Front control arm bushings bad at 49k miles - $4500 to replace?

[braincell38]

I've got a 2016 S6 with 49k miles. The dealer says my front control arm bushings are dry rotting / cracking? And quoted $4500 to replace (re-using control arms and replacing bushings only).

I don't drive my car hard so I'm a bit surprised they are needing replacement and also the high cost. I'm not noticing any degradation in handling or any odd noises.

Is this kind of wear normal? And is that price reasonable?

Is it difficult to DIY? I'd have to bring to a shop with a press.

[WideSuppie]

LOL!!! Yeah, go to Indie shop.

[MattyMarkey]

Control arm wear is normal on these heavy cars. It’s not all about the miles, but more so the length of time/years. The bushing material Audi used just cracks and gets brittle over time. Since you don’t have any noises, that just means it’s not metal-on-metal.

The parts are right around $1000. It does not make sense just to do the bushing themselves. It’s still a fairly labor intensive job - there are a couple DIY’s on the forum.

Def find an Indy shop, they’ll do it for half the cost.


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[Audibellybutton]

just replace the whole control arm, you can get them for cheap on rockauto.com or you can buy oem. Take it to an indy shop or mechanic and voila headache is gone. bushing wear is normal

[Spitfire007]

I got a quote from my Indy to replace both for about $800. That's the whole arm AND bushing


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[Valpo A7]

Control arm wear is normal on these heavy cars. It’s not all about the miles, but more so the length of time/years. The bushing material Audi used just cracks and gets brittle over time. Since you don’t have any noises, that just means it’s not metal-on-metal.

The parts are right around $1000. It does not make sense just to do the bushing themselves. It’s still a fairly labor intensive job - there are a couple DIY’s on the forum.

Def find an Indy shop, they’ll do it for half the cost.


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And then sometimes you get a car that is fine with stock suspension. My 2012 A7 has 226,300 miles on original equipment. I will be doing a deep dive inspection when the weather warms up to see how my stuff is doing though.

[MattyMarkey]

And then sometimes you get a car that is fine with stock suspension. My 2012 A7 has 226,300 miles on original equipment. I will be doing a deep dive inspection when the weather warms up to see how my stuff is doing though.

You are certainly in the minority and a rare breed, or at least that A7 is lol. Might actually have something to do with the miles too - you certainly drive it, so it's not sitting around. We all know seals and certain rubber does not like to sit around for extended periods of time.

9 year old car over here, with under 50k miles. Sat around for a lot of it's life for the first 6 years... my bushings are showing signs of failure

[ericw.]

034 sells control arms with their upgraded street density bushings. Just go that route for around $800 in parts. Trusting a service tech to press bushings is a toss up. 50% chance they squeak like shit.

[MattyMarkey]

034 sells control arms with their upgraded street density bushings. Just go that route for around $800 in parts. Trusting a service tech to press bushings is a toss up. 50% chance they squeak like shit.

^ Route I plan on going; 034 that is.


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[RAUDIRS6]

I did a full suspension replacement on my 03 RS6 when it was 9 years old. Most of that was 034 parts. I did it in a 1.5 car garage with basic tools. Took about a week.

I did the same on my 04 S4, but it was 14 years old.

When you're done, make sure you go to an indy shop for a proper aftermarket parts alignment.

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[Audisthesia]

034 sells control arms with their upgraded street density bushings. Just go that route for around $800 in parts. Trusting a service tech to press bushings is a toss up. 50% chance they squeak like shit.

I don't like those odds.

[FourRingThing]

49K you still have 1000 miles of warranty.........

give them hell

[MattyMarkey]

49K you still have 1000 miles of warranty.........

give them hell

Just 3yrs too late for that…


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[cuerna]

$4,500 is way too much.
My control arms are shot, 2012 A6 3.0T Sport suspension.
I am planning on buy them all from rockauto (Delphi) for about $450 and replace them on a Saturday when we get better weather.

