Vibration Epidemic - B8 A4/S4 & others.....

[02A4TURBO]

I'm surprised I haven't seen more about this in the B8 S4 forum, so I decided to start a thread. Needless to say, I'm absolutely thrilled with the car. +/- 1,500 miles and it is quite incredible. Torque till the cows come home, handles incredibly, looks gorgeous - I've really been pleased all the way around. Having said that.............

As some have experienced, I am getting a fairly significant vibration in the steering wheel that starts around 53, 54, 55 MPH.. hits it's peak vibration around 62, 63, 64 MPH and by 70 MPH, for the most part it's gone. The vibration in the steering wheel also manifests itself in some gas pedal vibration as well.

In doing some research, it seems this has been a problem on B8 A4s, A5s and S5s. I guess given that B8 S4s are fairly new to the road, there haven't been as many reports.

Take it to the dealer-- frustrated, pissed and all the other emotions one feels after bringing a $50k+ car back to the dealer 4 weeks after getting it. Their initial reaction is as follows (summarized): "we've been hearing reports of this - there's a process we have to go through, give us the day to trouble shoot." What I wanted them to say is, "this is definitely a problem - there are many, many cases of it throughout the country and different model lines, we are terribly sorry". Their first job is to balance and align wheels and transmission, go through road tests and see if it fixes it. Obviously, didn't work. Next step, per AoA's direction, is to replace control arm + bushings. Apparently, they believe Audi used bushings that were too stiff (the rubber) for the cars, and this is causing road feedback into the steering wheel. It used to be that you could JUST replace the bushings, but apparently the B8 models you need to replace control arm too.

So, of course, the control arm is back ordered 4 weeks. I'm sitting and waiting- annoyed as all hell. Does anyone know if this is going to work? Apparently Audi has issued TSB (technical service bulletins) for the A5/S5, though not yet (ever?) for the S4. Will they recall? Who knows... The whole thing perplexes me and my dealer, which is usually great, is void of answers.

Chime in with experiences, thoughts, solutions, answers, venting rambles, anything................

[B6JoeS4]

I don't own a b8 s4 but i do not feel that this is really an issue that you should be upset about. every car has its problems that the manufacture needs to get rolled out when it is a brand new model. Audi WILL take car of you. When its all done, bitch at the service manager and make him give you a couple free oil changes or something

also, they will not issue a recall if the problem does not seriously put you or people around you at risk

[valis]

My car isn't showing any signs. It has an august build date, the factory might of switched over by then.

[02A4TURBO]

I had a July build - however, according to my dealer, factories have NOT changed over to the 'new' control arm / bushing that is going into my car. Simply dealing with it on a case-by-case basis, for now at least.

[NWS4Guy]

I have seen and heard a lot about this on a few B8 threads. Supposedly only the earliest S4's still had the older control arms, but who knows? The method they go through is to re balance the wheels to be sure it's not that. After this they can get the go-ahead from Audi NA, and swap out the control arms. I have seen threads on other boards about this and in every one, after the control arms were changed, there have been no reports of it coming back again.

I know this is not a guarantee and I know you must be very ticked, frustrated, let down, and disappointed, but the odds are highly stacked in your favor that this will be addressed and resolved.

[Nickyracer]

I've had a vibration issue on my S4 after replacing stock wheels with OZ Ultraleggera. 60-70 mph also.
Control arms are not the cause of vibration, I guess.
Yes, it was disbalance (new tyres "run-in" then need balancing procedure after 1000-1500 miles)
In my case (not stock wheels) it was also wheels not properly centered on the wheel hub - wheels could not be centered just by bolts, and I ordered 66 mm "centralizing" aluminium ring. After installation of those rings the space between hubs and central "hole" (sorry, don't know the proper term) of the wheel disappeared along with vibration.
Good balancing with recently calibrated balancing device is a must every 7000 miles.
But problem of centering the wheel is supposedly not so serious with stock wheels - there's almost no any space between central wheel "hole" and wheel hub.

[riegeraudi]

Funny thing with AoA is that there must not only be a problem with the control arms but also either the tires and rims also. I say this is because if they know the problems only lie withing the bushings/control arms than it would be a waste of money and time to do the roadbalancing. I think they do this step first because there must also be a bad batch or tires and rims also.

