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Vibration/wobble from front end

P

Paul Hill

tomahawk
Messages
6
Location
Co.Armagh N.Ireland
Vehicle
T5 SE 180 4Motion
Hi I have a 2013 cali se 4motion dsg I bought it about a year ago but the last couple of months i have been noticing a wobble when under load at low revs approx 1800 - 2300 revs when coasting it disappears so i think i can rule out tyres wheels etc. I have been reading various transporter forums some show same symtoms but no clear solution to problem, at first it looked like haldex so I had it disconnected which changed the wobble but didnt eliminate it so connected back and the strange thing is about 90% of the wobble went away for a few days but came back again, the next thing we tried was to remove the prop shaft to eliminate drive train and haldex etc this made the wobble worse and a lot more pronounced at the front so shaft is back on again. the next stage we`re going to check front drive shafts after that I`m at a loss, has anyone ever heard of anything like this i know my mechanic hasnt and after reading on forums about people taking their vans to vw and having haldex replaced prop shafts spending £££s and still no solution im a little worried.
 
Hi I have a 2013 cali se 4motion dsg I bought it about a year ago but the last couple of months i have been noticing a wobble when under load at low revs approx 1800 - 2300 revs when coasting it disappears so i think i can rule out tyres wheels etc. I have been reading various transporter forums some show same symtoms but no clear solution to problem, at first it looked like haldex so I had it disconnected which changed the wobble but didnt eliminate it so connected back and the strange thing is about 90% of the wobble went away for a few days but came back again, the next thing we tried was to remove the prop shaft to eliminate drive train and haldex etc this made the wobble worse and a lot more pronounced at the front so shaft is back on again. the next stage we`re going to check front drive shafts after that I`m at a loss, has anyone ever heard of anything like this i know my mechanic hasnt and after reading on forums about people taking their vans to vw and having haldex replaced prop shafts spending £££s and still no solution im a little worried.
Perhaps it's worth going back to tyres and checking them again. All the basic checks you've probably done like checking all tyres are the same size, inflation pressure etc. May sound silly and perhaps you've done all this already but as it's second hand it's still worth double checking.As it's 4 Motion the tyres need to be ideally all similar wear. Just on Sunday we had our 3rd Hankook RA23 235/55R17 103H tyres bulge on us and cause an enormous wobble. 2nd one was the day before, and first one was 2 months ago. All being replaced under warranty. Worth doing a visual and physical check of each tyre tho to rule out. 2 cents worth. Good luck.
 
What do you mean by a "wobble"?
Is it steering wheel vibration or the whole van vibrating?

Is there any noise associated?

More info please?
 
What do you mean by a "wobble"?
Is it steering wheel vibration or the whole van vibrating?

Is there any noise associated?

More info please?
The van appears to wobble side to side the van does does not shake through steering wheel.I think it wobbles a bit more on left side you can visably see the armrest on passenger seat shake. My van as it happens is in all day with my mechanic so hopefully have some answers this evening.
 
The van appears to wobble side to side the van does does not shake through steering wheel.I think it wobbles a bit more on left side you can visably see the armrest on passenger seat shake. My van as it happens is in all day with my mechanic so hopefully have some answers this evening.
Any News on the cause?
 
Any News on the cause?
Yes to some degree, both drive shafts are not running true and there is play in cv joints still dont understand how this happens it has been driven very carefully, so going around this morning to get price for 2 shafts if this doesnt work it looks like its dsg gearbox.
 
Yes to some degree, both drive shafts are not running true and there is play in cv joints still dont understand how this happens it has been driven very carefully, so going around this morning to get price for 2 shafts if this doesnt work it looks like its dsg gearbox.
How many miles?
 
I had a similar visible bounce of the passenger seat on a Tiptronic 178 that I owned briefly. The problem was caused by replacing rear tyres which had become shaped like 50p's through prolonged storage.
Doesn't sound like that's your problem, but hopefully may help someone in the future who come across this thread.
 
Hi Paul,
A few weeks ago, I posted a similar problem on the T5 & 6 technical forum. Please do a search and have a look at the responses I received. I am afraid not much, but it seems we have the same problem.
Regards
Chris
Cape Town
cfm65@me.com
 
Hi I have a 2013 cali se 4motion dsg I bought it about a year ago but the last couple of months i have been noticing a wobble when under load at low revs approx 1800 - 2300 revs when coasting it disappears so i think i can rule out tyres wheels etc. I have been reading various transporter forums some show same symtoms but no clear solution to problem, at first it looked like haldex so I had it disconnected which changed the wobble but didnt eliminate it so connected back and the strange thing is about 90% of the wobble went away for a few days but came back again, the next thing we tried was to remove the prop shaft to eliminate drive train and haldex etc this made the wobble worse and a lot more pronounced at the front so shaft is back on again. the next stage we`re going to check front drive shafts after that I`m at a loss, has anyone ever heard of anything like this i know my mechanic hasnt and after reading on forums about people taking their vans to vw and having haldex replaced prop shafts spending £££s and still no solution im a little worried.

