Did I Make A Mistake?

[arjun90]

I'm slightly regretting / contemplating over my recent purchase on front suspension parts for my 2004 Audi A6 3.0L Quattro Avant (156,000 Miles)

I purchased the following parts from FCP Euro,

(Lemforder Sway Bar Links) Audi VW Sway Bar Link Front Right - Lemforder 8D0411318D $25
(Lemforder Sway Bar Links) Audi VW Sway Bar Link Front Left - Lemforder 8D0411317D $24.75
(Lemforder Tie Rods) Audi VW Tie Rod Assembly - Lemfoerder (OEM) 4B0419801M (Includes Inner and Outer Tie-Rods, Non-S4 Model) 2x $58.70 (Total $117.40)
(Meyle HD Upper Control Arms) Audi VW Control Arm Kit Front Uppers 4-Piece (A4 A6 S4 Passat) - Meyle HD AUDICA4PIECE $229.99
(FCP / Delphi Lower Control Arms) Audi VW Control Arm Kit Front Lowers (A6 Quattro A8 Quattro Passat) - FCP C5D2CALOWER1 $154.99)
Note: I've been told by FCP's Customer Service that they recently cut ties with their original suppliers (about '2' months ago) for the popular FCP-branded Control Arm Kits and are thus, now sourced from Delphi (Made in China).
I don't know if all the FCP-branded Control Arm feedback on Audizine (or any other European Car forum for the matter) is even relevant anymore.

Total = $552.13

Hardware Sold Separately

Whereas,
ECS Tuning has the following Meyle HD kit for $449.48 (though still would be cheaper to source this kit from FCP Euro after $25 Coupon applied) "free shipping as well"
https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...0814/ES250814/
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vol...o-4b3498510cmy

Meyle HD Heavy Duty Complete Front Control Arm Kit
Includes all front control arms and hardware - plus heavy duty tie rod ends and sway bar end links!
This 12 piece control arm kit includes all eight control arm assemblies, HD tie rod assemblies, HD stabilizer links, and new hardware.

I feel that I could have gotten better value out of the Meyle Kit especially out of their Lower Control Arms

The parts sold separately do end up costing more.


Do you all think I could have done better with sourcing parts for my Front Suspension Rebuild?
FCP Euro has a 365 Day Return Policy for (after 90 Days--refunds processed in the form of Store-Credit) and Free Returns via PayPal's Free Return Shipping. Not sure if its worth the hassle though.
The Meyle HD Kit does not include the inner tie rods and reviews appears to be mixed.
I haven't installed the parts yet, and the weather has improved and want to finish up the task.

Thanks

[Audibot]

Lemforder is owned by ZF, which makes some pretty good automatic transmissions. The kit I got from FCP for my allroad had Delphi parts and I haven't noticed any issues yet. Most important is to make sure you torque correctly at the correct ride height. I usually try to use a bottle jack for that.

Also "Made in China" isn't necessarily bad if the manufacturer maintains strict controls over materials and processes. Take Brembo, for example. "The company has more than 6,000 employees within Italy and at branches in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, US, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK... Except in the North American market, Brembo owns the foundries which produce their initial materials and supply the manufacturing plants. In all other markets the company controls the entire production system from raw materials through distribution. The company holds QS9000 and ISO 9001 certifications." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brembo)

[arjun90]

Thank You Audibot,

If I stay with the current setup,
Will it make any difference in the long run (lifespan, etc) if the Meyle HD Upper Control Arm Bushings are slightly stiffer than the Delhi-branded Lower Control Arms which happen to be less stiff?
I'm beginning to think there would be accelerated wear and tear on the lower control arm bushings if I stay with the current configuration.

Based on my calculations, I save $50 by going with the current route (Meyle HD Upper + FCP / Delphi Lower)
That extra $50 spent "may" take this suspension a long way, but anything is possible with aftermarket parts, or even genuine OE parts for the matter.
Meyle is technically aftermarket (in addition to Delphi)

[Audibot]

I cannot disagree that you may see accelerated wear/tear, but I really think that'll depend on how you installed and drive. So maybe the lowers will last 50k miles instead of 100k, but at that point, you may be in a better position to either replace all with OEM or go HD all the way around.

[glennda5id]

I am not a fan of Meyle. I have heard good things about their HD stuff but my experience is so so with what I have used. I would be using TRW or Lemforder for these parts.

I buy all my stuff from Auto Haus AZ. They are awesome for pricing and generally carry the parts brands manufactured by the OEM (in this case TRW and Lemforder). They also carry the Meyle stuff.

[AllroadMass]

I used to buy Meyle for my passat but didn't like the quality that much. Keep in mind, my passat is a driving school car so you name it, we've hit it a few times per year. I would burn through tie-rod ends and bushings like you wouldn't believe. Last year after we bought my wife's Allroad, I switch over the Lemforder and haven't looked back. That's the only thing I used on all my vw/audi cars now. The lifetime warranty is pretty neat too. Works on wearable items too!