[02A4TURBO]

Funny thing with AoA is that there must not only be a problem with the control arms but also either the tires and rims also. I say this is because if they know the problems only lie withing the bushings/control arms than it would be a waste of money and time to do the roadbalancing. I think they do this step first because there must also be a bad batch or tires and rims also.

I think it's just to save money (replacing all 4 control arms + labor aint cheap) in the off chance that some of these cars just coincidentally happen to be improperly aligned or have imbalanced wheels.

[Phantom S5]

I actually haven't had any problems like that with my S4. I drive in that range daily and never have felt the vibration. The only thing I have had happen is the car stall on a hill in the middle of an intersection at a green light.. very fun. It eventually just clutched and went tho.

I don't know why Audi just can't realize the problems and deal with them. They most likely knew there was a chance it would happen, and they do it anyway. If my car vibrated I would be pissed as you are.

[Infra]

I had a July build - however, according to my dealer, factories have NOT changed over to the 'new' control arm / bushing that is going into my car. Simply dealing with it on a case-by-case basis, for now at least.

I wouldn't really take a dealer's word for what Audi in Germany is doing. The only information they get is what Audi or AoA explicitly tell them.

[sakimano]

check my poll thread out...

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296545

65% had vibration
35% didn't

wasn't transmission biased...wasn't quattro biased.

[02A4TURBO]

Control arms are in, luckily faster than they thought. However, I can't make it to the dealer until 10/26. Will let everyone know how I make out.

Has anyone swapped out control arms on B8 A4/S4 yet? Given the cost of the parts, and 4+ hrs of labor, I can't see Audi footing the bill for something that may or may not work. We shall see though...

Also, should I expect car to handle any differently given softer bushings?

[02A4TURBO]

Bump - any experiences with the swapped out control arms? And anyone have any input on whether this will affect handling?

[02A4TURBO]

Update....

All 4 control arms were replaced today... as mentioned, problem was the now infamous bushings, not the control arms themselves. Problem solved, 110%. Car feels amazing.... no more vibration.. Very smooth - car, as before, is amazing.

So, if you're having the problem, go get your control arms swapped ASAP. According to my service manager, they DID in fact switch the control arms in production models after early August... except for the early builds, everyone else should be fine.

[NWS4Guy]

Good to know, thanks for the updates - and VERY glad to hear you are all better now!

Makes you wonder if the vibrations are still there and the bushings dampen them out, or did those somehow cause the vibration?

[a4dc89]

are you guys sure it doesnt have anything to do with the tire balancing ?

[NWS4Guy]

are you guys sure it doesnt have anything to do with the tire balancing ?

Absolutely certain. It is a known issue with older control arms which have since been removed from production lines and replaced with newer designs. A part of diagnosing this issue is that AoA requires the dealership to do a new balancing to verify this is not the cause.

[02A4TURBO]

are you guys sure it doesnt have anything to do with the tire balancing ?

Nothing to do with tire balancing ... as it was explained to me, the type of rubber used for the bushings (I assume, but don't know for sure, this means the density of it) was not acceptable for the amount of vibration generated within the control arm. I am working under the impression that Audi simply began producing 'softer' bushings to absorb the vibration, but again, I don't know for sure. If the bushings are softer, I will add that it's had zero affect on the handling, body roll, and/or understeer of the car.

[Alkivar]

give it a few hundred miles on those new bushings before you call it "fixed" ... it takes a little while for bushings to break in. in some of the cases (with the A5/S5 crowd at least) it took a few hundred miles for the original bushings to wear and the problem to appear.

[Nickyracer]

give it a few hundred miles on those new bushings before you call it "fixed" ... it takes a little while for bushings to break in. in some of the cases (with the A5/S5 crowd at least) it took a few hundred miles for the original bushings to wear and the problem to appear.
+1. As I've said before, I have also experienced problems with vibration - both front axle and rear axle, the latter have nothing to do with control arms.
Properly centered aftermarket wheels and their thorough balancing with recently calibrated balancing device were of a big help.
Now, with stock 18" wheels and winter tyres, I have no vibration at all.
My car is manufactured May'09.

