[s-cars] Strut, Strut Mount and Bearing ?'s

[Jim Fleischer]

Hey all,

Hope the summer is treating everyone well!  I had an alignment after the steering rack mount welding repair last month, and the front driver’s side could not be brought into spec.  It started out at -1.5 and was only able to be brought to -1.4. The passenger side is within spec at -1.0.  The tech mentioned something about possibly the strut was worn out.  Never heard of that with these cars, but could be wrong.  Upon further inspection, I noticed that the strut mounting bolts on the drivers side were in a distinctly different location within the mount than the passenger side.  I have also noticed a slight gap in the upper strut mount under the main bolt (1, maybe 2 mm) when doing the “bumper press” test, but equal on both sides.  I also get a vibration navigating slight left curves at highway speeds….very consistent and able to be replicated regardless of summer or winter wheel/tire combo, and always only going left, at a certain turn radius. 

So I am figuring possible upper strut mounts, yes?  And if that is the case, then Audi part is the one to go to, yes?  And does the strut bearing have anything to do with this and should I replace that as well?  And has anyone actually worn out a strut on these cars and what would constitute a worn out strut?

Sorry of all of this sounds asinine, but just want to educate myself as to the details of the strut assembly.  Thanks!

Best regards,

Jim Fleischer
’95 urs6 avant
197K