If you hear a clunking noise coming from the front suspension of your Volkswagen while driving over bumps or taking a sharp turn, the front suspension bushing may be worn or damaged. The worn bushing is the most common culprit of this clunking sound in Volkswagen.
What Are Suspension Bushings and What Role Do They Play?
Suspension bushings are cushioning components that are made up of rubber, polyurethane, or similar resilient material. Often cylindrical in shape, these are placed at the connection points between two metal components in the front suspension system. Their functions include;
- As cushioning components, bushings dampen the impacts from the road, preventing two metal parts from colliding. It also absorbs the vibrations generated by the suspension components during driving.
- Bushings provide a flexible interface for the suspension components, allowing them to pivot and move when encountering uneven surfaces.
- By preventing metal-on-metal contact, the bushings reduce the wear of the suspension components.
Origin of The Clunking Sound
Due to their purpose and positioning, suspension bushings face continuous and constant heat, strain, vibration, and environmental agents such as heat, cold, water, road salt, and debris. This causes the synthetic material of the bushings to degrade. This material degradation causes the material to lose its elasticity and cushioning ability, ultimately leading to shrinkage.
The gap created between the suspension components causes them to vibrate more, with frequent contact. The shrinkage of bushings also causes small misalignments between the suspension components. Both of these factors work together to create collisions between suspension parts during driving, especially over bumps or when taking a sharp turn.
Other Signs of Suspension Bushing Failure
If the suspension bushings have failed in your Volkswagen, then, along with the clunking sound, there are other signs you should be aware of, so that you can recognize suspension bushing failure accurately and take steps to rectify it.
- If the suspension bushing is more damaged on one side, then the vehicle will pull to one side during braking.
- A less responsive steering wheel is also a warning sign of suspension bushing damage.
- Bushing damage causes misalignment, which in turn causes uneven tire wear.
- Vibrations and road impacts are felt more acutely when the suspension bushings are damaged.
Impact of Suspension Bushing Damage on Your Volkswagen
Suspension bushing damage affects the functionality of your vehicle in a gradual and often imperceptible manner. If ignored, it can lead to major damage.
- Safety Compromise: Severe suspension bushing damage can significantly compromise the vehicle’s safety. It compromises handling, steering precision, and stability of the vehicle. During emergency or sudden maneuvers on uneven roads, it could cause fatal road incidents.
- Component Damage: The additional movements and vibrations generated due to suspension bushings wearing cause additional strain on other suspension components such as ball joints, struts, and control arm. This accelerates the suspension component damage, which could lead to suspension failure.
- Reduction in Riding Comfort: With damaged bushings, the suspension performance is also reduced in Volkswagen. As a result, the bumps and potholes are felt more acutely by the driver and the passengers in the vehicle.
To resolve this issue, the damaged suspension bushings are replaced with new ones. The bushings are generally pushed into their place during installation. Hydraulic or threaded presses that are specialized for bushing removal are used to remove and replace suspension bushings. A test drive is done to test the repair. A final wheel alignment is performed to align the wheel, as per the norm for suspension repairs.
Maintenance Practices for Healthy Suspension Bushings
- Always stay mindful of the unusual noises coming from your vehicle, as these are often the first signs of damage.
- Adhere to the maintenance schedule, that is recommended by the manufacturer. Basic maintenance often includes inspecting suspension components. Thus, any damage to the bushings will be caught during regular maintenance.
- Whenever you find any suspension bushing damage in your vehicle, try to resolve it as soon as possible. Delayed repairs often lead to more serious damage, which could cost more.
- Aggressive driving on uneven roads can accelerate the wear and tear on suspension bushings and other suspension components. Thus, avoid aggressive driving and adopt gentle driving.
- Always use OEM or their equivalent certified parts and components for repairs of European vehicles.
- Choose auto repair shops that specialize in working with European vehicles, like Motor City Euro Repairs, for accurate diagnosis and repair.
Get Farmington’s Best Volkswagen Repair in Motor City Euro Repair
If your Volkswagen is showing signs 
of suspension bushings damage near Farmington, then visit our auto repair shop, Motor City Euro Repair, for the best diagnosis and repair. We specialize in European auto models such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini Cooper, and Volkswagen, making the ultimate dealer alternative. Our ASE-certified expert technicians provide you with impeccable repair and maintenance services.
Our work gives us the confidence to provide our customers with Technet’s 3-year/36,000-mile warranty on each vehicle service we perform. We also provide after-service perks like roadside assistance for 365 days, towing, battery jump-starts, lockout service, flat tire assistance, & fuel delivery for our customers. Operating Farmington, we also assist European auto owners of the surrounding cities such as Farmington Hills, Novi, Northville, Southfield, West Bloomfield, Livonia, Plymouth, Ann Arbor, Brighton, and Detroit.