[maged1972]

Just to add my feedback:
I just took delivery of my 2010 A4 2.0T.
I had crazy vibrations starting at 80 kph and onwards , going away at 140 kph.
Turns out that Audi Egypt, forgot to balance the tyres !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did the balance the first time, had some vibration. Went again for another time, this time their expert did it. Now it's perfect.
So make sure when you balance the tyres, they set the machine to highest accuracy ~ this is what fixed it for me :-)

[Audicar]

Im having same problem except the vibration is not coming true the steering wheel,it feels like the whole car vibrates a bit. This occurs on 19'' with Michelin 255/35,
went back to oem wheels which are 18'' Michelin 240/45 and vibration is gone!! Above all the vibration got the tracking done twice,wheel alinement maybe twice aswell,tyers balanced aswell few times but the problem still remains on the 19''. I thought maybe its bad batch of alloys so i bought a set of BBS alloys with new Michelin
255/35 19'' but the vibration still there.... [headbang]
Will changing control arms solve this problem i wonder?? Will all 4 control arms need to be replaced??
Any advice would be much appreciated [hail]

[atombomb33]

Im having same problem except the vibration is not coming true the steering wheel,it feels like the whole car vibrates a bit. This occurs on 19'' with Michelin 255/35,
went back to oem wheels which are 18'' Michelin 240/45 and vibration is gone!! Above all the vibration got the tracking done twice,wheel alinement maybe twice aswell,tyers balanced aswell few times but the problem still remains on the 19''. I thought maybe its bad batch of alloys so i bought a set of BBS alloys with new Michelin
255/35 19'' but the vibration still there.... [headbang]
Will changing control arms solve this problem i wonder?? Will all 4 control arms need to be replaced??
Any advice would be much appreciated [hail]

Since the problem is gone when you put the stock 18" on your car, the problem is clearly with the new set of wheels. It could be several things. One, it could be improper tire/wheel balancing. Two, do your wheels require hubcentric rings? If they do maybe the supplied rings aren't working correctly? Three, maybe the wheels aren't torqued correctly?

[NWS4Guy]

Per the dates on this post, the control arms were only an issue with 2009 A4's and a VERY few early 2010 A4 and S4's those made after Sept 2010 have the new design. If the vibrations are gone with stocks, you likely just need a balance on the other wheels.

[Audicar]

Per the dates on this post, the control arms were only an issue with 2009 A4's and a VERY few early 2010 A4 and S4's those made after Sept 2010 have the new design. If the vibrations are gone with stocks, you likely just need a balance on the other wheels.


My car is a 08!! I tried to rebalance the wheels 2 times but the problem is still there..... it comes and goes!!

[NWS4Guy]

08 is not even the B8 platform so not only are you not posting in the correct forum (this is S4) but not even in the correct chassis type. The B7 (which your car is) is completely different with likely vastly different issues. I would head to the B7 A4 forums and see what you can find out.

[Audicar]

08 is not even the B8 platform so not only are you not posting in the correct forum (this is S4) but not even in the correct chassis type. The B7 (which your car is) is completely different with likely vastly different issues. I would head to the B7 A4 forums and see what you can find out.

I'm sorry but my car is a B8 model 100%..... the current A4 model!!!
I've also posted in the B8/A4 forum were some guys had the same issues with the vibrations at around 70 mph and disappears around 80-85mph!
It sounds like S4's have the same vibration!

[Vogz]

08 is not even the B8 platform so not only are you not posting in the correct forum (this is S4) but not even in the correct chassis type. The B7 (which your car is) is completely different with likely vastly different issues. I would head to the B7 A4 forums and see what you can find out.

He's over in europe. The B8 debuted there in model year 2008.

[Beast]

some people say its the control arms, some say it could be something to do with the tires. Glad yours got fixed

[Audicar]

He's over in europe. The B8 debuted there in model year 2008.

Thank You Vogz [:)]

[patinsd]

Mine was built in 03/2010 and I have no vibration so far (19 000 miles)

[Audicar]

Mine was built in 03/2010 and I have no vibration so far (19 000 miles)

Have you got stock alloys on your car Patinsd??

[patinsd]

Yes OEM 19' peeler

Have you got stock alloys on your car Patinsd??