Front End Squeak!

[BONFIRE074]

So today i was leaving the gas station as i just filled up, radio was off and all of a sudden i hear a squeaking sound every time the steering wheel was turned. so i went to the bank down the road, cashed my check and came back. the noise was still there. a buddy of mine was there that is a tech for Michelle VW in town and he was there with two other techs on their lunch break..i told him to check out the noise and all three of them said it was an unusual noise that they really hadn't heard before. they told me it might be my LF control arm bushing that kept squeaking every time the wheel got turned. makes sense right? he told me to get under the car, jack it up and put a pry bar in there and move it around and if it keeps making the noise, then thats def what it is...anyone else have anything like this happen? im going to look through my maint. book to see if they have been done yet and at how many miles..thanks

[BONFIRE074]

ok after looking through my book it says 4 upper control arms and hardware and tie rod ends replaced at 83k..i have 124k now..could they go bad that quick?

[turbo944s2]

ok after looking through my book it says 4 upper control arms and hardware and tie rod ends replaced at 83k..i have 124k now..could they go bad that quick?

Yes they can. Mine went in a simular timeframe. I change them last week car rides like a champ now.

[Betty1.8T]

I had the same problem.... I ended up just changing the outer tie rods, but i still get that squeaky noise. Should I change the rest of the tie rods??

[Nebone]

I'm actually having the same issue now. I get a squeak from the steering column. I know I have a bad outer tie rod so I will replace that first. I'm hoping its not the control arms, but they do have 123k on them.

I had my buddy who is also a VW Tech listen to this and he didn't have a clue what that was. I'd suspect Passats would have the same issue.

[BONFIRE074]

I'm actually having the same issue now. I get a squeak from the steering column. I know I have a bad outer tie rod so I will replace that first. I'm hoping its not the control arms, but they do have 123k on them.

I had my buddy who is also a VW Tech listen to this and he didn't have a clue what that was. I'd suspect Passats would have the same issue.

sounds like your in the same boat as me lol

[legionvr6]

have you checked the lower control arms? when you get a chance just lift the car and take a min to check the bushings. see if they look old and dried out

[BONFIRE074]

have you checked the lower control arms? when you get a chance just lift the car and take a min to check the bushings. see if they look old and dried out

No, havnt done that yet i plan on jacking the car up today or sometime this week to check everything out

[B5Jaeger]

Before you start messing with the suspension components, check the power steering fluid level. The pumps are very sensitive to low fluid, and can produce a squeaking/dragging nails down a chalkboard noise when low. My 12v does this occasionally. You want Pentosin 11S IIRC.

[Betty1.8T]

I have a couple of friends of mine that are telling me it might be the bushings... but still not that sure. i also have been checking on the steering fluid and that seems fine. But we might have to change all 4 upper control arms.

[Burntaudi]

It's the control arms. I was able to get mine to quit by greasing the ball joints with a needle valve. But they started clunking a few months later.

[endlesswinterco]

i had the same problem, was my tie rods.

[Just Quaff]

Damn! I am getting this noise too. I have been thinking about just replacing all the control arms with that kit on ECS. Any better full replacements that anyone knows about?

[therox182]

power steering fluid. I was getting that problem too. The noise would come and go depending on how the wheel was turned and whatnot. Haven't heard the noise since then. Hopefully thats all you have to worry about.

[BONFIRE074]

OK guys i was able to jack up the car earlier and take off the LF tire..when it was jacked up, and i turned the wheel the noise didnt happen anymore, but as soon as the car is down and has weight on it, it comes back. I checked the PS fluid level, was a little low, so i filled that up, but didnt solve anything.

the noise is coming from the LF brake area, my friend whos a tech, is now thinking that it may be the ball joint.?

[B5Jaeger]

You don't really replace ball joints on our cars. You replace control arms, unfortunately.

[BONFIRE074]

Ill have to get you guys up a video..its strange..

[ibew5audi]

Most likely just the lowers. I have to get my second set. Bought Meyle hd and lasted 115k. Stockers went at 100k. Gotta love winter. Seems like the salt and chloride really sell alot of control arm kits. Mine sounds like metal on metal. Sprayed lithium grease in and it sounds worse. If you watch what the control arms go through in the course of cutting your wheel back and forth and the susp. going up and down, they get a hell of a workout. Consider this when ordering the cheapest kit. Deutcschparts has a cheap deal on ebay but they are Euroasiana meaning a german company has them made in china. Walmart control arms.

[Militant-Grunt]

I have the same issue, it is driving me insane, not only that, I hear mine when going slowly over bumps. Sounds like a rusty mattress. I have replaced tie rods with Febi Bilstein, that didn't solve it, rear and front lowers. My uppers have about 20k on them though. I'll find out as I'm replacing both uprights really soon and replacing the uppers while I'm at it. I have a sneaking suspicious its the inner tie rods.

[Nebone]

The inner tie rods should have no issue. You can take off the dust boots and add some grease in there (OEM type stuff) because its just metal on metal contact there. In my case its weird because I heard that sound when turning the wheel for like 2 days and it just went away now. I know my outer tie rod is bad so thats going in first.

Winter sux