PSA: B5 quattro Rear Shock Mount Brackets NOW AVAILABLE

[walky_talky20]

A quick public service announcement for those of us that are unaware:

B5 A4 quattro / B5 S4 Rear upper shock/spring mount brackets are now available as brand new, aftermarket parts. Currently on eBay for about $125/pair (USD) with bolts, shipped.

I just bought a set and they actually came.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114833069900



They appear, to me, to be OEM quality (although I don't have an OEM one handy to compare). They do not bear any Audi Rings or Part number stamps. The bolts they included also appear to be very good quality, some being grade 10.9 and all with very oem looking "Armor Zinc" coating. They come with the rubber spring isolator as well. I almost wonder if the factory making these for VAG under an exclusive contract has had the part discontinued by Audi, which now allows them to sell these through their own channels.

What I received looks just like the ebay photos, but if anyone wants to see anything specific, just let me know. I'll probably be fitting these to my Avant within a few weeks.

EDIT:
OEM Part numbers for the Search Algorithms:
8D0 512 341 8D0-512-341 8D0512341
8D0 512 342 8D0-512-342 8D0512342

[walky_talky20]

For those who don't understand the significance of this, I should probably include some context. These are one of the few parts of a B5 that will seriously rot away on you in a road salt area. The body is nearly impervious due to the amazing Audi chemical dip process that happened at the factory, but a couple parts are not nearly so well protected.

The B5 "rust list" is basically:
- front "pinch bolts", obviously
- front and rear subframes (especially the rear toe and camber adjustments),
- the brakes
- ATF cooler lines (if tiptronic)
- Bottom banjo bolt/washers on the fuel filter.
- rear springs
- these rear shock mount brackets

"The context":







And the zinger:

[cactus_cars]

Remind me, I have a great picture somewhere of a A4 at the junkyard thar had clearly been totaled due to one of these breaking and sending the rear end outta control. Because the rear arm is tied into all of that as well. FYI there is a guy in Latvia (of course there is) that redesigned these and makes them even better.
Don't remember the thread but they were really, really nice.

Also FYI the set on FCP is slightly cheaper I believe.

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[walky_talky20]

ECS Tuning Price: $800.96 per pair (no hardware)
FCP Euro Price: $679.48 per pair (no hardware)
Some guy in Latvia Price: ???

Newly available eBay price I made this thread to show you guys: $125 per pair, includes nice hardware



*These are definitely not any cheaper anywhere (for new parts, shipped to USA). Trust me, I am the biggest cheapskate and I *looked*. These are it unless you pull minty used ones from a junkyard yourself.

[cactus_cars]

ECS Tuning Price: $800.96 per pair (no hardware)
FCP Euro Price: $679.48 per pair (no hardware)
Some guy in Latvia Price: ???

Newly available eBay price I made this thread to show you guys: $125 per pair, includes nice hardware



*These are definitely not any cheaper anywhere (for new parts, shipped to USA). Trust me, I am the biggest cheapskate and I *looked*. These are it unless you pull minty used ones from a junkyard yourself.

Oh I know. Definitely on my list.

I'll check again and see if I can dig up the thread. No idea where I saw it. Might have been in the S4 thread.

I'm not as extreme of a cheapskate haha. But I am definitely very frugal.

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[Greyhound Guy]

Mine are actually doing well. My question is do you use red loctite on the bolts? One of the main bolts continues to back out after putting in coilovers long ago.

[walky_talky20]

I've never had that problem. But I'd use blue, if needed. Needs to come apart someday!

[cactus_cars]

I've never had that problem. But I'd use blue, if needed. Needs to come apart someday!

This. Please don't use red, for your own sake.

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[Greyhound Guy]

This. Please don't use red, for your own sake.

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LOL. thanks guys.

[Mexipoku]

Hey guys! Found out that we have not told about us on this forum yet.
Yes, we have sold a lot of our strut mounts through out these years. Also have updated the design to be more precise, so there would not be any problems when mounting these on car.





And yes, our mounts are "heavy duty" - built from 3mm thick steel and afterwards powdercoated. We are doing different metal works on daily basis, so you should not worry about the quality of these parts.