Hi Paul,

I appreciate this thread was started a few years ago but I'm experiencing a similar wobble/vibration on my 2013 Sportline (50,000 miles) that starts at around 70/75mph and having tried wheel balancing, swapping fronts to back and vice versa and even new wheels. I'm having to consider further investigation and outlay of my hard earned as it is driving me crackers!
Did you get to the bottom of the problem?
Regards,
Jase
 
Yes I replaced both front drive shafts and the problem was solved I dont know why they both had a slight bend in them, the only thing I can put it down to is that i drove through a muddy field and the traction control was quite aggressive putting power to and from different wheels to get grip. Anyway put your van on an inspectiion ramp or pit and hold a screwdriver against the shaft as you turn wheel and see if you can sense any irregularities.

Paul
 
the only thing I can put it down to is that i drove through a muddy field and the traction control was quite aggressive putting power to and from different wheels to get grip.

Paul

Including all of the daily Brexit crap, literally the most ridiculous thing I’ve read today.
 
Loss of a wheel balance weight?
Def not wheels/tyres. It's been an issue for a while and as I say I've put the OEM Sportline wheels with new tyres on, new Wolfrace wheels with two different sets of tyres ( winter and summer) on and it won't go away. A recent holiday down to the Alps is the the proverbial straw and I now have to get to the bottom of it.
 
Yes I replaced both front drive shafts and the problem was solved I dont know why they both had a slight bend in them, the only thing I can put it down to is that i drove through a muddy field and the traction control was quite aggressive putting power to and from different wheels to get grip. Anyway put your van on an inspectiion ramp or pit and hold a screwdriver against the shaft as you turn wheel and see if you can sense any irregularities.

Paul
I spoke to a mechanic the other day and he'd only the week before changed drive shafts on one that had a slight throw in them which was giving the same symptoms. You've confirmed what he said really.
Many thanks for the reply.
Jase
 
I spoke to a mechanic the other day and he'd only the week before changed drive shafts on one that had a slight throw in them which was giving the same symptoms. You've confirmed what he said really.
Many thanks for the reply.
Jase
I think drive shafts in transporters can be a problem. We also had a nasty vibration when the DMF was on the way out with our last van - a T5.
 
I had the same issue with the driveshafts, I was experiencing shaking through the wheel, pedals, and body though. I made a video of how to remove and replace, may be of help to someone.


Thanks,
Adam.
 
Hi, I have a 2013 Caravelle TDI 103 with a just replaced secondhand dsg box with 100.000km on it.
I feel a subtle wobble/vibration that seems coming from the front-left side of the van, no steering wheel.

It wobbles when under load at low revs approx 1800 - 2000 revs. Is more noticeable in 2nd gear just before changing to 3rd and you can feel it also on 3rd gear sometimes. Uphill is more present and is not noticeable when downhill or not on load. In the rest of gears seems to be fine.

I did the balancing of the wheels and changed the 2 driveshafts and the vibration got a bit more smooth but still there. The wobble is very subtle but the secondhand gearbox still on warranty so I would like to get this fixed to disregard it could be something related to that.

Any ideas? did anyone found a solution for a similar wobble other than changing driveshafts?
 
I had EXACTLY the same problem recently (despite having just had a major service at a VW van centre...that's another story) and a mechanic noticed the engine mounts were very badly worn. New mounts and the problem has completely gone. At high revs the engine was basically shaking the van back and forth.

please shout if you want more details
 
Have a 2021 California Ocean 4 Motion, only has a couple of hundred miles on it but I’ve recently noticed when pulling away from about 6MPH up to around 13MPH you get a wobble, it feels like a loose wheel or the steering is being pulled from left to right in a micro movement, it’s a bit disconcerting so I’ll have a word with the dealer (yeah wish me luck on that one)
 
So were the wheel nuts loose when you checked them?
 
Hi all

I had a similar problem. Mine was at about 50mph. Very scary wobble. Turned out the engine bolts had worked loose. So the engine was basically wobbling itself loose. New bolts transformed the drive. Hope this helps.
 
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