Audi A3 Front Suspension Strut: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

A genuinely well-documented, real fault: a known top mount bearing issue was replaced under warranty, with a specific bonnet-open lock-to-lock test to demonstrate it — plus an alarming account of a dealer's £1,400 steering rack quote that every independent mechanic found nothing wrong with.

Illustration of a suspension strut and coil spring

Illustration for editorial purposes

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OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — front struts (aftermarket) Bilstein 22-230522 / KYB 3348039

Accuracy note: Covers the Audi A3 (8V 2012-2020) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Front struts, lower arms and top mounts are sold by side and by suspension spec — standard, sport / lowered (S line, M Sport, R-Line, ST-Line etc.), heavy-duty and adaptive / electronic damping all use different part numbers, and some makers split by engine or front axle load. The references below are UK aftermarket catalogue listings for this generation, labelled by brand; genuine numbers are shown only where a listing quotes one. Confirm the fit against your VIN, and replace struts and top mounts in pairs.

Front strut / shock absorber (aftermarket)	Sachs 317 330 (twin-tube gas, 55 mm housing); KYB 3348039 (Excel-G, 50 mm) and 3358015 (Excel-G, 55 mm); Bilstein 22-230522 (B4, 50 mm clamp) and 22-232342 / 22-230539 (B4, 55 mm clamp); Monroe 742117SP (55 mm clamp, front both sides) and 742116SP (50 mm clamp); Meyle 126 623 0016 (50 mm, pairs only)
Front lower arm / wishbone (aftermarket)	LH TRW JTC1699 and febi 106142 (sheet steel); RH TRW JTC1700 and febi 106143 (sheet steel); Topran 116 409 (front lower, both sides); SKF VKDS 321090 B / 321133 B (with ball joint)
Top mount / strut bearing (aftermarket)	Lemförder 36951 01 (without bearing) and 37555 01 (bearing); Sachs 802 696 (without bearing) and 801 051 (bearing); febi 44799 (bearing, 127 mm); Meyle 100 412 0141
Genuine (OE) numbers quoted	Lemförder 36951 01 and Sachs 802 696 top mount: 5Q0 412 331 C/D/E, 5QD 412 331 A/C; Lemförder 37555 01 and Sachs 801 051 bearing: 5Q0 412 249 E, 5Q0 412 249 F. None quoted for struts or arms.
Fitment notes	Strut choice depends on clamp diameter (50 mm vs 55 mm), which follows the car's strut/axle spec; Bilstein options are tied to PR option codes.

Audi A3 Front Suspension Strut: The System That Quietly Does All the Work

On the Audi A3, these components absorb every pothole, bump and cornering force before any of it reaches the cabin, which is why deterioration here rarely announces itself with one obvious symptom. Working through it methodically finds the actual cause faster than guessing ever will.

Before you buy: suspension components vary by trim, engine weight and whether your car has the standard or sport-tuned setup. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Audi A3 Front Suspension Strut: What It Does

The Audi A3's front strut does two jobs in one unit — damping the suspension's movement and providing the coil spring's mounting point. Wear here shows up as excessive bounce after bumps rather than a quick settle, and left long enough, uneven tyre wear tends to follow.

Audi A3 Front Suspension Strut: Watch: Replacing It

🎬 Watch: Audi A3 8v Front Shock Absorbers and Drop Link Replacement MQB VW Group

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Shocks plus drop link on 8V

Audi A3 Front Suspension reference plate

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A Genuinely Well-Documented, Real Fault Worth Knowing About — Audi A3 Front Suspension

If you're hearing a knock from the front suspension, particularly from the driver's side, this is genuinely worth knowing: one documented case saw this exact fault present from new, eventually traced to the driver's side top suspension mount bearing and replaced under warranty, with the issue described as a very common fault on this model. It's worth trying a specific test to help demonstrate this to a mechanic: with the bonnet open and an assistant turning the steering wheel from lock to lock while the car is stationary, the source of the noise becomes very evident. It's also genuinely worth knowing an honest, real pattern worth being aware of: this specific fault is well known for mysteriously failing to reproduce during a dealer's own test drive, despite occurring reliably otherwise, worth warning the dealer about this in advance and insisting on a longer test drive if the first attempt doesn't reproduce it.

A genuinely alarming, honest account worth knowing before accepting an expensive quote: one documented case saw a dealer diagnose a persistent knock as the steering rack and subframe, quoting £1,400 for the repair — yet every independent mechanic who subsequently looked at the car found nothing wrong with either component. A contact within the dealer's own service department suggested the actual cause might instead be the suspension's multi-link components, which can produce a misleading knock frequently mistaken for worn strut top mounts. Worth getting a second opinion before committing to a large repair quote based on a single diagnosis.

It's also genuinely worth knowing that this specific knock can be temperature-sensitive, with one documented case failing to reproduce during a cold morning test, only for it to become clear and loud after around twenty minutes of driving, and even more pronounced after an hour — worth insisting on a properly extended test drive rather than a brief one around the block.

Audi A3 Front Suspension Strut: Warning Signs, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Front Suspension Strut Guide for symptoms of worn bushings and ball joints, confirming fitment against your VIN, and rubber vs polyurethane guidance.

More Audi Front Suspension Strut

The same part, covered across other Audi models.