car feels wobbly and unstable?! :(

[faheem]

im not an expert on cars but my mk5 gti is slightly concerning me......

its due for its 3rd service in 2 or 3 hundred miles so i will be getting it looked at anyway but before i do so i thought i would ask you informative people a few questions....

in the last 2 weeks or so the ride has become quiet bumpy and the car feels alot more sensitive to bumps and dents in the road, the steering is also feeling quiet loose and veers off to the left at times.....

at the end of january this year i had quiet a nasty accident, some woman driver decided to go straight into my front drivers side from the lane next to me and took out wheel quiet badly, i think the suspension and everything else involved with my drivers front wheel had to be re done, was a big job and i got the car back in march, it has been driving fine up untill the last 2 weeks so im thinking it cant be due to that previous work?

would appreciate some suggestions as to what may possibly be wrong with my car

thanks chaps

[Gene Hunt]

I would get a garage you trust to give it the once over just too make shure.

[excursion]

It could be as simple as alignment, or worst case (for safety) a loose bolt. I'd start with an alignment check.

What mileage was your car when the accident happened, BTW?

I always replace suspension components in pairs, I assume this wasn't the case here? It doesn't matter too much if the car is sub 10k miles, but above that then you'll start to notice eventually as the 'old' side starts to get loose.

[faheem]

the car was roughly around about the 33 thousand mark, do you think this is something they will sort out when i get it serviced? im just hoping its not anything major, i took it on the mway last week and the car drove fine , i don't hear any particular noises coming from it or anything, it just feels alot more loose and sensitive to bumps.....fingers crossed im not looking at anything major?!

[excursion]

It doesn't sound like it, probably alignment.

Have you checked the tyre pressures BTW?

[tony_danza]

Once things get to their end of life, they wear other stuff out pretty quickly around them. I'm guessing wishbone bushes or topmounts, possibly due to poor alignment or misfitting at repair.

Please go and get it all thoroughly checked once you've done the obvious suggested. 

[S2 Ant]

Get under it and have a good pull around on a few bits and pieces then try again with it jacked up to see if anything is loose.
I've seen a car (Not a Mk5 Golf) with the track rod end nut having eaten some of the thread so it was able to move a bit causing the wheel to be able to wobble - very dangerous indeed!!!

If its as bad as you've made it sound i'd want it all checked out asap before driving it around too much, esp as its had a lot of repairs previously, it could be that something has worked its way loose

[Janner_Sy]

if it wasnt for the crash, id be saying it sounds like dampers on their way out

[Shins]

It's a Golf, it'll always feel wobbly round corners!