bushes needing done?

[daveb77]

Folks,
my RS4 B7 Avant on 56k has a floaty unsettling feeling upfront when pushing on. Car is just not as planted as i once remember it to be, steering wise and perhaps a bit bouncy. Apologies for the poor explanation…

4 off upper suspension bushes previously reported as worn with signs of cracks looking a few thousand miles ago so likely culprit i think? I keep reading about the obvious DRC problems but not really sure i know what a dodgy DRC would feel like. No clunks or obvious signs of leaks with my eyes on the DRC but suspension doesn't feel rock hard over speed bumps etc but certainly nice and firm along the roads.

Getting checked out next week with likely control arm replacement. I would suspect that the given milage will point to this anyway and wouldn't go a miss to tighten things up.

Question is should i bite the bullet and get all bushes done at same time around the car front and rear to refresh? Garage will hopefully do a pressure check on the DRC as well to confirm this is OK.

The more i search the more i get confused…

Appreciate any comments or feedback from those who have done same mid life maintenance and before / after feel…

Also got a thumbs up and ‘nice machine’ from a roadworker at my gym the other day, gave me the ILS (imaginary Lats Syndrome) as i walked from my car once parked to the gym, nice!!! : )

cheers

D

[orangepeel]

I've just replaced mine top and bottom and put power flex bushes in and mine were I think original at 84000 miles . But as for drc's didn't see any misting or what looks like leaks .and I must say feels a lot better. for me just do the arms top first and take it for a drive it may need bottom one's as well

[daveb77]

Good man, thanks for the feedback, ill discuss with mechanic,
Cheers
D

[hlbeckley]

I literally did all my bushes and one DRC valve last week, totally transformed the ride and handling

[daveb77]

I literally did all my bushes and one DRC valve last week, totally transformed the ride and handling

nice one, did you go OEM or other manufacture on the bushes and was it just bushes or complete parts to renew ball joints as well? Sorry for the questions...
Im looking at maybe just biting bullet and ordering a complete front replacement pack from Meyle for example... Think it can be had for around £470... maybe overkill at this time.

What were your symptoms before the work was done ?

Thanks again,

D

[hlbeckley]

OEM bushes only
There was a clunk over speed bumps, at first I thought it was the DRC again, which was part of it, but you can feel the ride is almost snappy in behavior

[daveb77]

thanks again hlbeckley

D

[mongo]

a full meyle HD kit is around £350 inc postage at the moment because of the Euro.

[daveb77]

Ach too late for this, got four front arms upper done as bushes shot, noticeable improvement in steering, nice. Mech noted one front shock misting, no tools local to sort drc outwith Audi so I have plumped for Bilstein B14 and H&R arb's. Car has never felt as tight as I think it should likely just down on DRC pressure I know and fixable but looking forward to the new shocks etc.
any recent feedback on DRC to aftermarket? Can't wait actually : )
D

[coffey555]

I changed from DRC to KW V3's and then added H&R arb's a year later.

The coilovers were only slighty firmer but the body rolled too much at high speed for me.

Adding the uprated arb's fixed the high speed body control but at the expense of low speed ride quaility.

It is pretty harsh around the lumpy streets of Edinburgh but the ride settles down once you get up to speed.

Having said that the car is very well controlled on back roads etc, the lower centre of gravity will help for sure.

But, a well sorted DRC system is probably still the best setup for everyday road use.