were your subframe bolts loosened or removed to install the suspension?

From a phone tapped by NSA

Turb02 said:

My question is why were your subframe bolts loosened or removed to install the suspension?

From a phone tapped by NSA

Click to expand...

They didn't.

It is a plague for the mk5 and mk6 platforms. The TTY subframe bolts essentially fail causing the subframe to shift.

Google mk6 subframe clunk and you'll see what I'm talking about

Sent from space using dark matter

Thanks, Ive read up on it before. Guess I don't have the same sound then.

From a phone tapped by NSA

makes sense now all the times ive bottomed out or got stuck on speed bumps...

thanks for posting this thread up and the fix for you...im sure it will be the same for me