We sell only the struts themselves without any extra hardware. You can find out more about this product on our web page.
http://www.mexipoku.com/shop/params/.../item/1398513/
(Don't be confused that in pictures parts are in matte black - we did them before like this and now have switched to more-OEM look with gloss finish)

Original market price for our product right now (and basically has been like this for all these years) is 330,00eur + shipping (normally 20-40eur in Europe and 40-50 UK).

If you are interested in this product individually, please make an order on our web page. If you are interested in creating a group buy, we can arrange some discounts. For example - 5 pairs = 10% discount, 10 pairs = 15% discount. For group buys please contact me personally. It would be better doing this on e-mail: [email protected]

BR,
Karlis

[Mexipoku]

Mine are actually doing well.

Also would like to add that a lot of people think that their strut mounts are doing well until they are mounted off the car, because the part that rusts the most is the one that is not visible from outer side of the car.
If your car has not seen much of milage in salty winters, then you should be okay tho!

[cactus_cars]

Too rich for my blood. $120 is less than half the price hardware included.

But they sure do look nice. I don't think these are the custom ones I saw before. Different design it seems.

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[Mexipoku]

Just wanted to update with our newest product that was inspired by our adjustable control arms. We built first set of lightweight mounts for those who want to stand out more, adjust their dampers easier and maybe shave some weight away.
Price for these LW brackets is 360eur/pair. Everything else remains the same, just like the original ones. If interested, hit us up.






Also, if you guys are interested, we can talk more about the adjustable control arms. These are still being tested, but about to be available for everyone.
Cheers,
Karlis

[walky_talky20]

I have to say, those things look super cool.

[hawaiian punch]

Those do look sick! Northeastern guys will appreciate these lol


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[cactus_cars]

ECS Tuning Price: $800.96 per pair (no hardware)
FCP Euro Price: $679.48 per pair (no hardware)
Some guy in Latvia Price: ???

Newly available eBay price I made this thread to show you guys: $125 per pair, includes nice hardware



*These are definitely not any cheaper anywhere (for new parts, shipped to USA). Trust me, I am the biggest cheapskate and I *looked*. These are it unless you pull minty used ones from a junkyard yourself.

FYI NOW ON SALE!! $102 + tax, in for $108.25. Might pickup a spare set just in case.

Not 100% sure if they will actually show up with nice hardware but I will report back when I receive them!

[walky_talky20]

Thanks for the heads up. Just bought a set!

Coming up this weekend or next I'll be installing my original eBay Brackets (along with new springs, shocks, wheel bearing and possibly a rear tie rod end). I'll try to report how everything goes together.

[cactus_cars]

Thanks for the heads up. Just bought a set!

Coming up this weekend or next I'll be installing my original eBay Brackets (along with new springs, shocks, wheel bearing and possibly a rear tie rod end). I'll try to report how everything goes together.

Awesome, looking forward to it!

I still need to get new hardware for my rear end... Installing H&R coils soon but I think original northeastern hardware is gonna put up a tough fight...

Figured I should go ahead and replace the brackets (one is original and mostly solid, the other was a Cali replacement) when doing the coilovers. Still need to figure out what the hell I'm gonna do about the original rear control arms...

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[walky_talky20]

I haven't seen too many issues with rear control arms, other than the lower eccentric bolt getting positively fused to the ID of the bushing and causing a big fuss to get apart.

I do know the rear upper arms come in 2 flavors: stamped steel or cast. I believe the cast version was a carry-over from the B4 chassis, and stamped was the cheaper replacement. Replacing inner bushings on the stamped version can be a little tricky.

[A4Qwattro]

I haven't seen too many issues with rear control arms, other than the lower eccentric bolt getting positively fused to the ID of the bushing and causing a big fuss to get apart.

I do know the rear upper arms come in 2 flavors: stamped steel or cast. I believe the cast version was a carry-over from the B4 chassis, and stamped was the cheaper replacement. Replacing inner bushings on the stamped version can be a little tricky.

Those inner bushings on the stamped upper control arm were easy enough for me. They have a nice beefy flange on them so you can press them in with one of those bottle jack presses, a bearing splitter (can rent one from auto store) sitting on top of the flange, and some metal blocks underneath to lift the arm up.

It's that upper outer bushing that is an absolute *****. The flange on that is like playdoh. I was certain I destroyed them when I pressed it in.

[walky_talky20]

Update, I installed my eBay shock brackets. They worked pretty well, although you can tell they are not OE.

