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Cost for control arms

3K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  VTVW_family 
#1 ·
I had my oil pan replaced last month at a very reputable shop in my area that only repairs Audi/VW and was given an estimate for my right front control arms because of a slight vibration while driving. Is this an accurate price for having them replaced? I don't really trust a tire shop like STS to do the job correctly. Heres the estimate, comes to $700 after taxes, just for one side.



 
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#3 ·
Me? I would have the job done elsewhere (actually, I did it myself), since control arms are just bolts and ball joints that any shop can do, assuming they're half the price as I suspect. Dealing with corroded bolts seems to be the pain point on this job. Bring it by the dealer for the alignment if they're the only ones you trust.
 
#5 ·
If 3 of 8 are bad, can the others be far behind?

I would get the FCP kit with S4 TREs at about $250 at most shipped and DIY. Get a can of PB Blaster and start spraying your upper CAs pinch bolt every day for a week, tapping it in with a hammer.

It would be best to have an air hammer to drive out your pinch bolts if you can't hammer them out. In that case, you could even take it to a shop to have them get those bolts out and replace them (coated with anti-seize) with the new one from the FCP kit. Then drive home and replace the control arms yourself.

Only other special tool you'd need is the clamp/jaw type ball joint seperator for the lower arms--a pickle fork would work, but with a lot more swearing.
 
#6 ·
You can get just the upper control arms in a kit from FCPEuro for about $75. They have a complete kit with all upper and lower arms, outer tie rods, sway bar links, and all new nuts and bolts for about $250. Similar kits from Meyle or Febi-Bilstein will run you about $500-550. I've used them all and found the Febi-Bilsteins to be better than the Meyles. I currently have the FCPEuro parts on the car so I'm interested in seeing how long they last.

Don't waste your time using PB Blaster on the upper pinch bolts. Get some Zep 45 Penetrating Lubricant instead. You can order it through Amazon if you can't find it locally.
 
#12 ·
As I'm also looking at replacing all the arms, tie rod ends, bushings and sway bar links to fix my noisy and clunky front end, I recently went to order the S4 upgrade kit from FCP (usually 225-250) and found it's now 310! Still a deal, or should I look elsewhere? Also, is anyone aware of a possible PW promo code or an alternative kit that might not be showing for 2000 ATW 1.8t's?
 
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