bigdadi

Didn't you have an alignment for past 100k mi and these works done on your front ends? Did you have alignment in new tires put on? How much does alignment cost?

RMsALFA

So, I'm going to find someplace with a high tech alignment set up that knows VAG suspensions and check it out. That will determine the next move - control arm service.

I'll report back - looks like others have the same issue. Further comments are welcome !

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Front assembly probably refers to putting the front in service position...I can't imaging having to remove it to replace an alternator. IIRC, the alternator can even be removed w/o going to service position if the long mounting bolt can be removed.

FWIW, I had to put my 2K4.2 into service position to remove the alternator and the oil cooler mount/casting and it didn't come anywhere close to screwing with anything that would affect alignment.

RMsALFA

That's what I figured. I've ruled out past maintenance as a cause. It was either a freak thing, an alignment issue or IS being caused by control arm bushing wear. The upcoming appointment with a alignment rack will tell more.

PPGOAL

I had a similar inside wear problem with Cooper tires a few years ago. The dealer blamed the alignment, but it had been aligned before the tires were installed and when checked again, was still in tolerance. I replaced them with Continentals and did not have a recurrence. When I replaced my second set of Pirelli P6s last summer I had it aligned again (143k miles). When I went in for my summer-to-winter swap last week (178k) and alignment check, they found the top control arm worn on one side and told me to replace it before they could check alignment. That's being done today, then I will have the alignment checked again. So good control arms and alignment are both necessary.

RMsALFA

Thanks for that. I have another question...

I have to admit that the rubbers on the tie rod ends are both torn. There seems to be no 'play' in the TRE and there is only a very occasional 'clunk' that might be attributed to a worn TRE.

I was assuming the cause of the smoked edges on the front tires was a camber related thing. IS IT POSSIBLE it's from out-of-spec toe due to worn TRE's ? ?

RMsALFA

I wanted to add more info to this thread in case anybody searched it in the future.

I replaced both outer tie rod ends (Meyle HD units) as they were pretty worn. The toe was set back to spec afterwards. Hopefully, the described tire wear was caused by excessive toe-out related to the worn out rod ends. I see no unusual play in the control arm ball joints or bushings.

Now, the only thing to do is drive and keep a sharp eye on the inside of my winter tires. IF the wear continues and further work is needeg, I'll post again.

Thanks for the assist.

jseklund

Sorry to chime in late here - but I had VERY similar wear on a single front tire about 8 months ago.

I had been driving around on a shot CV joint and didn't have a chance to fix it. It got VERY bad before I got the part and actually took it all apart. When I took the tire off of the wheel with the blown CV joint, it had a 1/4" groove around the entire edge toward the inside of the car. I didn't put it back on the car and used my full spare.

After replacing the CV Joint and putting on the full spare, the groove did not re-occur. I am assuming the tie-rod somehow let the wheel play just enough to come into contact with the upright, which sits very close to the edge of the wheel...just a hypothesis though.

I put 4 new continentals on a few months later and had it aligned.

All in all, my problem is solved - and alignment may have done it - but the CV Joint seemed to play a real role. If the suspension stuff (which seems more likely) doesn't fix the problem, check the CV joints.

Good luck!

RMsALFA

My first thought upon seeing the damage was that 'somehow' the tire was rubbing the upright because, yes, it's very close with 235/45-17's. But, there was no apparent rub mark. The DS tire was so bad it would have made a serious blemish.

Thanks jseklund - did you know the CV was bad by the noise and vibration they usually make ? Or, was it a 'silent' failure ?

Anybody have 2 decent Dunlop SP9090's or SP9000's in 235/45-17 ??

jseklund

Oh yeah - in my case the CV joint was making a serious clicking noise before I changed it. When it starts it's more subtle and usually only in turns. As it got worse I could hear it all the time. It can hum a little too - but the click is usually the tell-tail.

When you have the car up on jack stands next time (not a lift, jack, etc), get under it and look at the boots and see if they're torn or if there's any grease in the wheel hub or near where the axle goes into the transmission. These joints are pretty solid and usually, in my limited experience and research, will not fail unless the boot is torn and grease is getting out. If the accordion is pressed together, gently spread the folds and inspect for tears.

It could be just an alignment issue - this is just something else to check into.