Damnit (UPDATED)

"Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen" (sportwagen)
02/06/2015 at 10:10 • Filed to: None

EDIT: I think one of the rear springs is broken... I jacked the car up a couple of weeks ago and heard a loud bang... but the car drove fine. Now it clunks when I turn or go over bumps... sounds a lot like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to be honest...

Ever since I went and got a puncture in a tire fixed on tuesday, my car has had an interesting problem. When the rear control arms move (like when I hit a bump or take a corner quickly) I hear a pretty loud *clunk* like something is rolling around in the spare tire well and hitting the wall... I think something is loose, but I don't know what... help?

Vehicle is a 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI with 84k miles

DISCUSSION (20)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 09:36

Sounds almost like a loose shock. I'm assuming you've already checked the tire well/etc.?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 09:37

Could you have damaged a ball-joint with whatever caused the puncture? Did that wheel hit something hard?

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/06/2015 at 09:37

Checked to make sure the wheel was on and nothing was rubbing... I should probably get the car jacked up and on stands and check the rear suspension

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
02/06/2015 at 09:39

I have dragged the passenger side control arm on a curb before, but nothing on the driver side... the puncture was caused by a pice of metal about 1.5 inches long (basically a broken nail)

Jcarr > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 09:40

Did you use your spare/jack? I know on my MkV Jetta, the jack can rattle around in the well if it's not properly strapped in.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 09:44

If it was me I'd go back to the store and tell them about it. Keep calm and let them take a look to see if they missed anything or screwed something up. Either way they should at least find the source of the noise and sort it out. If your lucky or nice it might cost you nothing.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Jcarr
02/06/2015 at 09:46

Yes, but it is completely strapped back down... I made sure

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast
02/06/2015 at 09:47

I might check for myself this afternoon... if I can't figure it out I'll have them check it

Jcarr > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 09:52

Only other experience I have is that the end of one of my coil springs broke off and then sat in the control arm and rattled around over every bump, but that doesn't exactly sound like your issue.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 09:57

Good plan. If you can find the cause and it's not something they did then no harm. If you find its their fault you'll have the proof because you have seen it first hand.

I'm just speaking from experience. If they can get away with bullshitting you, they will, not always but it happens.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Jcarr
02/06/2015 at 10:01

Hey, if that happened... I would be fine because I would be getting new lowering springs!

Desu-San-Desu > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 10:16

Check your control arm bushings and your strut tower mounts.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Desu-San-Desu
02/06/2015 at 10:17

I will but I'm not sure it's that now...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 10:19

Time to swap in the air suspension from a Range Rover.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/06/2015 at 10:21

-_- No

How about H&R Sport Springs?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 10:24

I wouldn't know. I don't do anything custom on suspension unless reason has gone completely out the window. I'm just an unfrozen caveman hot rodder - your off-the-shelf custom-fitted solutions frighten and confuse me.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 10:24

The update has made me think of another possible cause.

If it's not the spring rusting through it may be possible that the coil has shifted. It can happen when it's jacked up and there's no weight on it. If the coil rotates enough while the suspension is at its full drop and dosemt return to it's original position when back on the ground, it could 'clunk' or make a similar noise as it is compressed.

Funktheduck > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 10:53

Time to put it out to pasture. Grab your shotgun and put it out of its misery.

In all seriousness I have nothing useful to add except put it back up on a jack and take a look. Maybe the spring came out of place. Coil springs not only compress but spin slightly in place. If the strut or spring cup (whatever it's called) is designed to hold the spring in a specific position, it could be as simple as the spring moved when you jacked it up and it's twisting out of place.

Huh, guess I did have something potentially useful to add.

I don't think it's likely the spring broke just from jacking it up. Spring steel is incredibly strong and if they broke every time the car was put on a lift or jacked up we would be dead from broken suspension crashes all the time.

Saoul-Virage > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/06/2015 at 11:29

I don't know the shape of your rear supsension, is it a twist-beam with separate location for spring and shock absorbers ? If it is, check that the exterior of the spring don't rub against the twist beam under compression (due to an impact which distorted it).

I know it's not very clear but I had this problem and it takes time to figure from where the clunk come from.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Saoul-Virage
02/06/2015 at 11:49

I'm not sure... it's IRS but that's about all I know about it