Front end noise even after new control arms struts and mounts

[Nillious]

I just had a control arm kit, sruts, mounts, swaybar links installed on my 13 s4. Before and after the installation i have a creaking sound under suspension flex. By flex I mean entering a driveway or parking lot where the suspension is forced to flex one wheel up or down more than the other side. The new parts had zero effect on the noise. What other parts up front can make this noise. I did search and there tons of outdated threads for similar chassis but didnt find anything that doesn’t point to anything i didn’t replace

[Mscar1205]

First think that comes to mind is tie rod end links
Easy way to check to jack up the car and shake the wheel with your hands on the 3 and 9 o'clock position of the tire. If you hear a clunking/squeaking noise it's the end links

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[RPMtech147]

Pinpointing squeaky suspension noise can make you pull your hair out; especially if everything visually looks ok.

Sway bar links are very common. I've seen the sway bar bushings get noisy, I've seen noisy ball joints(Just had one in the shop that had a lower ball-joint making all sorts of noise)...., but usually it's the control arms. Did you make sure they car was loaded when your torqued the control arms?

The "check the forum and guess method get's pretty" expensive.

The best way to isolate the noise it try and get under the car with a stethoscope, but that means you'll literally need ramps. Once its's high enough off the ground to crawl underneath, you need a buddy or two to bounce the car while you poke around with the stethoscope. They sell automotive stethoscopes @ the parts for like $20.

A step further is to use a chassis ear. It's literally a set of microphones that you attach to different parts of the suspension and drive the car around. You can switch channels and really dial in the noise. The new ones interface with your phone. Kinda pricy for DIY stuff though.

[Fresh.S4]

is it a knocking sound or a rubbing?

does it make the noise just turning the steering wheel at a stand still?

[Nillious]

I has my wife stand outside car while I drove up and down a ramp with one side only. She said noise is up by headlights lol. I popped the hood and did it again and the noise was gone. Turns out it was the hood bumpers. Popped them off and put some grease on them and noise is gone. I dealt with it for nearly a year lol.

[B8S4inKC]

I have a similar noise - just got all control arms replaced and the shop told me that I will need to replace my tie rods before my next alignment because of how worn out they are. Not sure if that is contributing to the noise or not, but with 5000 miles on my PSS10s and completely refreshed everything else it could be...

Side note, while trying to track down a super loud tinny squeak over bumps (thought it was control arms) I was told it was the brake pads. Replaced anti-rattle springs which fixed for about 6 months and now it's back. Never a dull moment. Good luck.

[hgparrish]

Might just be that you need a front alignment. Especially if you dropped the subframe.

If you didnt get things re-aligned right it can cause clunking And of course its a hard to find alignment tool.


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[Nillious]

I had my wife stand outside car while I drove up and down a ramp with one side only. She said noise is up by headlights lol. I popped the hood and did it again and the noise was gone. Turns out it was the hood bumpers. Popped them off and put some grease on them and noise is gone. I dealt with it for nearly a year lol.

Problem solved... it was the hood bumpers

[DaveyDave424]

Problem solved... it was the hood bumpers

What did you do about it? Tighten or replace? How did you do it?

EDIT : My mind went someplace else. I was thinking of something like a bumper cover support like they have in the B7s, not sure if you're familiar with that platform

[wangshuo1989]

I had the same issue when my S5 was at 41K miles. Dealer put some tapes on the hood bumpers and it’s been fine ever since. Now the car has 86K miles

[Nillious]

I just pulled them out of the hood and greased the greased the part that touches the hood and then a dab on the surface that touches the core support. If it ever comes back I’ll get some felt tape

[DaveyDave424]

I just pulled them out of the hood and greased the greased the part that touches the hood and then a dab on the surface that touches the core support. If it ever comes back I’ll get some felt tape

Cool I may try that too. For now, I just tightened by hand. My bumpers were loose and when I held it tight and moved it up and down, it was making what seemed like the the noise I've been hearing. So I hope that's all it was, it's been driving me crazy.