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.
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.
You can get a complete front suspension upgrade from ecs for like 500. Dealers gunna kill you on labor. There's no where else to go? Passat are notorious squeakers. Worst thing you could do is change one of your control arms and the damn thing still noisy
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.
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.
Do the complete rebuild. I put the FCP kit on two years ago. No squeaks and it rides very nice. I had an indy do mine and the total cost was around $850 including the install. You do have to get it aligned when your done.
Thanks for everyones input. I'm going to be getting the S4 kit from FCP Euro and letting a guy from work with a lift in his garage have a go at replacing them. Seems like the pinch bolt is the hardest part.
What PZ said.
Do you feel a vibration at a certain speed? If yes it is most likely wheel related.
If you feel it more in the steering wheel or seat, rotate your tires and see if the issue appears at the other end of the car.
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?
Thanks for the tip, Hirnbeiss! I confirmed I have at least two UCA bushings that are shot, one tie rod end, both sway bar links. However, I'll definitely check the tops of the strut towers as well, I didn't think of that.
The right front is starting to clunk when I go over uneven bumps/dips and also squeal. When I turn the wheel a little or tap the brakes the squeal stops. I may take it for a second opinion.
That used to be the normal price for the kit. I just checked their website and the price increased to $310 for the same kit. I bought mine about six months ago at the old price.
Have you lowered your car? It seems like most folks who have lowered thier suspensions have not changed the upper front control arms to adjustable ones. Keep in mind the camber change up front can eat tires in less than 20k miles if it is more than even negative ONE degree.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Volkswagen Passat Forum
3M posts
158.6K members
Since 2002
Passatworld is a forum community dedicated to Volkswagen Passat owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about mods, Quattro, Turbo Diesel, reviews and more!