Rear suspension noise - are you affected?

Face-lifted 7.5 still has Rear Shock Absorber noises

As I have probably made clear in other recent posts the Sachs shock absorbers on the face-lifted models are also noisy to some extent. I have had my new GTI for around 4 weeks now and have changed the rear shocks to Koni Active with an immediate noticeable improvement. Changed Potenza S001 to Good year Eagle F1's and the difference in ride comfort is night and day. Just driven over 800 miles down through Spain & Portugal over wide variety of surfaces and the shock absorbers are extremely good with no more odd noises as per the Sachs though cabin noise is still an issue.

The main difference I notice between my previous Mk7 GTI and this new one is cabin noise. A change of tyre made a good difference but there is a constant humming/whining/droning noise even on a very quiet surface at just a few mph. As you might have seen on other posts I experienced the same sound on a 1.5TSI Evo and a 1.5TSI SV. Even the dealer MD agrees it is an odd noise and so did one of his technicians. The original MK7,s do not appear to have this noise.

I have recently received emails from other 7.5 owners complaining about just how much noisier the new model is compared to previous.

VW why cant you get it right?

www.vwgolfmk7problems.uk

My 2016 MK7 GTI with DCC is a bit creaky/noisy over speed bumps (sounds like noise from the shock compressing, maybe?).

When it was in for the 45,000 km service, I mentioned it to the dealership and they said they'll lube/grease some things (who knows what). That didn't really do much and the noise still persists.

Not sure if it is anything to be concerned about, but it's more of an annoyance than anything else.

pikolog said:

I have a creaking sound from the rear (somewhere in underbody) problem when stopping. I’m trying to figure out if it’s the same problem. I have not read anyone describing/replicating the problem like me so I wanted to ask

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Like this? https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45797

Jozh said:

Like this? https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45797

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sounds like that, were you able to solve it?

Yes.

2015 GTI SE DSG, stock car except downpipe.

pikolog said:

sounds like that, were you able to solve it?

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no, not yet, will bring it up in my next service in December.

Jozh said:

no, not yet, will bring it up in my next service in December.

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Well I went ahead and visited the dealership. No results, they lubed the calipers and suspension and told me it is “normal” meaning other GTI’s in their lot make the same noise.

I have the rear clunking on a Mk7.5 2018 GTI.

I replaced the rear shocks with the B4 Bilstiens but it is still there.

Got it booked in on the weekend.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what i should point the tech at?

CHeers.

Jasons6930 said:

I have the rear clunking on a Mk7.5 2018 GTI.



I replaced the rear shocks with the B4 Bilstiens but it is still there.



Got it booked in on the weekend.



Anyone have any suggestions as to what i should point the tech at?



CHeers.

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My dealership thinks it’s the brake calipers, they said they lubed the components but it’s ‘by design’ so it won’t go away. Kinda fits what I read so far. People change suspension components but the noise is there. May be it’s really the brake calipers. Trying to learn to live with it but it’s really annoying every morning. After the car/brakes/suspension whatever warms up it goes away but my commute to work is short so by the time I get to work it’s still there.

pikolog said:

My dealership thinks it’s the brake calipers, they said they lubed the components but it’s ‘by design’ so it won’t go away. Kinda fits what I read so far. People change suspension components but the noise is there. May be it’s really the brake calipers. Trying to learn to live with it but it’s really annoying every morning. After the car/brakes/suspension whatever warms up it goes away but my commute to work is short so by the time I get to work it’s still there.

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Ok I’ll get them to check.

But, the knocking on mine doesn’t go away at all, even after a 30 minute drive.

But having said that, why are some people suffering andk others aren’t?

Reading the other suspension thread it could be a case of components not being tightened sufficiently from the factory and just need nipping up.

Not holding my breath though!

First time drove in heavy rain since I got the car (California weather ) the creaks and clunks are going more crazy. Gets better after a while but by that time you reach your destination. So my guess is the problem is exacerbated by the rust and water on the rotors.

Jasons6930 said:

I have the rear clunking on a Mk7.5 2018 GTI.

I replaced the rear shocks with the B4 Bilstiens but it is still there.

Got it booked in on the weekend.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what i should point the tech at?

CHeers.

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I am really surprised the Bilsteins have not resolved your problem. After losing my 2015 GTI MK7 to an idiot who ran into me while parked and wrote the car off I now have a GTI MK7.5. One of the first things I did was change the rear shock absorbers to Koni Active as I could hear a kind of knocking/tapping noise similar to the previous car. I would have happily used the Bilsteins as they were fitted to the previous car and were very successful. However, the Konis are great and nice and quiet

Had I been able to test drive the 7.5 model for a day or two I would never have purchased the car. Cabin noise is far worse IMO than MK7. Tyre noise intrusion is unacceptable despite much sound proofing by me of rear wheel arches, boot floor, under rear seat bench, parcel shelf etc and change of tyres that did make some difference, but its still far from quiet. Even my wife agrees this was a noisy car compared to the MK& with even more noise from exhaust and from the front of the car. I will now try and insulate the front wheel arches to see if that helps.

