Hi, I 've been driving my newly aquired audi a6 (2002, 89k miles on it)
A few problesm I have noticed are that when I'm on the highway and I'm drigving pretty fast, the steering while starts to vibrate A LOT, like it is shaking and I can feel it moving around in my hands. WHen I go below 60 mph, it dies down and is hadly noticeable. Also, after going on the highway, or driving for a long time, when I am turning at low speeds, there is a whining noise thats seems to be coming from the engine or the steering column, somewhere in the front end. please let me know what the causes of these problems are!

(also, do I need new shocks? the a6 is very bouncy, sometimes after a few bumps the entire car bounces 3-4 times before coming to a halt)
Thanks
stan

 

many, many ppl have that vibration at 65-75mph...including me....noone has been able to pinpoint what it is....the noise from ur engine is probably ur power steering pump...does the car vibrate when braking hard at those the higher speeds....also...does it go away after around 80mph?...sometimes the rotors can become warped on these cars...so im thinking this is my problem...

 

hmmm no, I don' t think it goes away after 80, Im too afarid to try, because it starts vibrating so violently.

any advice about the suspension issue?
thanks

 

check the wheel studs are tight ( im thinking wheel wobble ) or a bad tyre so have you checked them for damage, if wheels are ok it could be they need balancing which is the most common cause at these speeds

 

I purchased an 01 4.2 in March. I get a shaking and vibration at exactly 50 and it dies off at about 60-65. I had the wheels rebalanced and it did not make much difference. Before I had the car shipped to Alaska from SoCal the dealer said he noticed a slice in the sidewall of the driver front tire and he replaced it before shipping. I was told by a local tire shop that the Quattro system is very sensitive and because I have a new tire in one corner and 3 other equally worn (60% remaining) tires I am probably getting the vibes. I figured he was just trying to set me back $1K for a new set of 4. A co-worker said she purchased a tire from Tire Rack and they told her to get the amount of wear measured from the local Audi dealer, then they actually shaved the tread down on the new tire to match the existing ones before shipping.
Long story and maybe you have equal wear, but might be of interest to others too.

2001 Blk/Blk 4.2 Sports and Cold weather pkg with 18" wheels
2002 Blk/Blk 4.2 Sports pkg, stock options

 

My '01 A6 had the same issues when I bought it (used). I ignored it for a while since I usually drove it below 50. I decided to investigate it when it started to happen at lower speeds. I got home one day and found I had lost some lugs due to the vibration. I had ordered front rotors and pads previously and immediately installed them. I got some replacement lugs and drove it up to 80 the next day. All vibration gone.
I had a similar sound from the steering column as yours. It was most audible when driving around in a parking lot on turns and sounded almost like a moan. I had the Dealer look into it. They suggested that it might be coming from the tie rods. I replaced both outer ends and the noise is all but gone.

Hope this helps.

 

Cooleststan -

I'd bet the issues is tire balance. Get a good high speed balancing. Of course, missing lugnuts will throw the balance off but any knowledgeable tire place will spot that right away.

I'm intrigued about the shaving the tire comment. I recently replaced a Cooper that went flat. The other tires have about 20k on them and maybe 3/16 wear. I've noticed no difference in the car at speeds up to 100 mph. I'm not sure that the slight difference in diameter will be that meaningful. I even ran one of my Pirellis as a spare for a few days, and noticed no real difference in driveability at speeds up to 70.