shimmy shimmy shake
 

Car: 02 A6 4.2 Quattro

Just came from Hawaii and due to the potholes out thereI found out that 3 out of 4 wheels were bent so badly they couldn't be properly balanced but the tech who balanced them said they'd hold out until I got to my destination to get new wheels. Driving from Socal to NC the "shimmy" got gradually worse and I ended up ordering RS6 replicas in from tirerack and had them installedin Knoxville Tn- at the same time I got a 4 wheel alignment. The mechanic said they alignment was dead on. Before I left I looked at the wheels and tires that came off the car and the right front (less than 5k miles on the tire) had belts showing thoughon the outer edge.I tookthe carout on the interstateand sure enough above 50mph I get the shimmy- not as bad as before but it's still there. I can't figure outwhat else it could be.....a friend suggested tierod ends. Whatdo you all think?Any thoughts are appreciated.

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

Tie rod ends will help. Control arms will help. My impression is that the A6 is under-damped in the front end and is prone to shimmy and shake. I have dead straight wheels, new Michelins, new tie rod on one side, and I still get the shimmy and shake. Sometimes it settles out and rides extremely well, but that only seems to happen on very good roads, of which we have very little of in Michigan. It seems that any little irregularity in the road will set the front end into a harmonic. Very irritating! I plan on rebuilding the entire front end (control arms, the other tie rod end, struts, axles and brakes) which better take care of the shimmy or this car is gone!

Bob

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

Good luck. I too would like to know. Mine shimmies at highway speed when taking a corner as well. It isn't bad and goes away as soon as I straiten out. I don't doubt that it could be play in the tie rod ends.

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

Just dropped it off at the local import shop. The clerk had the same problem with her a6 and suggested it might be the control arm bushings or the actual control arm itself. She had both sides replaced in hers and it solved the problem for her- hopefully it'll be something that simple. The car is nickel and diming me to death[:@]

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

yea these cars will do that to u .... i got the shake too

new rims tires blanace alignment and its still there tierods and control arms are gonna come soon

im tryin to save money up for mods but its getting impossible haha

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

Once again, I have the same thing. Why do all of our cars have the exact same problems??

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

yea same problem... im told it's the tie rod ends...and that i could use some new tires (although, there's still sufficient treadlife). i hope its not the f&*king control arms, if so I'll have to live with it cause i have more important things to spend my money on right now.

my passat has an awful problem with the cv boots... i'm told that the A6 has a similar problem. If i pull a few hard turns at high speed and hold it my cvs are gone!

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

could be
Tires
Rims
Brakes
Tie Rod Ends (inner or Outter)
Upper or lower control arms/busings
Axle issue.. has your CV boot been cracked?
....

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

CV boots are brand new
Wheels and Tires are brand new
Brakes were replaced in January (rotors, calipers, and pads)
axles are brand new.

What it turned out to be:
ALL of the front control arms and bushings were shot (36k on the clock- WTF[:@])
Tires from discount tire direct were ALL out of round but not bad enough to make the car shimmy- they were balanced out.

2200 to fix the problem (including upgrading to Nitto Invos overnighted from Tx- I paid the difference between the Suckitomos {Falkens}) should be back on the road tomorrow.

Apparently the 4.2 A6 has a 5 link front suspension- makes for a great ride but is also EXTREMELY expensive to fix. According to the Mech it's VERY common in A6's to have control arm issues.

I really do like this car- it just seems to me that there are a lot of issues. For me I started having tranny leakage issues at 19k miles- after 4 trips to the dealer and $4k later- the dealership took pitty on me and had a new tranny installed at 31k miles. With the exception of the shocksand springs the entire front end has been replaced. What's NEXT? I have 40k on my Mach1 mustang and I've had to do brake jobs and oil changes- THAT'S IT. You'd figure a 50k Euro luxery car would be better engineered than this.

Rant over- Thanks all for the suggestions and advice. GL with your whips[sm=icon_rock.gif]

RE: shimmy shimmy shake
 

Smells like lemons