my mini rant to match Pokey's window regulator clips one...

Thanks for the heads up ( currently at 65,000 miles). With the Audi ur-S4/S6 community ( '92-'97) Meyle is not favored for lower control arms ( kinda like you and the FCP Groton), TRW is preferred.

wow good to know. sorry to hear this. let me guess.....warranty is out? Maybe send an email to them and see how that goes. just a thought.

It's good to know one is crappier than another. I've had the originals on for 120k and after doing the axles this spring, i think i've torn a boot and have a shot joint, finally. The banging and rattling is exhausting.

If i can stand the car long enough to consider replacing these I'll avoid the FCP.

there's an important take-away on this, guys... you can replace them every 20K miles or so, or you can replace them every >90K miles. the warranty is worthless to me if this is how they perform; keep in mind that you have to put in the labor (or pay for it, your choice) to replace them. I'm a DIY kind of guy - I prefer to do it once every 3 years or more, rather than once every 9 months!

Interesting that you have this problem. I have put about 30K of shitty backroad driving on my full FCP kit and no issues at all that weren't caused by me. I tore a passenger rear boot on installation and just left it to die. Took 8 months to loosen up. I accidently unseated the boot on my driver front lower but never bothered to try and reseat it. Still going strong today.

It has really impressed me for the price. If they last 50k I would gladly pay another $230 and do it over again.

Please keep in mind that my suspension gets one hell of a workout. It goes through it's entire range of travel. I don't slow down for rough, uneven surfaces or hilly roads. My front tires come off the ground in some spots weekly.

VAGguy said:

Please keep in mind that my suspension gets one hell of a workout. It goes through it's entire range of travel. I don't slow down for rough, uneven surfaces or hilly roads. My front tires come off the ground in some spots weekly.

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Damn dude, just beating the piss out of it! Talk about drive it like you stole it, that's funny Some of us baby these things too much (me). It's nice to know you can really put it through some hell and it holds up.

I'm not talking like dukes of hazzard or anything....I just drive it like it was meant to. I have never once bottomed out on anything either.

C'mon, not even one hazzard-esque jump?

No, I'm not stupid, nor that crazy. This is my daily driver.

how many miles a day do you drive, Dan?

JayTheSnork said:

how many miles a day do you drive, Dan?

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Although cumulative miles matter more than daily......about 50-80 miles a day. no interstate, no city. Rural, hilly terrain with half assed road surfaces.

Sometimes ya just get a bad part/and or defective part

JayTheSnork said:

there's an important take-away on this, guys... you can replace them every 20K miles or so, or you can replace them every >90K miles. I prefer to do it once every 3 years or more, rather than once every 9 months!

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X2 theres trueth to that :thumbup:

I have 40k on mine and the boots still look new, I was just looking at them last weekend, everything is nice and tight, most of my driving is rough state highways/dirt road/curvy back country roads.

did you actually take it apart and feel the play in the joint, or did you assume that its what it is.

Purplezr2 said:

I have 40k on mine and the boots still look new, I was just looking at them last weekend, everything is nice and tight, most of my driving is rough state highways/dirt road/curvy back country roads.

did you actually take it apart and feel the play in the joint, or did you assume that its what it is.

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good point. Jay did mention a clunking tho.....Jay, you're sure it was the ball joint? It takes a lot of abuse to make one go bad.

Resonnatorr said:

Sometimes ya just get a bad part/and or defective part

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kinda what I am leaning towards.

Bushings are just about shot on my uppers after 40K. I am contemplating the Shine bearings to replace the bushings. Not cheap, but I imagine they handle great.