Perforated Wishbone

Thanks all for this helpful thread. I had been thinking of getting a pair of the later pressed steel control arms (wishbones) on the precautionary principle and wanted the advantages described in previous posts as well as originality. Currently the only pressed steel ones I can find are Triscan (large danish motor factor). I assume that arms from well known brands will remain "out of stock". The german company mentioned in the first post (A2-DOC) states that they no longer suppy their cheaper arms due to complaints about quality but they do supply pressed steel ones "Querlenker LONGLIFE". However, they don't state the maker or source of either so one is blind to which are best and which to avoid if shopping elsewhere. Does anyone here have any experience of Tristan control arms?
 
I'm a bit late contributing but just thought I would add my support for pressed steel. Pressed steel were not available a couple of years ago so I was forced to fit cast iron. They do not ride as well as pressed steel and are not as serviceable. Pressed steel is fine and will last if it is given an extra coat of paint and is flooded with cavity wax. Just done this on a golf, which is pressed steel only.
Lemforder is my choice of brand, but I also check out TRW, Lemforder with the branding removed. That is what I have on my A2 TRW, Lemforder with the branding removed and a good few £ saved.
 
The A2-DOC guy has infromed me that the chaeper ones are from AIC and Triscan and he does not recommend these due to the volume of complaints he received re rust/longevity. He now only sells the Longlife one as you state and has not had any issues, but yes he also did not tell me the manufacturer name.

From a personal perspective, my original (by the looks of it) pressed steel have lasted 17 years!! Not bad going at all. I only need to replace one of them and fitting a Borg and Beck one (kindly supplied by Weetank on the forum) and will coat it with Waxoyl etc. Even if this lasts 5 years, thats plenty good enough. The basic ones available at ECP (starline?) will probably be fine too with the additional, wax treatment.

hope this helps...
 
Hello A2 owners, I have also signed up here to help and support you guys in driving and maintaining these great cars.

When asked from above, we have tested all makes, be it AIC Aftermarket, Tristan, Borg, Meyle TRW etc. none of the wishbones ever built came close to the original from Audi in terms of quality.
Our supplier Jürgen Liebisch GmbH builds our "improved" wishbone. - As far as I am informed, only we currently offer this LONGLIFE version for the free market to private customers.

If one or the other needs instructions or help - just ask
 
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Morning and welcome to the A2OC,

I have visited your website and your services look to be great. Your offer of free of charge advice is awesome, you should fit in well here.

Your revised wishbones look to be what everyone will be needing in the future. Before anyone takes a set of these wishbones from you; can you let us know you if you’re happy to send to the UK and do you know of any import/customs charges before actual delivery.

Hopefully you can indeed ship to the UK.

As you look to be able to offer other such services; can I invite you to putting together a list on a separate thread (have a look at our Members Services page) of how you can support us in our quest to keep our aluminium friends on the road.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Morning and welcome to the A2OC,

I have visited your website and your services look to be great. Your offer of free of charge advice is awesome, you should fit in well here.

Your revised wishbones look to be what everyone will be needing in the future. Before anyone takes a set of these wishbones from you; can you let us know you if you’re happy to send to the UK and do you know of any import/customs charges before actual delivery.

Hopefully you can indeed ship to the UK.

As you look to be able to offer other such services; can I invite you to putting together a list on a separate thread (have a look at our Members Services page) of how you can support us in our quest to keep our aluminium friends on the road.

Kind regards,

Tom
Thank you Tom and everyone else for the warm welcome.

I like to ship to the UK. The amount of the customs fees are currently not known to me, but I will ask for them and communicate them ...
 
Thank you Tom and everyone else for the warm welcome.

I like to ship to the UK. The amount of the customs fees are currently not known to me, but I will ask for them and communicate them ...
Perfect thank you,

It would be fantastic and of great use to us all if you was able to start your own thread; showing your offerings which also included your findings on costs to get your products to us via customs.

Again, welcome and thanks for the offer of assistance.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Thank you Tom and everyone else for the warm welcome.

I like to ship to the UK. The amount of the customs fees are currently not known to me, but I will ask for them and communicate them ...
I believe you need to register for UK VAT, you charge VAT at UK rates and pay it to HM Revenue and Customs. The goods should then progress tax free to your UK customers.
 