[jrsAudiA6]

I replaced my front suspension control arms with 034's density line control arms for significantly less than $4500. My stock control arm bushings were still 'good' but showing their wear on the track. You can not go wrong with 034's control arms.
Here is the link for what I purchased which also included adjustable upper control arms. https://www.034motorsport.com/density-line-upper-adjustable-control-arm-kit-b8-b8-5-audi-a4-s4-a5-s5-rs5.html

Here is the link for complete upper/lower control arms https://www.034motorsport.com/density-line-control-arm-kit-b8-b8-5-audi-a4-s4-a5-s5-rs5.html

Here is the link for just the lower control arms https://www.034motorsport.com/density-line-lower-control-arms-b8-b8-5-audi-a4-s4-a5-s5-rs5.html

When I replaced mine I had a noticeable improvement in my handling on the track as well as the street.

[braincell38]

The service advisor warned me against getting non-oem replacement arms saying they would make noise. 034 arms look good but I don't want to risk squeaks and clunks. I'm not tracking my car so just want some OEM equivalent parts. Does anyone know who the OES is for the stock arms? Is it Lemfoerder or Meyle?

I did find the DIY: https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/919440-DIY-Video-C7-Control-Arm-install

[WatchMeSpend]

The service advisor warned me against getting non-oem replacement arms saying they would make noise.

Ok, but the OEM ones make noise too. Back in the day dealers were saying that synthetic oil blew up engines! Seriously a lot of the service advisors are flunkees and half a salesperson. The one time a stealership ever serviced my car, was because it wouldn't start and I was 500 ft from the entrance on Saturday. What did I get? A new starter I didn't need because the mechanic found a corroded wire, They washed my car and bragged about how clean it was but it is ceramic coated and I told them not to wash it. Then they left a greasy handprint on my roof liner when they pushed the car in. If I would have told them about it, they probably would have used an extractor on the roof liner to clean it, which will typically cause all the glue to release in a few years and the roof liner hangs down like a batman cape.

Find a good indie and work the small repairs by yourself if you can.

[digdah]

For $4500 I'll fly in, come pick up your vehicle, and return it with new bushings. Just don't ask for any receipts.

Edit: I see you are also in TX so it may be a drive. Rest of the offer still stands.

[WideSuppie]

The service advisor warned me against getting non-oem replacement arms saying they would make noise. 034 arms look good but I don't want to risk squeaks and clunks. I'm not tracking my car so just want some OEM equivalent parts. Does anyone know who the OES is for the stock arms? Is it Lemfoerder or Meyle?

I did find the DIY: https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/919440-DIY-Video-C7-Control-Arm-install

Of course they would. How else would they make money? If you want OEM then go on FCP buy OEM bring Indie shop and saved 3000.

[Valpo A7]

There is no reason to use OEM only parts. Quality parts yes, OEM no.

For the front rotors on the A7. OEM front rotors are $250 each last time I looked. You can get Zimmerman for $175 each, just not labeled as OEM….. but they actually are. Zimmerman makes the OEM rotor, you are just not paying the 4 ring surcharge.

If you shop at FCP Euro you can typically get the OEM parts labeled in the original packaging without the 4 ring surcharge. There are many companies out there that sell quality non OEM parts that will perform as good and many times better than stock. Service guys will not acknowledge this because they get paid by Audi to sell and install Audi parts.

[eurospek]

Would bad bushings lead to inner tire wear on both sides? Alignment was done in summer as summer tires had the same bad wear.

[MattyMarkey]

Would bad bushings lead to inner tire wear on both sides? Alignment was done in summer as summer tires had the same bad wear.

For sure. Obviously not the only culprit. If your car is lowered, that could also cause it, if it hadn’t been aligned. Could be multiple factors, but bad bushings could put your alignment off


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[Blackmagic88]

I've got a 2016 S6 with 49k miles. The dealer says my front control arm bushings are dry rotting / cracking? And quoted $4500 to replace (re-using control arms and replacing bushings only).

I don't drive my car hard so I'm a bit surprised they are needing replacement and also the high cost. I'm not noticing any degradation in handling or any odd noises.

Is this kind of wear normal? And is that price reasonable?

Is it difficult to DIY? I'd have to bring to a shop with a press.

