Has anyone bought the FCP front CA kit?

[Avantugofast]

Curious did you get the correct lower front CA's? They sent me the wrong ones!

[a4kamila6]

I bought the kit for my b5, its shit. Getting 034 kit or oem arms soon. They are cheap and last 2 months in nyc pothole roads.

Maybe you ordered wrong kit. Aluminum uprights have different front lower control arm.


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[PaperToast]

assuming this is for your ar that you posted about on QW, here's the links to the right c-arms
right side left side

bought from these guys about 3 years ago, and can say that these are genuine trw c-arms and they fit properly

[twizz]

I had terrible luck with FCP personally. Literally every part I purchased failed within 3 months. Control Arms, Gaskets, Engine Mounts, seals. They blamed me and my installation, But I just can't seem to believe that the guy I had do all the work for me could mess up on ALL the parts that came from them. Especially after doing it literally hundreds of times himself for various b5/c5 platforms in the area.

It is what it is, I don't order from them if I can help it. The control arms didn't have more than 3-5k miles on them before they were worn and clunking. Who knows, perhaps it was just a crazy fluke.

[a4kamila6]

I had terrible luck with FCP personally. Literally every part I purchased failed within 3 months. Control Arms, Gaskets, Engine Mounts, seals. They blamed me and my installation, But I just can't seem to believe that the guy I had do all the work for me could mess up on ALL the parts that came from them. Especially after doing it literally hundreds of times himself for various b5/c5 platforms in the area.

It is what it is, I don't order from them if I can help it. The control arms didn't have more than 3-5k miles on them before they were worn and clunking. Who knows, perhaps it was just a crazy fluke.

Its not a fluke. They fail on the inside portion, not the balljoint. The rubber bushing fails. Guess its cheap chinese stuff. 034 claims they source their CAs from the same manufacturer that made them for audi or something, and i dont doubt it. Probably gonna do it next month. Have to order for both cars


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[carmudgeon]

Anyone have an opinion on Blauparts? They're control arm kit is supposedly from the same company that manufactures OEM parts for Audi.

[Avantugofast]

Did allroads come with Aluminium uprights? My invoice shows the correct kit and there are no options for Aluminium uprights.

[a4kamila6]

I dont know which CA's allroads have. Best way to check is verify if the upright is aluminum. You can do this by writing down the part number or just checking to see if its magnetic or not. My A6 has steel uprights i believe last time i checked.

Thats why you need to know what you have before you order anything.

And Carmudgeon, i have their shocks installed on my b5 along with their brake kit. The shocks arent bad, definitely not better than original or oem but they have lasted me 20k so far but FCP euros CA's have partially failed at around 15k. A lot of it has to do with proper install. My mechanic and i pretensioned the wheel and CAs with a jack and then tightened down the bolts. If you tighten down the CA bolts all the way while wheel and CAs are not compressed, once you drop car on ground the bushings will rip or twist faster. And about blauparts CA kit, i wouldnt know to be honest.


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[rollerton]

The FCP parts are good for the price. But they wear out pretty quick. I've seen OEM control arms with 70 to 90k on them in the same condition as my FCP ca's after 10k. I'm sure you can get a few years out of them before they're completely toast, but they START to rip in the bushings after a few months. And I've bought 4 or 5 sets from them and install isn't complicated. You put them on and tighten the bolt at ride height. So..pretty sure I have them installed right.
Next time I'm just going 100% dealer control arms.

[a4kamila6]

The FCP parts are good for the price. But they wear out pretty quick. I've seen OEM control arms with 70 to 90k on them in the same condition as my FCP ca's after 10k. I'm sure you can get a few years out of them before they're completely toast, but they START to rip in the bushings after a few months. And I've bought 4 or 5 sets from them and install isn't complicated. You put them on and tighten the bolt at ride height. So..pretty sure I have them installed right.
Next time I'm just going 100% dealer control arms.

Im gonna buy the 034 kit and ill let you know if its worth it. If im correct it stands at 400 and change while full oem kit is probably 1000 if not slightly more. Fcp kit was 275 for me so go figure.


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[twizz]

OEM parts were over $1000 at employee cost

[carmudgeon]

I ordered the 034 kit this afternoon, although at my rate it'll take me 3 months to put them on.

[a4kamila6]

Take them to a mechanic if you arent ready and make sure to install them properly. More than one of us is itching to know how they feel once installed. Hard to tell how long they will last but oh well.


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[Avantugofast]

UPDATE- got the right parts ordered. I've run FCP's on my B5s with no major problems. This is my GF's Allroad and she drives like a grandma so hopefully they will last a bit.