I have a '99 1.8T Quattro with 72,XXX miles.

I've been noticing some rattling / vibrating getting worse. About 2000 miles ago I got new Michelin tires mounted and balanced. There was some initial road noise from the new tires but that has subsided. There are 3 different noises that I'm now getting concerned with.

1) Tinging sound when excelerating. (I think I found aspot where the exhaust is hitting a suspension mounting point). However, it still sounds like it's coming from the front of the car and I didn't know if it could be anything else.

2) Fairly loud hum coming from the rear. It isn't the same as the tire hum that I did have. I was thinking bearings but I don'tknow. The pitch changes with the speed of the car so it's either drivetrain or wheel related.

3) When excelerating through a turn or excelerating from a stop, there is a sensation that feels like a tire is breaking loose. (Pretty nasty vibration) However, that's not possible since it's perfectly dry out with new tires andI'm in nowway excessively excelerating.

I'm going to put the car up on jacks this weekend and inspect the suspension for anything loose or broken. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Thanks!

 

2) wheel bearing
3) tie rod end(s), control arm/ball joint.

 

Good, so I might be on the right track. Anybody know where I can get new wheel bearings cheap? Also, if there is a problem with the tie rods or control arms where can I get those?

 

Well, after laying under the car and inspecting every suspension piece, I have no idea what's wrong. All components look to be in good shape and I see nothing loose, broken or damaged. The only thing I did find was that the 2nd to last exhaust hanger was totally missing. So, I'll get that replaced to correct the tinging sound. I also tried rocking the wheels and seemed very tight without any bearing play. However, I'm going to try and take one apart tomorrow and see how it looks.

So...does anybody else have any ideas? I'm at a loss now and don't know the car well enough to know what might be causing these noises.

Thanks.

 

i'm also missing that same hanger but i don't have any sounds. for your 3) where do you feel the vibration? seat, steering wheel, pedal? as for the hum, does the sound increase when you do a left or right hand turn. go on the highway when there's not many cars out and swerve the lanes a bit. also, put your car up on jacks and drive. have someone listening for the sounds

 

ECStuning has wheel bearings. Put the car on jack stands and rotate the tire. There should be a faint growl. Front end could be lots of stuff esp tie rod end.

Humm from the rear could be fuel pump or bearing. Try driving at a constant speed and slightly turning the steering wheel to the left, and then to the right. This should make bearing noise change in intensity as the load on the bearing changes. If you are quattro, also check your rear diff gear oil level.

 

hiwords - The vibration can be felt through the seat. It is a whole car vibration which is why I'm concerned. The sound stays fairly constant while I'm driving.

david9999 - I put the car on jacks and turned all 4 wheels and didn't notice anything. I think next I want to check the rear diff oil level. Where is the hole to check this and do I just stick my finger in to determine the level?

I checked every tie rod end and they all looked good. I think my next option is to dosome spirited driving and see if I can shake anything loose!

Thanks for the help so far!

 

Jack each front wheel up. Shake the tires at 9 -3 o'clock.
If loose, check the links.

 

Tried that this weekend. I put the entire car up on jack stands and tried to shake each wheel. They were solid as a rock. It's very frustrating when it seems like something major should be broke or loose or missing but I can't find anything!!