68C2B272-34FA-4E45-89E2-6D9249469567.jpg

The 2 differences that kind of mattered:

#1: the area for the upper locator “pin” was too tight due to a non-exact overlapping of the 2 sheets of material. Had to a little grinder to clearance it on both pieces.

IMG_1776.jpg

After grinding:
IMG_1777.jpg

All lined up:
IMG_1778.jpg

#2: The clearance near the bolt and nut for the upper shock mount is tight. The bolt can only go in one way, and the nut has to be started before the bolt is pushed all the way. And you may be limited on your wrench choices. A chunky box end may not fit. Not a huge deal as you only deal with this when the entire thing is out of the car. Just an annoyance.

Overall, I like them and would buy them again. Can’t beat the price for brand new parts.


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[cactus_cars]

Those inner bushings on the stamped upper control arm were easy enough for me. They have a nice beefy flange on them so you can press them in with one of those bottle jack presses, a bearing splitter (can rent one from auto store) sitting on top of the flange, and some metal blocks underneath to lift the arm up.

It's that upper outer bushing that is an absolute *****. The flange on that is like playdoh. I was certain I destroyed them when I pressed it in.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. Think I am going to try and pickup a used set, as even on sale the $438 for the 034 Upper Rear Control arms is kinda pricey. Thinking I should pickup a set of uppers and lowers, rebuild them and swap out the ones on the car now, then rebuild my originals as spares or to sell. Any idea what bushings are best and if I should try to find stamped or cast for both pieces ( I have an early 99, I would guess cast upper stamped lower is factory).

[cactus_cars]

Update, I installed my eBay shock brackets. They worked pretty well, although you can tell they are not OE.

68C2B272-34FA-4E45-89E2-6D9249469567.jpg

The 2 differences that kind of mattered:

#1: the area for the upper locator “pin” was too tight due to a non-exact overlapping of the 2 sheets of material. Had to a little grinder to clearance it on both pieces.

IMG_1776.jpg

After grinding:
IMG_1777.jpg

All lined up:
IMG_1778.jpg

#2: The clearance near the bolt and nut for the upper shock mount is tight. The bolt can only go in one way, and the nut has to be started before the bolt is pushed all the way. And you may be limited on your wrench choices. A chunky box end may not fit. Not a huge deal as you only deal with this when the entire thing is out of the car. Just an annoyance.

Overall, I like them and would buy them again. Can’t beat the price for brand new parts.


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I will be sure to check the clearance. And yeah the quality isn't very impressive, but $54 a side not bad. I think the $400 I didn't spend is better spent on other needs...

Will be using these when I put in the H&Rs.

[walky_talky20]

In case anyone was wondering how an ‘01 1.8TQMS Avant sits when you buy the absolute cheapest, non-sport sedan rear springs on eBay ($40/pair) and pair them with very cheap shocks from Rock Auto (FCS $65/pair)…behold:

IMG_1785.jpg
It sits satisfactory. Remarkably ok, even. As a bonus, it is no longer trying to dart into the nearest ditch with every twitch of the steering wheel.


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[DwDckQo]

Hello all,

I wanna buy same ebay brackets as you. I have AP adjustable suspension How satisfied are you with brackets? Is everything okay after a long time?

[walky_talky20]

They are still under the car, with 2 salty winters and no problems thus far. I still recommend.

[DwDckQo]

Thx. Also come with HW as show in the pic ? Im looking for 8A0512297E, but there in Europe 0 left... sadly. Is steel and weld quality good.. do you have any other photos ? :)

[walky_talky20]

Yes, the ones I got on ebay came with bolts and came with the rubber spring isolators as well.

The steels seems similar to OEM. Now, the original Audi part is not amazing itself - it is the most rust prone part of the car, perhaps. But these new ones seem very acceptable. I can try to get a dirty/salty picture of mine later today.

[DwDckQo]

Yes, the ones I got on ebay came with bolts and came with the rubber spring isolators as well.

The steels seems similar to OEM. Now, the original Audi part is not amazing itself - it is the most rust prone part of the car, perhaps. But these new ones seem very acceptable. I can try to get a dirty/salty picture of mine later today.

ok ty ! :)

[walky_talky20]

Ok, well...my car looks even saltier than I expected, but here you go. The rear shock bracket is totally present in this photo.