VW Beetle Forum banner
Cancel

2000 VW beetle banging noise from left rear

8873 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Djaylulu, 
A
2000 VW beetle with 130,000 miles. I just replaced the rear shocks and shock mounts and now I have a loud banging noise when driving over bumps (it even makes this noise when you sit down in the seat so it doesn't take much of a bump). Any thought on what this might be? the noise didn't exist until I changed the shocks. I didn't replace them with expensive shocks so maybe it could be a defect with the new shock?
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
R
I'd recheck the strut mount. Maybe it was not installed or tightened properly. There is also the bushing for the rear axle.
Reply
Save
Like
T
You used new bolts on those upper shock mounts, right? They're TTY.

Your noise is likely a bad suspension bushing. Cheap to buy, a bit of a pain to change. I made this tool to change mine on my 2000 Jetta:





Here's the instal page from the manual:



Don't buy aftermarket bushings. The good, updated ones from the dealer.
See less See more
3
Reply
Save
Like
esse10
bushing

Here is a picture of mine which went bad 2 years ago and still haven't change it out, You can see the dry rotted crack, car still drives okay though. @turboturbo, was that a difficult job? an all day type deal? Do you have to remove the whole rear axle off the car?

Attachments

See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
A
I'll check my axle bushing tonight to see if they have any obvious signs that they may need replaced. I just don't understand why the noise would immediately start after changing the shocks and mounts?
Reply
Save
Like
T
I didn't drop the complete axle, I did the work on a hoist, and supported the beam with tall stands. It would have been an extreme pain without the tool I made. A ball joint tool is not big enough. C clamps weren't working. So, I went home, and made that tool. Back at the shop next morning, the bushings went in in five minutes.

My left bush was completely shot. Metal on metal, it made a horrible clunking noise. Car was silent, and handled much better after the work.
Reply
Save
Like
R
esse10 said:
Here is a picture of mine which went bad 2 years ago and still haven't change it out, You can see the dry rotted crack, car still drives okay though. @turboturbo, was that a difficult job? an all day type deal? Do you have to remove the whole rear axle off the car?
Click to expand...
I did mine last summer. I took pictures for a DIY but haven't got around to writing it yet. I jacked up the back and removed the whole axle. In my opinion that is the way to go because of how hard it is to remove and replace the bushing into its bore. It took 2 or 3 days, but I was going slow and didn't need the car at the time. The car was squirrely cornering over bumps before I did it, much more stable after. My bushings weren't nearly as bad as your picture and I never noticed any noises.
Reply
Save
Like
esse10
thanks

red99 said:
I did mine last summer. I took pictures for a DIY but haven't got around to writing it yet. I jacked up the back and removed the whole axle. In my opinion that is the way to go because of how hard it is to remove and replace the bushing into its bore. It took 2 or 3 days, but I was going slow and didn't need the car at the time. The car was squirrely cornering over bumps before I did it, much more stable after. My bushings weren't nearly as bad as your picture and I never noticed any noises.
Click to expand...
k, thanks for the feedback fellas I'll do mine some time in the near future or if it starts making noises or something. A DIY would be a good thing red99. We could put it to good use here at newbeetle.org
Reply
Save
Like
A
After dealing with this issue for a couple months I finally took the time to look into the noise and determined that it was coming from the shocks themselves. They were under warranty so I took them back and replaced them with the more expensive shock and the noise is gone.:)
Reply
Save
Like
Djaylulu
esse10 said:
Here is a picture of mine which went bad 2 years ago and still haven't change it out, You can see the dry rotted crack, car still drives okay though. @turboturbo, was that a difficult job? an all day type deal? Do you have to remove the whole rear axle off the car?
Click to expand...
Wont this be an inspection fail?
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
VW Beetle Forum
The New Beetle forum, come in and join our discussions on the new Volkswagen Beetle. Talk about modifications, performance and color choices.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Photos: New Beetles Questions, Issues or Problems with the New Beetle 2.0 Liter Gas 1.8 Liter Turbo New Member Forum
Top