Polo 1.4 tdi shudder on acceleration. Wheels balanced rotated and wheel alignment done but still fault persists

Sounds like wheel balance, check front wheels for loss of weights outter and inner rim, alloy wheels have sticky weights steel rims have clamp on weights either can be lost....say if you clip the kerb/sidewalk or just through centrifugal force. A garage will check wheel balance and attach weights if needed.

Needs a front end alignment

Because one or both of the front wheels are out of balance.
1. You need to have the front wheel/tire package rebalanced by a competent balancer. Go to a good tire retailer. They have the equipment to do the re-balancing for you. Don't go to the cheapest shop you can find and hope they will do a great balance job for you.
2. If you still have the vibration after re-balancing (assuming it is done well) you will either have a faulty tire or tires (out of round or a heavy spot in the tire) or there is a problem with one or both of the wheels. If either of the front wheels have been slightly bent out of shape from abuse you will get a vibration in the front end of the car and in that event the wheel needs to be replaced. If you have a cheap brand of tires fitted to the car and the re-balancing does not solve the vibration problem I would suspect the tires first. Cheap tires will typically give you problems like this if you buy them but better brands can have tire faults also.

3. Do not let someone tell you that a front wheel alignment will solve a balance problem with the wheels/tires. It will not because the vibration is caused by the rotating wheel and tire. By all means have a wheel alignment done again - because you need to do this on the car about every 10-12000 miles in any event - but doing this will not solve a balance issue.

4. If you want to run a test before doing any work have the rear wheels on both sides moved to the front of the car and the fronts to the rear. Then check if you still have exactly the same vibration. If not then you know where the problem is. If you still get exactly the same vibration or a similar front vibration with the rear wheels fitted on the front, then the balance on the rear wheels/tires will need to be checked and re-done as well.

Try checking for a bent rim.

Front end vibration has little to do with the brake system on the car. Yes you can get some "brake shudder" when you apply the brakes when you have worn brake rotors or when the rotors are not properly aligned on the hubs. However from what you have said you do not have this problem.

Front end vibrations can be caused by a number of factors some of which are listed below:



1. Front wheels out of balance. (Common problem on many vehicles).

When were the front wheels last balanced? You will get vibrations through the car and the steering wheel at particular speeds. This will/could also occur if the wheel rims have been distorted as a result of abuse.

As a first step the wheels should be balanced and then retest the vehicle for the problem.

It can be impossible to properly balance some wheels because the tires fitted to the rims are of poor quality and contain heavy spots that are impossible to correct with wheel balance weights. If you have cheap tires fitted on the wheel rims then it may be impossible to balance the wheels properly because of the imperfections in the tyre. In that case you will have a permanent wheel vibration problem which will only be rectified by fitting good quality tires and re-balancing the front wheels.

If aftermarket wheel rims have been fitted to the vehicle this can also be a source of vibration. Some wheels on the market are poor quality and can be slightly out of round and/or have heavy spots in them which can be impossible to correct when you fit the tires and have the wheels balanced. Many people think a cheap set of "blingy" aftermarket wheels are a great buy but if they are poorly built (as is often the case) you will usually have no end of problems.

2. The front wheel alignment could be out.
If the front wheels have not been aligned in the past 12 months they probably will be out of alignment. When you have re-balanced the front wheels you should have the front wheel alignment checked and then re-aligned if it is out. However if their are worn suspension components (see 4) found on the car which need to be replaced, this repair needs to be done before the front wheels are re-aligned.

3. Worn out wheel bearings in the front hubs.
If your front wheel bearings are badly worn you can get a vibration through the steering wheel. If the vehicle has done about 100000 miles or more on the front wheel bearings they should be replaced. In any event , any competent mechanic can jack up the front of the car and check for excess play in the wheel bearings.

4. Worn out suspension components. The front end of the car should be checked for badly worn suspension and steering components.

I would recommend you take the vehicle to a competent mechanic or a suspension specialist in your area and have them check the vehicle for you.

I hope this helps.

Several things to check are wheel bearings and brake rotors. The rotors can have weights welded to them. Sometimes they rust off. Some manufactuers recommend spin balancing on the car.

When you spin balance on the car, you will balance the rotors at the same time. Two things to remember, mount the wheels exactly to the same stud if you take off the wheels for any reason and if you rotate the tires you will have to respin the wheels.

this is a turn in caliper, meaning that as you try to compress the piston, you also need to rotate it clockwise. you can buy tool for this at nearly any parts store, and is fairly inexpensive.

Check for a damaged wheel rim- the wheel balancer should have detected this, but may have missed it.
Check for defective tyre- new tyres can have faults -rotate wheel while jacked off ground, look for bulges, lumps or tyre runout when rotated.
Check for looseness of tie rods and steering box etc.
Check wheel bearings are ok.

When was the last time you had a wheel balance and alignment?? Most shaking occurs because of mis-alignments and wheels out of balance. If you need an alignment I suggest a 4-wheel alignment versus a 2-wheel alignment.
If these have been done: Based on the year 1993 and the amount of driving:
When was the last time the ball joints, tie rod joints and wheel bearings were checked or inspected?? Any one of these three (or combination) could also cause vibrations.
Is your Transmiision Fluid at the correct level. When was the last time the fluid and filter were changed?
Check the above first before any drastic conclusions.
The A604 Transmission has had many problems. One of which is a fluttering valve inside the solenoid unit, causing rough (shuddering) accelerations. Some of these were solved by merely changing the fluid and/or filter. I do not recommend the Fushing method due to the fact the filter is not changed.

You may need to have tyres balanced and wheel alignment done.