Following my experience of the dreaded rear suspension rattle on my previous GTI and now what I feel is a lack of attention to interior cabin noise probably due to cost cutting, reduction in sound proofing, change to lighter weight materials, all done to improve consumption figures I would not recommend the MK7.5 to anyone.

I drove the MK7 for 3.5 years where I was very satisfied once the shock absorber issue was resolved but now this year driving a 2018 MK7.5 1.5 TSI GT that had a bloody awful cabin noise with a loud droning noise from the wheels and then a 2018 7.5 1.5TS Highline that was equally as bad I feel that this face-lifted Golf is not worth the high asking price. Even my dealer MD & senior technician agreed the 1.5 GT was noisy and changed a rear wheel bearing but that was just a waste of time. If they can hear the noise and admit it then clearly something has been done by VW to produce the noise.

From my website and YouTube videos relating to the rear suspension issues I am receiving emails from owners who also are reporting cabin noise issues and dissatisfaction with the model. Now I often see people telling me to turn up the volume but that's not the way it should be. These cars can be expensive and we should not have these criticisms and issues with VW who in my view could not care less about the customer as was the case with the MK7 shock absorber issue that plagued many owners around the world.

The customer service people at VW head office in the UK are brainwashed into telling customers that noises. rattles and the like are "characteristics of the model". Why did I but another Golf - well I believed that VW would have improved the model but sadly in my view apart from the fancy electronics there is no improvement.

I hope you get your issues resolved but I am not surprised to read a similar story that has been going around for many years.

Well, i took the car in last week and drove the master tech around and before we got 100 yards down the road, i got the obligatory "they all do that".

I then told hime the shocks were replaced so that was ruled out and he muttered "that's strange as that normally sorts it out"

As you say, it really does detract from enjoying the car, road noise isn't too much of an issue for me as i haven't had the previous gen to compare it to, but it is 'noticeable'.

The rattle i have sounds exactly like something is loose and not tightened properly. Even pulling out slowly from my drive with a very slight lip on the kerb, it happens.

Anyway, i have a friend who works at VW CV and he said he will give it the once over next weekend so lets see what that shows!

Jasons6930 said:

Well, i took the car in last week and drove the master tech around and before we got 100 yards down the road, i got the obligatory "they all do that".

I then told hime the shocks were replaced so that was ruled out and he muttered "that's strange as that normally sorts it out"

As you say, it really does detract from enjoying the car, road noise isn't too much of an issue for me as i haven't had the previous gen to compare it to, but it is 'noticeable'.

The rattle i have sounds exactly like something is loose and not tightened properly. Even pulling out slowly from my drive with a very slight lip on the kerb, it happens.

Anyway, i have a friend who works at VW CV and he said he will give it the once over next weekend so lets see what that shows!

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Jason it highly unlikely that you will ever get the issue sorted by VW if it is the shock absorber issue. I was not surprised that my new car had a slight rattle as VW failed to come up with a rattle-free on the original MK7. I have now completed about 2K miles on the Konis with driving throughout parts of Europe over differing surfaces and there is no sound from them.

VW know they have an issue as you can see from this forum. I would push as I did for £300 from the dealer. They gave me this so I could buy my own shock absorbers and have them fitted. Its not on that we have to change these parts but I see no alternative. If you have read my website or posts on this forum you will see that having VW change like for like is not the solution.

Your issue may be elsewhere but I think its unlikely. I hope that whatever I have to say on this issue will help.

Jasons6930 said:

Well, i took the car in last week and drove the master tech around and before we got 100 yards down the road, i got the obligatory "they all do that".

I then told hime the shocks were replaced so that was ruled out and he muttered "that's strange as that normally sorts it out"

As you say, it really does detract from enjoying the car, road noise isn't too much of an issue for me as i haven't had the previous gen to compare it to, but it is 'noticeable'.

The rattle i have sounds exactly like something is loose and not tightened properly. Even pulling out slowly from my drive with a very slight lip on the kerb, it happens.
Anyway, i have a friend who works at VW CV and he said he will give it the once over next weekend so lets see what that shows!

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Before you start tearing everything apart it's worth wrapping some tape around the rear seat catches (the metal loops at the top). Fixed my rattle and also worked on my JCW Mini which had the same problem.