Severe Front Offside Vibration

[peaenjay]

I have a 2002 1.9 TDi  with approx 115K miles.    After driving for about an hour on a long journey the problem starts with an increased road noise similar to a roaring noise from a rough road surface.  This then changes to a vibration which seems to be the offside and becomes very severe to the point of the steering wheel wobbling.  Even after slowing speed to around 35MPH for a few hours it finally caused the offside tyre to fail.   I suspected a defective tyre had caused the problem so I put on two new front tyres. Two days later on a long journey home the same problem occurred again after about one hour/60 miles driving .    I drove home slowly and noted that if I stopped for an hour or so it delayed the onset. The vibration increased with speed and when climbing a hill.  I put on the spare wheel and had the same problem.   I recently changed the complete offside driveshaft and had a new MOT.  No findings on MOT.  However, the vibration just showed up again on the first long trip.  Any ideas of what is causing the problem ??

[BrianH]

I have a 2002 1.9 TDi  with approx 115K miles.    After driving for about an hour on a long journey the problem starts with an increased road noise similar to a roaring noise from a rough road surface.  This then changes to a vibration which seems to be the offside and becomes very severe to the point of the steering wheel wobbling.  Even after slowing speed to around 35MPH for a few hours it finally caused the offside tyre to fail.   I suspected a defective tyre had caused the problem so I put on two new front tyres. Two days later on a long journey home the same problem occurred again after about one hour/60 miles driving .    I drove home slowly and noted that if I stopped for an hour or so it delayed the onset. The vibration increased with speed and when climbing a hill.  I put on the spare wheel and had the same problem.   I recently changed the complete offside driveshaft and had a new MOT.  No findings on MOT.  However, the vibration just showed up again on the first long trip.  Any ideas of what is causing the problem ??

 

Did it happen after changing the driveshaft?

Any idea what brand of driveshaft it is that you fitted?

[peaenjay]

The vibration after changing the driveshaft is similar to before changing the driveshaft so presumably the driveshaft was not the problem.

[BrianH]

Are the tyres of the right spec - I know you've said youve changed them, but thats no guarantee they are completely correct. It should be on extra load tyres - the particular ones for your model will be shown on the inside of the fuel filler cap, or you can lookup from the registration on blackcircles.com or other sites.

 

If its running with tyres that are below the load capacity (95 in case of my mk1, not sure on the mk2 as to the exact figure but think its still above normal for the tyre size even with the 16" wheels) then that might explain it - Given that your seeming to find it time/distance related it suggests heat is having an effect, only thing i can think would heat up in long space of time is the tyres.

 

If they are wrong it will allow the sidewall to flex too much - i found it caused the steering in the corners to be particually vague and give a somewhat bouncy ride. Plus the tyres don't last anywhere near as long as they should as the shoulders wear out quicker than the rest of the tread.

[Scorpiorefugee]

I had a very similar problem but on the rear offside. This was caused by the brake pad first catching and then oscillating causing a huge vibration. The clue was that the brake disk and all around it was radiating heat to the extent that it could be felt from more than a foot away.

 

Also, much earlier about 15-20 years ago, I had a very similar thing on two totally different vehicles several years apart. The first was on a montego and was caused by the hub which had been damaged by a hamfisted garage using a chisel to remove a wheel bearing. This ruined one tyre and two brake disks before I eventually found a garage who actually listened to me. The second was very similar in effect but on a low mileage Vauxhall Astra estate.

 

The first was cured by a short careful bit of filing, the secong by replacing the hub. In both cases the garages insisted that it was all in my imagination because the problem only showed after a longish trip. 

 

The lesson learned from the Vauxhall was that a suspiciously low mileage can be the result of a rougue vehicle with an undiagnosed but annoying fault.

 

I may be wide of the mark but your description of the problem is remarkably similar to my problem.

[Az2102]

Have you checked the top rubber strut mounts and cup washers?

[peaenjay]

Thanks for your inputs, the MOT found no problems so the strut is probably OK, but I will take a look.  I have wondered about the wheel bearing and the hub so I might try changing the wheel bearing.  Recently the vibration can now be felt after a couple of miles and is worse when pulling up a hill, it feels like a one per rev vibration, but I have not found any significant heat when it has happened so I don't think it is caused by the brake.  The vehicle is old but useful to have as a second car, especially this size for visits to the local dump etc. but I have zero confidence in using it for more than short trips. 

[mrben]

Hello. Did you find the problem?, as this is what I believe is exactly happening to mine. Vibration getting a lot worse now, especially on power going up a hill and around a corner. Totally disappears though when you take your foot off the power...Thanks in advance.

[mrben]

Hello. Did you find the problem?, as this is what I believe is exactly happening to mine. Vibration getting a lot worse now, especially on power going up a hill and around a corner. Totally disappears though when you take your foot off the power...Thanks in advance.