I've just bought a 2010 A5 Coupe S-Line, during the test drive it drove fine - steering was a little heavier than expected but not dramatically so. Since then ( about 2 weeks later ) theres a bit of a constant " clunk" from the front left and everynow and again, at low speed, 5mph or so and under breaking there has been quite a loud bang, from both front left and front right, like something is shifting forward. A little bit of google work suggested it could be control arm / control arm bushings - has anyone had a similar issue and if so was it crazy ££ to put right? 

 

Thanks

 

David 

Welcome David and sorry to hear of your issue. 
A couple of questions to help us give you the best advice we can:- 

Did you buy it from a dealer or a private individual? 
What mileage has it done since it was last subjected to your equivalent of our MOT, and when was that test carried out? 
Regards,

Gareth. 

Thanks for the reply Gareth,  I bought it from a private sell - i had paid for a full car check before the purchase and all the MOT history looked fine, the odd fail here and there for tyre wear etc but nothing major. its on 129K miles and its passed MOT in Feb 2025 so due another in Feb 2026, in between MOT i think from memory its done about 6K

Many thanks David.

As you probably know, your route to getting any recompense from the private seller will be down a very rough road, so best to forget it. 
We like to be as helpful and progressive as we can on here, and yes many members can/will come up with a variety of possible culprits - from anti roll bar bushes to broken springs, and most things in between, and yes you can Google it to death, but no one can actually positively pin point the source of the noise without examining the car.

My route to isolating the offender would be to get a trusted local garage to inspect the car, and let you know where the problem lies and what the cost will be to repair it. 
My guess (in caps) would be on a broken spring near its end, but a guess it is, and I wouldn’t put money on it. 
Please let us know how you get on David.

Regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Re heavy steering - have you checked and adjusted the tyre pressures to the recommended settings? 

Thanks Gareth, all sound advice. I called the local VW garage and they do a diagnostic service for £150, but was interested in what other might think it would be before I booked the car in. 

Tire pressure is another good shout, I can check that at the local garage, visually and physically they seem fine ( new alloys and tires fitted before i bought it ) also need to check the power steering reservoir when the car in level ( my drive is not level in anyway )

thanks for the feedback will update when i get an answer from the garage!

 

 

 

Thanks David, but why a diagnostic check for a noise? 

I haven't booked the diagnostic yet, but thought it would be a good idea to get the car on a ramp and find out what the issue is, and how much it would cost to put right - I thought this would be the best way of identifying the issue? maybe the term diagnostic is wrong, i think its basically a physically inspection

 

Thanks

 

David 

Thanks for clarifying the diagnostics bit David.

‘Local VW garage’ …. would that be a main dealer type garage? If so that explains the high charge. If not, it seems expensive in terms of what you are after is no more than part of a basic MOT ( in our terms). 
Please let us know how you get on.

Regards,

Gareth. 

Thanks Gareth,

Yeah the VW garage is a dealer, which has a good reputation but noted that the costs would be higher. I've contacted a few independent garages as well so will come back with what they say. I'd rather get the issue fixed before the MOT in feb.

Thanks for all the help!  

The car is at Kwik Fit now for a free inspection so I'll let the forum know what they say is wrong and how much ££

Kwik Fit. Good luck with that David! 

so they said they think its the upper control arms but that its not something they would tackle in terms of work, so it sounds like im back looking for another garage or a VW main dealer garage. He did say it wasnt a safety issue and that nothing would fall off but best to get it fixed sooner rather than later, and he guessed at £150 if the bolts come out easily...more if not.

not a resolution but they guy was pretty helpful

slight update. I spoke to local garage and this guy seemed quite clued in. He said its a bit of an issue with these cars as its a steel bolt going through an aluminium carrier and if the bolt snaps when trying to remove it, then it can get quite costly quite quickly. 

He has offered to have a look at it on a ramp and see what he thinks the issue is - 2nd opinion kinda deal - fingers crossed 

Kwikfit not umdertaking top arms on a multilink suspension vehicle says it all. This is bread and butter stuff.

If its top arms, which can be diagnosed with worn bushes is straight forward for a well equipped garage. It's a steel bolt on an alloy strut. Heat first with induction ring. Obviously clean area first. The pinch bolt as its know can be a pain. Air hammer too as aluminium oxide corrosion siezes it solid. Klann make a specific tool, or even Laser have a cheap option. Lemforder or Meyle HD for arms, don't be fobbed off with anything else. Get tracking alignment afterwards.

thanks for the feedback, the 2nd garage i spoke to seemed alot more in the know and knew a lot more about the set up of the suspension etc. I think on reflection maybe kwik fit looked at it and thought it wasnt worth their time? 

booked into local garage ( with 4.8 rating ) on friday for a second opinion - will let you know how i get on

 

Thanks again

 

 

@spartacus 68 you dont have those tools with you and happen to be in county antrim do you haha

back from the local garage, they

put the car up on the ramp and had a look around. They reckon that the pinch bolt was fine and there was no rattle or movement. They showed me the  lower front suspension arms and the bushings appeared to be perished - you could see daylight around them, so it seems like 2 new lower front arms are needed ( £477 parts and labour incl VAT )

They checked the callipers and rotors and springs while they and I was there and nothing else seemed to rattle...

On 11/5/2025 at 9:00 AM, DavideNUFC86 said:

@spartacus 68 you dont have those tools with you and happen to be in county antrim do you haha

Got an air hammer, but my budget doesn't quite extend to induction heater! Saw you've had it diagnosed as lower arms. These could be hydra-bushes, so OE as before such as Lemforder.

Thanks @spartacus 68 hoping for a slot at the garage this friday so will let you know how it goes - hopefully thats the end of the rattle and bang. Thanks for you help all

 

 

just a quick update i had both lower control arms replaced and it seems to have sorted the issue

just another quick update, might be useful for anyone buying similar aged A5 as mine ( 2010 B8 ) I've had the discs and pads replaced all round. Additional item included on calliper which was seized, and one of the pads had sheared off the backing plate and split in half.....so that was fun