thall6594

My 2002 A6 with 155k on it started to make a creaking sound in the front right. The ride is still smooth and there is no clunking noise or anything like that. Is it my control arm bushings?

GTA_Driver

Maybe. Could be any number of bushings. Control arms (upper, lower, forward, rear), spring crack, headlight leveling control arm, sway bar bushings, etc...

thall6594

Is there any way I can figure out which one it is? Maybe spray water on them and see if stops?

Airbag

dont forget your tie rod ends ... im going with this

as GTA points out there is a LOT going on under there .. more info would be helpfull..
creaks when turning ? , going over bumps ? straight and true road ?

Huskerbob

Well, there are 9 possibilities to look at but a squeak should be coming from one of the bushings rather than a ball joint. Try lightly oiling them one at a time. Use WD40.

You have 2 upper control arm and 2 lower control arm bushings, inner, as well as the sway bar bushing.

If the squeak is still there then go for the ball joints at the outer ends of the control arms and the tie rod end.

This sounds like a fun project.

thall6594

My steering rack went out about a month ago and I had that and my tie rods replaced, I completely forgot about the creaking sound when I had that work done, would have been the best time to get it taken care of...

I'll go ahead and try greasing the bushings one at a time until I can figure out which one it is.

Just Me

Typically, creaking is not a bushing, but rather a ball joint, and can be remedied, if caught early, with a syringe, grease and sealant.

They are in fact tough to track down, whether creaking or clunking (more typical of a bushing).

Grant

Zaphodb17

I've got kind of the same problem with my 2001 A6 W/135k on it. However, it sounds more like the upper bearing plate of the strut assembly. And it only happens when the suspension gets hot, like, 90 degrees or more. When I get the chance, I'll find out what it is and post the results.

thall6594

I tried spraying a couple bushings to no avail. Could someone show me a picture of the bushings that I should try?

Huskerbob

Pull that wheel and lubricate everything that looks like it moves. It's fairly evident when you are looking at it. The tie rod end will be the one that is steering related. Sort of upper and towards the rear.

There are control arms as well so give all them a dose too. There will be a rubber boots on the ball joints so look for those. They can be greased with a syringe but if they are loose it's best to replace them.