FYI: If you wack your tracking out...

[stiglet]

....by hitting something hard with one of the front wheels and you can't work out what it is that's bent, it's probably the bracket on the rack.

A few weeks ago, I hit something very hard with the passenger side front wheel (a ditch I think) and the resulting damage was massive toe out. After getting the car on the ramps and searching for hours, we (me and my mechanic friend) couldn't find anything wrong and just assumed that the strut had bent in some way. We did the tracking on the front wheels back to normal, and all was fine (although knowing that something was bent!). Since then i've driven about 2k miles and done a trackday. No problems, all felt normal.

Well, today, whilst taking apart my tie rods I found that mysterious bent part. On the steering bracket where the two inner ends of the tie rods attach, there is a small T-shaped bracket which consists of a 3 inch long plate and 2 bolts pressed into it (if you've taken this apart before you'll know what I mean!). It was this that was bent. Put it in a press, applied 4 tonnes, all good again. So no biggie.

Just thought it was useful info if anybody ever has the same problem I guess this is the weak spot in the steering.

[hibby]

It was the threaded rod that bent on mine.




I guess it depends on how you hit it.


But that is a good wee tip all the same. I know the exact wee bracket you are talking about and it is pretty well tucked away. Something to remember if there is nothing obvious visible.

[stiglet]

Yeah, I thought it would be the tie rod until I realised it was toeing out, not in. To bend the tie rod it would have to toe in. I think if you hit something a little side on it would push the wheel forwards and in, I think I hit a ditch so it just pushed the wheel back and pulled the tie rod away from the rack.

I would hate to bend that though, getting hold of them is not easy!

[hibby]

Audi only sell the complete arm, think it was around 50 quid from TPS.

[Jonnybravo]

Whilst driving through the roadworks on the A1 the other night I hit a huge lump where there was a change in tarmac, it should of been marked with a ramp sign or something, luckily I was doing under 40 and it was a 50 limit, although the car still seems to drive ok something will of bent after that as it was like hitting a brick wall

The roads in this country are a joke, had I of been on cheap 18" wheels it would of wrote off the 2 front ones

[s2driveruk]

Hmmm, interesting, shame you don't have a picture of the damage for reference as I know the part but not sure how it would have been bent out of shape there. Did it also destroy the actual bracket mounted to the rack pushrod too? I would check it to make sure there are no hairlines in that as have seen them split and that could be nasty :shock:

Cheers
david

[stiglet]

Nope, no damage to the main bracket. I can't really see how it managed to bend either, unless the nuts slipped a few threads. But it was! Essentially, the whole thing looked more parallelogram than square if that makes sense.

[Acidburn]

The bracket is quite cheap from vagparts as i've got to go pick up 2 of them, one for the avant and one for the coupe.

[s2driveruk]

Nope, no damage to the main bracket. I can't really see how it managed to bend either, unless the nuts slipped a few threads. But it was! Essentially, the whole thing looked more parallelogram than square if that makes sense.

yeah thats odd as its bolted flush with the backl of that bracket so its really odd how that was damaged yet the bracket itself wasn't???

I think I need a new one of those too as I think the threads have stretched on mine...