Upper control arm Install time

[andru1313]

Ok I am finally doing this. I just got the arms and new bolts. i am only doing the uppers so was curious how long this should take. I have the bently but there is not a ton of info for this. Looks pretty straight forward. Is there anything i need to know either during removal or install? Also will i need an alignment after wards? I just had one done 3 weeks ago cause I did my tie rod ends. Thanks..

[ThirdStrike]

remove the entire strut assembly. shouldnt take you any more than 1.5 hours. i did mine in 45 minutes...

[andru1313]

Thanks Third. I got the wrong bolt/nuts sent to me. If I am able to remove the ones that are on there with out damage how important is it to replace them all? This is just for the upper control arms.

[RuS4ty]

no need to remove the entire strut assembly, but it may help with angles. I would use new bolts if I were you, plus good luck getting the pinch bolt off with out damaging that one.

Are you lowered? If you are you will need to set the arms in there at the "natural" angle also.

[andru1313]

no need to remove the entire strut assembly, but it may help with angles. I would use new bolts if I were you, plus good luck getting the pinch bolt off with out damaging that one.

Are you lowered? If you are you will need to set the arms in there at the "natural" angle also.

Yes i am lowered... ECS has those damn bolts on back order. What is "natural" Angle.

[VR4-S4]

you need to tighten them at the position where they will be when the car is on the ground.

[andru1313]

you need to tighten them at the position where they will be when the car is on the ground.

Brilliant. So to keep it simple stupid for me. I will tighten to hold then lower the car and wait for it to settle then tighten again? How do I get to those nuts when the car is on the ground.

[Allaidback]

I need new control arms also...where is the cheapest place to buy from???

[drkenan]

I need new control arms also...where is the cheapest place to buy from???

Ebay has been the cheapest that I've seen. It's a pretty straight forward procedure. I did mine on a B5 A4 that I had and I just took them off, saved the little plastic shims and then put them back on in the same way. Was pretty easy - no problems with the pinch bolt b/c I live in the South.

[Daness373]

You don't want to just look for the cheapest stuff. Its and S4 and it should be your baby.. that said you should use only the parts that you know will hold up and be good on it. Just what i would do, im looking at doing control arms when i get done here at OSU.

[jibberjive]

Brilliant. So to keep it simple stupid for me. I will tighten to hold then lower the car and wait for it to settle then tighten again? How do I get to those nuts when the car is on the ground.

Measure your height from the finder to the center of your hub when the car is on the ground. When the car is on jackstands use a jack to jack the hub to the same height before tightening the bolts.

[Allaidback]

Just got the whole upper control arm set from fcp on ebay for 85 bucks! Very good quality and excellent customer service at a fraction of the price. Specs say they exceed OEM quality.

[ny02s4]

I found it was easiest to remove the entire strut assembly as one unit and change them that way. Also make sure you set them to the correct ride height or else the bushings will go in a few weeks. All i did for this was measure the distance from the top of each arm to the inside of the wheel well (while car was on ground). This gave me a reference measurement to set the new arms into the correct position.

[RedRocketS4]

^^ second. also, when you remove the entire assembly, the bolt that goes through the lower control arm sucks to put back in sometimes. so, use a jack and a friend to help wiggle the bolt back in. shouldn't take more than a couple hours... with breaks. and forgetting to bring out tools (if yo live in an apt complex, like me, then you have to go up 3 flights of stairs every time you forget something).

[IamEzraM]

if you're bushings are really shot, and metal is rubbing on metal, it might be a bear to take them out, I had to have a shop cut my upper control arms out, and my lower arms needed to be heated to get the ball joint out

[Allaidback]

Just a quick question...does it really matter which way you put the bolts back in? For example: The bolt that hold the strut/spring assembly is hard to get in and out because of the lower control arm, but if inserted from the front it is alot easier to manuver.

[jibberjive]

and forgetting to bring out tools (if yo live in an apt complex, like me, then you have to go up 3 flights of stairs every time you forget something).

Amen to that! My exact 3rd story hell