Hey, I'm kind of in the same situation as you, my 2016 A6 7.5 has about 88,000 miles on it. Took my car in for an oli change last Monday, they told me I need my lower control arms replaced at least the bushings. I guess the dealership wants $2600 to replace it. Long story short I went to ecstuning.com and order their front control arm bushing kit for 850 bucks and I will have my indie mechanic put it in for another thousand. Still a lot of money but cheaper than the dealership.
Hope that helps in anyway.
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-034motorsport-parts/full-density-line-front-control-arm-kit/034-401-1045~034/

[A665]

It's clear that I need to budget to replace my front control arm assemblies by end of this calendar year. Good thing I don't drive much these days.

[Spitfire007]

Is there much that goes bad in the rear?
I'm noticing that my 2016 rides harsher than it used to and waffles a bit more on the road. I need front lower arms, but apparently all else is ok on an 82000 mile car....which I doubt.


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[A665]

Is there much that goes bad in the rear?
I'm noticing that my 2016 rides harsher than it used to and waffles a bit more on the road. I need front lower arms, but apparently all else is ok on an 82000 mile car....which I doubt.
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I don't recall any threads/comments about early failures to rear suspension. Just shocks eventually wearing out, which is normal for any vehicle.

[Spitfire007]

With the really BAD Quattro rumble and vibrations, and assorted other little things, I dunno if I really wanna keep the car....so I might not bother throwing shocks at it....that said, still cheaper than a new car


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[jrsAudiA6]

I have no noise from my 034 front suspension arms I put on about 3-4 years ago. So, the dealers noise argument is a poor one.

[omega_jeff]

Just another data point for you: My dealer quoted me $1,400 for just the lower control arms and $5,800 for motor mounts!!. I'm local to 034, so I went there and was quoted $1,900 for their Density Line complete front end control arm package incl. installation. Did the 034 motor mounts and transmission mount as well for $3,100.

[Spitfire007]

Just another data point for you: My dealer quoted me $1,400 for just the lower control arms and $5,800 for motor mounts!!. I'm local to 034, so I went there and was quoted $1,900 for their Density Line complete front end control arm package incl. installation. Did the 034 motor mounts and transmission mount as well for $3,100.

Aaaannnnnd: how does it feel now?
Noticeable difference? Better than stock?


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[Burkeomatic]

My first time through, I just got done with the front, new shocks and springs, took me about 10 hours working on and off throughout the day. I could probably do it again in 6 hours my second go. $850 for the control arms from 034, $60 for the additional tools (I could have probably rented the ball joint separator) and I was done. So what would dealer labor be on top of that? What is that like 15-20 hours they are billing? I didn't know WTF I was doing and got it done in less time.

Also, I noticed one person said check rock auto. Normally I hit them up, and I was just going to throw stock stuff back in, but it was more expensive to get the stuff from rock auto, and most of the other kits were around $700-750 so I just bit the bullet and ordered the 034 stuff, along with the mount inserts for the trans/diff and motor mounts too.

[MattyMarkey]

My first time through, I just got done with the front, new shocks and springs, took me about 10 hours working on and off throughout the day. I could probably do it again in 6 hours my second go. $850 for the control arms from 034, $60 for the additional tools (I could have probably rented the ball joint separator) and I was done. So what would dealer labor be on top of that? What is that like 15-20 hours they are billing? I didn't know WTF I was doing and got it done in less time.

Also, I noticed one person said check rock auto. Normally I hit them up, and I was just going to throw stock stuff back in, but it was more expensive to get the stuff from rock auto, and most of the other kits were around $700-750 so I just bit the bullet and ordered the 034 stuff, along with the mount inserts for the trans/diff and motor mounts too.

All depends what the dealership labor rate is; I’d guess $200/hr +

Genuine OEM parts are also pricey AF. Just one arm runs $350-600.


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[braincell38]

My first time through, I just got done with the front, new shocks and springs, took me about 10 hours working on and off throughout the day. I could probably do it again in 6 hours my second go. $850 for the control arms from 034, $60 for the additional tools (I could have probably rented the ball joint separator) and I was done. So what would dealer labor be on top of that? What is that like 15-20 hours they are billing? I didn't know WTF I was doing and got it done in less time.