I am very grateful for the extremely helpful contributions since my post. By way of sharing (relevant to treatment of arms from any source) I have lots of experience of dealing with rust on other things (not my A2). There is a UK company Bilt Hamber Laboratories. Their products are second to none for treating established rust or (as is applicable here) protection treatment to new/sound steel. I am just a super satisfied customer and not affiliated. I think that the location and driving conditions of your A2 are critical to this. Mine are also 17 years old and still strong. But my A2 has lived all its life inland and south of the Wash. Check out the other crucial thread if your later A2 (steel arms) meets more salt than mine! Go well go safe.

Check your front suspension arms people

 
No, they are shorter than A2 wishbones because other pq24 cars have narrower front track width.
 
No, they are shorter than A2 wishbones because other pq24 cars have narrower front track width.
Thanks for the info. Do you know the actual difference in resulting track width? I ask because there might be some wriggle room in positioning the ball joint on the arm. The difference cannot be that great.
 
I don't know the exact difference, but it's a lot, no wiggle room can compensate the difference.
I tried those once and ended up with a nearly undrivable car with too much positive camber.
 
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Good to hear that you managed to fit them. Perhaps you could have got a special offer on tracking with one of the major chains and just left the car with them without going into too much detail?
 
I did fit them and then removed the next day.
Alignment shop could not do proper alignment (toe in - out) and I didn't want to do any unsafe modifications.

Failing to find a new Lemforder or other reputable manufacturer wishbones at that point, I went back to old ones and eventually this year did a pq25 subframe upgrade.

As @audifan says, camber is not adjustable.
 
I did fit them and then removed the next day.
Alignment shop could not do proper alignment (toe in - out) and I didn't want to do any unsafe modifications.

Failing to find a new Lemforder or other reputable manufacturer wishbones at that point, I went back to old ones and eventually this year did a pq25 subframe upgrade.

As @audifan says, camber is not adjustable.
I see that there is a thread to which you have contributed

PQ25 Console & Wishbone Swap​

which usefully suggests that the extra length is about 5mm on each side. I had thought that the ball joint could be slid a bit, a deliberate feature designed to overcome the issues of camber adjustment with the cast wishbone but perhaps this is not the case.
 
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Yes, pq25 upgrade adds 0.5 negative camber. If your car is not lowered that shouldn't be a problem.
My car is 25mm lowered on h&r springs which results in more negative camber.
Now with pq25 additional 0.5 I don't feel any issues on the steering wheel. No pulling to one side or wiggling on acceleration or braking.
I'm still waiting for an alignment to know exactly how much camber there is now.

Holes on the pq25 wishbone are round as well, there is no adjustability.
 

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Yes, pq25 upgrade adds 0.5 negative camber. If your car is not lowered that shouldn't be a problem.
My car is 25mm lowered on h&r springs which results in more negative camber.
Now with pq25 additional 0.5 I don't feel any issues on the steering wheel. No pulling to one side or wiggling on acceleration or braking.
I'm still waiting for an alignment to know exactly how much camber there is now.

Holes on the pq25 wishbone are round as well, there is no adjustability.
Thanks for the info. There is only 1mm difference between the front track for the 9n polo and the A2. I see that the polo console might be readily available secondhand and at 41.50 for a set of wishbones I can see why some people have headed in this direction. I don't know how to provide a link to the relevant post.
P.S. You have shown the wrong picture. The 9n picture is the correct one.
PPS Did you just bolt the consoles straight on? Most breakers seem to sell the console/arm as a unit for 25-30 pounds each side, which would make it a good way to go as Polos of that vintage are in plentiful supply.
We seem to have been at cross purposes. I am referring to the 9n which according to other threads is a straight bolt on job at the console and you are referring to the 6.
This is the link to someone who is running a fox console. There seems to be a debate about the size of the bushes.
 
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Yes, we were referring to different models.

I researched polo 9n, but all data showed that 9n front track is 1435mm vs A2's 1462mm.
When I tried 9n wishbones, car was 17 years old and 180k miles at that point, consoles were ok, we kept them.
We just replaced big bushes 8Z0407183A, other, smaller, bushes came with the wishbones, so I can't elaborate on 9n consoles compatibility.
 
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