[andros]

First off i'd like to say Hello and introduce myself, cuz I'm new and this is my first post.

My names Jim and I have a 98 passat 1.8t w/126,000. I love my car but lately I've been having alot of problems.

4 weeks ago I was driving my car home from work and there was a water main break, so the police detoured traffic down a slight bumpy backroad. While driving down this backroad the passenger front of my car dropped like I hit a pothole(but I didn't see one) and started grinding, so I tried to pull to the side but the car stopped on it's own.

I get out of my car and start to walk around, as I get to the front of the car I can see tranny fluid spilling on the ground(NOT GOOD). When I get to the side of the car the wheel is up in the fender and cocked on an angle.(REALLY NOT GOOD). I look through a small gap between the tire and the fender and I can see that the lower front control arm is snapped.

Now I'm pissed, 1 1/2 years ago I had almost all the control arms replaced including this one, due to faulty bushings.

So I have it towed to the local VW dealership and when I get there everyones looking at it in shock and are like" we've never seen or heard of a control arm snapping before".

Finally got it back yesturday, after having the car in the for 3weeks 5 days dealing with them and my insurance(thank god they paid for most of it), only to find out that my drivers side outer CV joint is going.

So my ? is, has any had a control arm snap?

Or heard of one snapping?

Or is this VW playing dumb because they have a serious problem with them?


Jim

 

[Boris]

Truthfully I've never heard of one snapping. Worn bushings yes, but metal failure no. Were they OEM parts?

 

[Nenad]

Over here as well never heard of.

 

[V6er]

Truthfully I've never heard of one snapping. Worn bushings yes, but metal failure no. Were they OEM parts?

I think that's the important question. Were they OEM parts or some cheaper knock offs?
This could be a real safety issue if there are counterfeit parts doing the rounds that could snap on you.
God forbid you were doing 70 mph when it happened.
I hope you kept the parts.
I'm sure they could be checked out or reported to the NHTSA .

 

[andros]

They were OEM replaced by my local VW dealership, like i said that one was only 1 1/2 years old. It split right at the ball joint and at first they thought it was old, but after looking at paperwork it was one of the ones replaced.

Jim

 

[cerev1]

How did you get your insurance to pay?

 

[andros]

It was considered loss of control due to mechanical failure.(ever though i didn't lose control, only doing 25mph)\

Originally i was told by my insurance broker that they probaly wouldn't pay for they control arm snapping, but they would pay for all the damages that occurred from it breaking.(rear lower control arm, axle assembly, transaxle, transmission sleeve, inner fender well, brake line and a few other little things)

In the end they paid for almost everything, minus deductable and tranny fluid. They paid for the control arm, but they wouldn't pay for a new axle assembly. In which case the first used one they found for the dealer broke and they had to find a second certified used one.

I not happy have a used one put on, but considering I'm unemployed right now, if thats what the insurance is willing to pay for i can't complain.

Jim

 

[andros]

God forbid you were doing 70 mph when it happened

If there hadn't been that detour due to the water main break, I would have got on the highway about a half mile down the road. Considering that the main road was recently paved and tha back road was rather bumpy, which caused it to go then, I consider myself pretty lucky.

It would have been rush hour traffic, so ever if i didn't hit a gaurd rail, I'd probaly had hit another car.


Jim

 

[jeffsu350]

im kinda impressed and astonashed that someone could break a control arm. my only other question is... do any off-roading lately

that is completly ridiculous... no its so ridiculous its redonkulous...


anyway, glad your okay, and almost everything was covered, im surprised VWoA didn't pickup the tab for somethings, just to keep you happy and quiet about the failure

 

[Curry]

Did you hit a pothole? If you did, or I would pick a pothole and go to the city, and tell them to pay for the damage! In boston you can make the city pay for it if it's over $100.
Ryan

 

[RechtsFahren]

OEM or not, replacement would be unnecessary (not before 200K miles, anyway) if the VW factory originals weren't crap to begin with. Manufacturers like VW need to understand that if they don't stand by their customers, some of their customers will wind up with counterfeit replacements and in potentially life-threatening circumstances because of it. Not good. :evil:

 

[andros]

I did hit a deep storm grate on a very steep/narrow road 2 weeks earlier and I informed the insurance about the incident. Maybe thats why the payed for the control arm. I'd driven over it seveal times before only this time a car was coming up the over side and I had to get over close to the curb where the crate was deeper. Nothing any car shouldn't be able to handle.

Jim

 

[vincheung]

you might be able to file a claim against the water co. or against the city/state to pay for the damages.

 

[andros]

Manufacturers like VW need to understand that if they don't stand by their customers, some of their customers will wind up with counterfeit replacements and in potentially life-threatening circumstances because of it. Not good.

The dealership was very adamant about using OEM parts to the insurance company. Which is why the insurance company went with a used part instead of of a cheap knock-off aftermarket axle assembly. Also the dealer said somthing about how 98's have a different inner CV joint than the newer ones and the aftermarkets don't usually have it.


Jim