Also, I noticed one person said check rock auto. Normally I hit them up, and I was just going to throw stock stuff back in, but it was more expensive to get the stuff from rock auto, and most of the other kits were around $700-750 so I just bit the bullet and ordered the 034 stuff, along with the mount inserts for the trans/diff and motor mounts too.

How's the NVH with the 034 control arms? Any additional vibration or road noise? Squeaks?

[omega_jeff]

Aaaannnnnd: how does it feel now?
Noticeable difference? Better than stock?

I can't say if it's better/same as stock, but it's back to "normal." The front end feels solid, stable, proper. As for the motor and transmission mounts...kinda the same thing. It feels like the car is a bit smoother at idle, maybe shifts a bit more solid. Even though my motor mounts were shot and clunking at take-off and coming to a stop (shifting into 1st), the car didn't shake or vibrate in an obvious "the motor mounts are shot" kind of way. I'd love to say "hell yea!....these 034 upgrades rock!..they're the best!...my car does 8.0sec 1/4 miles now!!!" LOL! But for sure, the price, the quality, the 034 on-site experience; it's all good. Highly recommended.

[WideSuppie]

So now with my RS7 being at 83K, I bought the winterfest sale.

https://www.034motorsport.com/density-line-control-arm-kit-b8-b8-5-audi-a4-s4-a5-s5-rs5.html

For $765.

The shop near me does Audi work. The owner actually owns many Audi. They quote me $950 but that's including the 034 inserts and rear sway as well.

[Audibellybutton]

So now with my RS7 being at 83K, I bought the winterfest sale.

https://www.034motorsport.com/density-line-control-arm-kit-b8-b8-5-audi-a4-s4-a5-s5-rs5.html

For $765.

The shop near me does Audi work. The owner actually owns many Audi. They quote me $950 but that's including the 034 inserts and rear sway as well.

Thats a solid quote for labor on all of those arms and the sways

[GCSheffield]

$4500 is beyond price gouging, predatory business and criminal larceny. To only change bushings, not a single control arm or tie rod, for whatever benefit they concocted in the fantasy world, as one of the biggest things that I have an incredibly short temper for. That’s more than a dealership would charge, and they typically charge 300–400% above “realistic”. Not sure if this is a dealership, but unless it’s under warranty and 100% free, with a loaner, I would never take my car to a dealership even if you set me on fire. If this is a local shop. I would plaster their name all over town in a very bad light. That is absolute horsesh*t. Unlike 99.9% of the things that make us curse Audi as loud as possible, but would never - ever - want to part ways with our beloved cars… As evident of everything we post in here trying to figure out how to fix, find, solve, diagnose, repair, re-create and somehow comprehend, as the undeniably most inspiring amazing thing Aldi has done is somehow hidden half of the technical factors, sizes, measurements, diameters, gauges and needs special tools just to change brake pads or Audi timing tool kit needed as whatever model you have will sputter, shutter almost shut off if if the cam shaft timing gear assembly is one billionth of a millimeter off. Lol. Compared to most things that are over engineer, over vacuum-sensitive, hyper-diagnostic required, incredibly quadruple-difficulty and a “no way in hell you’ll figure - or understand - the over-complication of an electrical system - even above our brothers from the Fatherland, Mercedes and BMW - and hell will even over complicate the wiring and electrical system of the British - the genius level simplicity, and I know that’s a reach, of the control and suspension system is relatively easy to replace on its own. HOWEVER…. The part that makes it difficult for so many of us is not really having the equipment to put ourselves in a better position to do the work. Whereas many American and Asian manufacturers might be a little easier to do ground level work, even though they are geometrical complexity, similar to that of a F-117 Nighthawk Stealth fighter based on faceting, their control arms are not uncommon to have six or eight points of contact and are incredibly intricate and where the slightest mechanical issue could possibly be devastating, Aldi is baffling Lee beautiful and simplistic - however amazingly effective - and a lot of cases especially like a lower rear control arm….A———->B. Bolt 1 and bolt 2. And a lot of them as long as you can be in a position for the leverage part, you don’t need to be a tenured mechanic. But it can be very difficult if you don’t have the means to raise or even position the vehicle to make it easier to work please. I can be a little bit more of a struggle and I can be a little bit more hard work.