Max Rebo1

When we drove our car off the lot (new) recently, I noticed that there was a lot of slop on the drivetrain during the shifting process. It's been remedied a little with the APR snub mount, though the problem still persists. I thought the APR snub mount would have a greater effect, so maybe something else is going on here?

Basically, what I'm experiencing is a "thunk" that can be heard and felt after I shift, let the clutch out, and step on the gas. Unless I slip the clutch, the "thunk" always occurs to some extent. Additionally, it sounds as if it's coming from below the rear/hatch area of the car.

I recently read someone's post about a bad rear differential mount. Could this be the problem? We're getting the car back from the dealer today. I asked them to check it out after describing the problem, so we'll see how it goes.

Also FYI, besides the snub mount and snow tires, the car is stock. No Dorito or anything.

Thanks for any insight...

Mike@VAST

You might want to talk to Ed Palosic or Hal S4 about it...they probably have some insight.

Andy Hedin

...I guess I've gotten better with the throttle/clutch as the noise has pretty much disappeared. Only time I notice it now is when I have the A/C on...I guess the additional power drain from the compressor forces me to adjust how much throttle I give the car when taking off and I haven't compensated enough, thus the thunk.

But when new, I noticed a dull "thunk" pretty much every time I shifted the car.

Please let us know what your dealer finds, but I'm guessing he is going to say it's normal. I've seen people post about this "problem" quite a bit over the past 6-7 months.

BaysideRS4

almost every time I shifted, a very noticeable thunk. Turns out in my case it was me not properly driving the car. Are you letting the revs drop too much before you engage the gear? This was my problem.

Max Rebo1

...make the shift reasonably quick, then I definitely can produce the noise. When my shifts are quick and I make sure to keep the revs up between gears, it's smooth. Maybe that's just it?

The feel of the clutch and gearbox is totally different than my Mk4 VR6. I guess it's just a matter of getting used to the S4 'box.

Thanks for the advice, guys...

Third ROC

I don't know what the mount looked like, but the tech showed me where there were obvious signs of the nose cone of the rear diff. rubbing the underside of the body. There were rubbing marks on the underside of the car and the oxidation on the metal of the diff. (rust-colored stuff) was worn away where it was rubbing (so it was shiny silver color). The nose cone is black, but there is a joint that has a metal ring which was the part that was rubbing. At least, that is the way I remember everything. I guess I should have brought a camera...

Hope this helps.

GSDvhcl

I think this is common. I had the same problem, mostly shifting into second, but also into 5th and 6th. Personally I think its driveline lash due to quattro. I started out slipping the clutch to eliminate it. Now I rev match on up shifts much more consistently. It's just taken a bit of practice. Unfortunately this is also the reason my wife compains about driving the car. She's driven sticks more than I and she still doesn't have the hang of it.

Max Rebo1

Ready for this? I'm glad I asked the dealer to look at it. Here's what the service slip said:

"Missing nut from left rear lower stabilizer link. Replace missing nut."

That could have turned into something really bad if it wasn't found!