09-30-2013, 01:19 PM
I looked through all the previous threads under this topic area and did not find anything that matched, so here goes...
A few weeks ago I noticed that the back end was swaying back and forth slightly. At times it felt like the car was "tramlining" (Tramlining is the tendency of a vehicle's wheels to follow the contours in the surface upon which it runs), so I assigned what i was feeling to the tires getting old and hard. But somehow that did not make sense, because tramlining is something you feel coming more from the front wheels, not the rear. The set of tire the car came with were horrible for that. With that in mind, I thought maybe that some of the rear bushings might be worn, so I had plans to take a closer look someday...
Last week I was driving to Vancouver with one of my daughters, and the swaying feeling was getting worse. In trying to describe it in words, I searched the meaning of "waddle", and it conveys what I was feeling: "Waddle = clumsy swaying motion".
I pulled over to a safe place along the highway, and got out to try and determine what was going on. The thought that one of the rear tires might be coming apart even went through my mind! It was just an unsettling feeling. A visual inspection did not show anything wrong, I ran my hand around the tires, and nothing. I then grabbed the driver-side rear wheel and tried to wiggle it and... there was an alarming amount of play! I decided right then and there to drive (slowly) to the mechanics shop that had changed the rear wheel bearing before I had gone to Paso Robles in April thsi year. As soon as I mentioned to him what was going on, he put the 968 up on the hoist and removed the rear wheel. Turns out that the "driveline nut" was working itself loose. He tightened it (and used Loctite this time round) and told me that I was "good to go". I asked if there was any damage that had occured and he answered "You caught it in time". I drove away and everything feels just fine now.
But...
Why did this happen?
Did he forget the Loctite first time around?
Why did it happen now and not on my trip to Paso?
Will I experience premature bearing failure because of this?
The mechanic in question is a very reputable VW/Audi specialist. Everyone can make mistakes, but the thought of something BAD resulting from this is a bit unsettling.
Looking forward to some experienced feedback on this.
A few weeks ago I noticed that the back end was swaying back and forth slightly. At times it felt like the car was "tramlining" (Tramlining is the tendency of a vehicle's wheels to follow the contours in the surface upon which it runs), so I assigned what i was feeling to the tires getting old and hard. But somehow that did not make sense, because tramlining is something you feel coming more from the front wheels, not the rear. The set of tire the car came with were horrible for that. With that in mind, I thought maybe that some of the rear bushings might be worn, so I had plans to take a closer look someday...
Last week I was driving to Vancouver with one of my daughters, and the swaying feeling was getting worse. In trying to describe it in words, I searched the meaning of "waddle", and it conveys what I was feeling: "Waddle = clumsy swaying motion".
I pulled over to a safe place along the highway, and got out to try and determine what was going on. The thought that one of the rear tires might be coming apart even went through my mind! It was just an unsettling feeling. A visual inspection did not show anything wrong, I ran my hand around the tires, and nothing. I then grabbed the driver-side rear wheel and tried to wiggle it and... there was an alarming amount of play! I decided right then and there to drive (slowly) to the mechanics shop that had changed the rear wheel bearing before I had gone to Paso Robles in April thsi year. As soon as I mentioned to him what was going on, he put the 968 up on the hoist and removed the rear wheel. Turns out that the "driveline nut" was working itself loose. He tightened it (and used Loctite this time round) and told me that I was "good to go". I asked if there was any damage that had occured and he answered "You caught it in time". I drove away and everything feels just fine now.
But...
Why did this happen?
Did he forget the Loctite first time around?
Why did it happen now and not on my trip to Paso?
Will I experience premature bearing failure because of this?
The mechanic in question is a very reputable VW/Audi specialist. Everyone can make mistakes, but the thought of something BAD resulting from this is a bit unsettling.
Looking forward to some experienced feedback on this.
