Volkswagen Taigun suspension makes 'thud' noise on smallest of bumps

Most of the mechanics I’ve shown this to say this much thud is normal, but based on my driving experience, I refused to believe so.

BHPian rodiwa recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have a VW Taigun of almost 2 years in Pune. It’s a Topline 1.0 TSI AT. The car is almost 40k kms old. I’ve been facing shock absorber issues for a while now, almost since car was brand new. It makes a rigid thud noise even on the smallest of road bumps. Any small “cut” in the road, or between bridge joints, or simply driving over an uneven patch on the road. The thud is loudest on those rubber speed bumps screwed into the ground. I’ve also noticed driving on cement makes a loud rumble, but it is very quiet and smooth over tar roads. I’ve shown it to a couple of workshops, but I wanted to see if you guys have any suggestions.

I’ve been driving for over 10 years now. And my wife has just started to drive with this car. Me and my wife have similar driving styles. Our driving is limited to city mostly. We occasionally do Mumbai Pune trips on the expressway. We drive within 100kmph on highways and 60-80 city.

I reached out to VW workshop, but I was told tyres and shock absorbers are not in warranty in this vehicle. This was my first issue. I assumed apart from batteries, all other parts would be covered in their standard warranty. I confirmed this w another VW service center in another city. I’ve driven another Taigun w similar specs and kms on it. It was not that loud, in fact the thumps were pretty soft. I’ve also driven my friends Altroz and Creta, and the shocks on those seem like pillows compared to my car. It was way too comfortable.

So I headed to a few service centers (general service ones). Most of the mechanics I’ve shown this to say this much thud is normal, but based on my driving experience, I refused to believe so.

1st Workshop - General service shop only. Owner seems knowledgeable, but needed convincing about the thuds. Mostly told me this is normal, but was happy to replace the dampers if I wanted.

• The mechanics showed me that the damper was “very hard”; it was not compressing easily. And then it was not decompressing properly. It was almost stuck, but would come back very slowly.
• This was the case with all 4 dampers. I got them replaced with company part only. I verified with the VW stickers and part numbers.
• After this replacement, the car definitely felt “softer” on the roads. There were still some minor thuds, but it was def a 60-70% improvement.
• This softness lasted for a month mostly. The thud became as it was before. I was surprised since the dampers were new.

 This made me want to get a second opinion, and check other parts apart from damper this time.

2nd Workshop - I found a shock absorber specialist. Mostly a bunch of young 22 yr olds; hard to say if they had years of experience in dealing with shockers.

• I asked them to check all shock absorber assembly from scratch. Including mount, bushing, spring coil, dampers, etc.
• While opening the assembly, the mechanic pointed out that there was a “play” in steering rack and axle. This made me wonder can this “play” be the reason for damper wearing out so soon? I’m also not sure what a play means, but he moved the steering rack from other side of the car, and said this should be tight and firm. It should not be moving (it was moving a little IMO, not really loose).
• This also made me wonder if they were trying to make their business, since their workshop specialized in steering racks and axles.
• They mentioned the dampers were looking like they were already wearing out. Were not compressing easily. Not sure why the dampers wore out so soon.
• He also mentioned that mounting may need to be replaced.

So these are my questions in general -

1. What can be the cause of this thud?
2. Are there any well known shock absorber workshops in Pune, Mumbai (Vashi) area? I’m trying to find a team which is older and has years of experience. Most of the ones I’ve seen are carrot topped hairstyled 22 year olds who drive around triplies on their Dios/ scooty. This was not very confidence inspiring.
3. Is it a good idea to replace dampers with high premium dampers (non-company ones)? Will they make a difference? I’m trying to replace current ones with “softest” dampers possible. I don’t care about other ride quality factors as long as it is soft. We don’t drive too fast anyways. I asked around and found out about Magneti Marelli.
4. Can a play in steering rack and axle wear out dampers easily? Can it contribute to thud to suspension?
5. Is it true that suspensions are not in warranty anymore?
6. When we bought the new car, I did feel we were driving a little too rough on the bumps or potholes initially. Could this have damaged the assembly itself and now dampers are getting damaged?

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