Audi Q3 Front Suspension Strut: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
On the Q3, a top mount bearing fault on related models can genuinely be demonstrated with the bonnet open and the wheel turned lock to lock.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — front struts (aftermarket) Bilstein 22-267108 / KYB 3358020
| Front strut / shock absorber (aftermarket) | Bilstein 22-267108 (B4 OE replacement, twin-tube gas, 55 mm); Bilstein 23-238978 (B4 OE replacement, DampTronic, for electronic suspension control); Bilstein 23-254343 (B6 Performance, DampTronic, electronic suspension control); Monroe 742117SP (twin-tube gas, both sides, 382/549 mm); Monroe C2516S (electronically adjustable, both sides); KYB 3358020 (Excel-G, twin-tube gas) |
|---|---|
| Front lower arm / wishbone (aftermarket) | LH Meyle 116 050 0195 / RH 0196 (without ball joint, rubber mount, replace in pairs); LH Lemförder 42369 01 / RH Lemförder 42370 01; LH Delphi TC3440 / RH Delphi TC3441 (with ball joint, 495 mm); RH febi 170514 (without ball joint, rubber mounts); LH Ridex 273C1402 / RH Ridex 273C1403 (327 mm) |
| Top mount / strut bearing (aftermarket) | Sachs 802 696 (L/R, no ball bearing, 2); Sachs 803 024 (repair kit, 2 per axle); Lemförder 36951 01 (L/R, no ball bearing); Lemförder 37555 01 (L/R); Meyle 100 412 0141 (rubber-metal, no bearing, pairs); febi 40171 (elastomer, no bearing, 14 mm) |
| Genuine (OE) numbers quoted | Bilstein 23-238978 strut quotes 5QF 413 031 AC and 5QF 413 032 A; Sachs 802 696 and Lemförder 36951 01 top mounts quote 5Q0 412 331 C/D/E and 5QD 412 331 A/C; Lemförder 37555 01 quotes 5Q0 412 249 E/F |
| Fitment notes | Standard and electronically adjustable (DampTronic, for cars with electronic suspension control) versions are listed separately, so confirm which the car has; Koni adjustable struts also appear, and no sport or lowered units are described. |
Audi Q3 Front Suspension Strut: The System That Quietly Does All the Work
On the Audi Q3, every pothole, bump and cornering load gets filtered through these parts long before it's felt inside the car, which is precisely why wear rarely shows up as one clean symptom. A methodical, process-of-elimination check tends to find the actual culprit much faster than guessing.
Audi Q3 Front Suspension Strut: What It Does
The Audi Q3's front struts fold two components into one: the damper and the coil spring's mount. A worn strut means the car keeps moving after a bump rather than settling promptly, and that lingering movement can accelerate uneven tyre wear over time.
Audi Q3 Front Suspension Strut: Watch: Replacing It
8U Q3 front struts; also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A20y1eL2jQk
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A Genuinely Useful Piece of Context Worth Knowing About Front-End Knocks — Audi Q3 Front Suspension
If you're hearing a knock from the front suspension, this is genuinely worth knowing: documented cases on related Audi models describe this traced to the top suspension mount bearing, worth testing by having an assistant turn the steering wheel lock to lock with the bonnet open and the car stationary.
It's also genuinely worth knowing that this kind of knock can be temperature-sensitive, and that it's well known for mysteriously failing to reproduce during a dealer's own test drive.
Audi Q3 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.