2001 audi a4 1.8T Quattro

When braking the front end of my Audi dips significantly. It seems like it stops very quickly pulling down the front end instead of a smooth stop. I’ve had the brakes replaced and the front struts checked. The struts are a bit soft but nothing significant. The dealer told me he never had to change one on an Audin the 5 yrs that he was there.

Could it be a Quattro all wheel drive problem? A wheel problem?



Tx

How long have you had it? How long as it done this. Frankly any shocks can wear out and yours may be worn out. Have another shop check it. It need not be a dealer.

2001…got it new.
93k miles

This has nothing to do with the wheels or the all wheel drive. At 6 years and 93k miles, your struts may very well be getting weak. Get a second opinion from an independent shop that knows Audis.

Did the car do this when it was new? If not, the most likely cause is worn out struts.

Do you have the standard suspension or the sport suspension? The latter will be less susceptible to dive under braking.

Stiffer struts will reduce the dive. If your struts are still good and you have the standard suspension, it might be possible to replace the struts with stiffer ones from the sport suspension. This will only work if they are interchangeable. Another alternative is stiffer aftermarket struts such as those made by KYB, Tokico, Koni or Bilstein.

Thanks for the info.
I jsut find it very odd that the dealer would see that he never had to replace a strut in 5 yrs.
Maybe their cars didnt last as long as mine !!

I would also try some new shocks, I’ve been using bilstein “sport” shocks for close to 200K miles on my car and I like the feel, they may be a little on the stiff side for some people:

http://www.bilstein.com/mistore/ymm_productf.php?company_id=100484&year=2001&model_id2=142&makes=AUDI&storedimg.x=1&storedimg.y=1&storedimg=1&storeYMM=storeYMM

Maybee because by the time the car needs struts it is 6 years old with 90,000 miles on it and there is no warranty left. So the owner does the logical thing and takes it to an independent mechanic or tire shop for repair instead of paying the dealerships high price.
~Michael

good point…tx for the info all