tjj

My only problem with my '98 A6 Q has been suspension.

I was under warranty till now and had a couple bushings and a control rod replaced.

Today, I've taken my car to an indepedent service shop (which is highly regarded locally).
I told them over the phone I had a creaky front-end. And his response was, 'Is this an Audi?'

Of course I said yes, and he said he has had least a dozen Audis in the last couple weeks with similar noise, but that not all squeaks are created by the same problem.

Interesting.

Still love my car though.

muhammadc

Mine was the rear though. My mechanic said the front usually squeaks before the rear. A few others have had the rear problems like mine... just more proof that there is the potential for suspension problems with this car once you get some miles on them (mine has 70k).

I had the lower control arm (the big arms) bolts cleaned and re-torqued first. That fixed things for a few days. Then, when the squeaking came back I had one set of bushings replaced. Then with even more squeaking, I had the camber adjusting link cleaned/lubricated, and now there are no squeaks. Only the bushings on mine were covered by warranty, since they were "shot" anyway... with quite a bit of play and also clunking.

Cole 2.8Q

I have the same problem with my 99 2.8Q...I am scheduling an appointment with my dealer. Should I tell them to look for something specifically or do you think they will know what the problem is? It is coming from the left front of the car.

tjj

Fixed ---- $445 - Right front lower control arm replaced.

allroad'Ed now

Although only the left front was making noise, dealer replaced both lower arms and the sway bar drop links. Their feeling is that if one side is bad today, it is only a matter of time before the other side goes too.
I, too, was just out of warranty by time but the extended warranty paid for the whole job. Quiet as a church mouse now.
However- alignment was not included. AoA says it isn't necessary. But I got my car back with the steering wheel off center. Couldn't convince anyone that it was the result of the work. Ended up paying for an alignment myself.

jink13

I have a 98 A4 2.8 with 34k miles. It started creaking slightly about 6 months ago and progressively got worse. Now the Audi dealer says both lower control arms, both sway bars and the upper arms and links and the inner and outer tie rods need to be replaced. How can a car with only 34000 miles need the entire suspension replaced? I've requested/demanded that Audi cover the replacement - quoted at $2900 by the dealer. We'll see what happens.