I just finished replacing the rear shocks on my 2000 2.7t with a new set of Bilstein exactly the same as the ones that were in there. I didn't replace the springs. I followed this DIY from AudiWorld.
When I took the car for a test drive I noticed a "moving" noise coming form the rear. My first thought was that I forgot to tighten something.
Off the wheel came and I double checked my work. No, nothing loose on either side. I thought that perhaps the spare wheel might be loose as well, so I took it out of the car; no change, the noise is still there.
It sounds like there is a large ball moving from side to side when I turn or go over bumps. Hard braking or accelerations have no effect. Could it be a broken muffler bracket? I crawled under the car and couldn't find anything loose...
Any ideas?

 

I get the same noise once in a while - like a 2 liter is rolling in the trunk - after changing mine. Only thing I can think of is worn bushings that were masked by the bad struts...

 

Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like... A side to side rolling noise.
What bushings are they? Did you end up replacing yours?

Now I am scared to change the front struts...!

Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas Jim!

 

And Merry Christmas to you!

Go ahead and do the fronts.. figure out the noise later

 

OK, this is real bad. The car tracks like crap, especially with just 1/2 people on board, and bit better with 4 + a full trunk but not by much.
Any idea which bushings I need to replace? Is this a common thing? Any suggestions?

 

oh.. I have no idea...? I just have the same noise, but mine tracks/rides great. Different car too...


However, I will look into... in the mean time, if you have a rear sway bar and/or rear diff mount look at them..

 

Assuming you did not have this problem before changing the rear shocks, the problem lies in your reassembly of the components. Since you say eveything is tight, something must be but together incorrectly. Take it all apart and slowly reassemble it. Look for a witness mark where the moving parts are rubbing against each other and then the problem should be obvious leading to a Homer moment: "D'uh"!

Bob

 

I already re-did one side entirely, pulling the shock out, even taking the spring off, then put it all back on.
I'll try the other side this weekend... hoping for that "D'uh"moment.
Question: am I supposed to grease any of the bushings? The only ones that came of entirely were the sway bar bushings. I did not grease as I was not aware that I "might" have to do that.
I did tighten everything with the suspensions loaded (hydraulic jack under the arms).
Still trying to figure out what I might have missed...

 

No need to grease the bushings as they don't rotate on a shaft, they just deform. BTW, you DID wait until the car was on the ground before tightening the control arm bolts, didn't you?

Bob

 

I used a jack under the shock to apply a load similar to the weight of the car.