Check your front suspension arms people

my a2 past its test other day and got advisory on worn drop link so i decided to do it straight away, this is what i found, absolutely gobsmacked, spoke to mot garage who paid to get it replaced.
 

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widget2k13 said:
my a2 past its test other day and got advisory on worn drop link so i decided to do it straight away, this is what i found, absolutely gobsmacked, spoke to mot garage who paid to get it replaced.
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Can you confirm, the garage paid for the replacement suspension arm? Seems quite generous of them, was this the deal for not reporting them :)
 
It's a mind field trying to find the correct Track Control Arm/Wishbone! My car has the same problem so needs to be replaced but finding the right one isn't straight forward for a 1.4 TDI 2005 (55kW) with BHC engine code. I emailed TRW and they've said they don't manufacture one and looking at their listing it states for AMF and not BHC, but I'm not sure there's a difference as pointed out above?

TRW part no 1140/1141 seem to be right apart from 'not suitable for BHC'.
Lemforder part code is 2703 702/602 for R&L

There are some on ebay for a good price but you have to be careful when ordering and state which one or they may send out a lesser product such as Moog, Meyle or one of the several other manufacturers when you've paid for better quality.

There's TRW for about £90 and Lemforder for £100 so good prices if you get the right one.

Has anyone bought from Ebay and had success with Amsonline or Brakelines one stop shop?
 
Don't know if this helps but I had went through a few before getting the right one for my 2005 a2, took the parts shop an hour of phoning around to get it, part number is fca6092 quinton Hazel part, fitted perfectly
 
Kleynie said:
I thought Meyle were an OEM manufacturer? They should be good quality?
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They are for some parts but probably not the wishbones.
You're most likely to get quality parts if the company was an OEM supplier for the specific item, which I think TWR were.

The German A2 owners club did quality / geometry checks on some of the aftermarket parts and Bretti commented on their findings in an earlier post

Cheers Spike

PS this is the more comprehensive post from Bret - https://www.a2oc.net/community/inde...fabia-cordobra-can-i-fit-it.32101/post-272473
 
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From reading Bretti posts I thought a better option is to use either TRW or Lemforder for replacing the wishbones. I'm sure other manufactuers will be fine but I'm no mechanic therefore would hate to have trouble down the line, which may or may not be the case.
 
indy said:
From reading Bretti posts I thought a better option is to use either TRW or Lemforder for replacing the wishbones. I'm sure other manufactuers will be fine but I'm no mechanic therefore would hate to have trouble down the line, which may or may not be the case.
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I have TRW on order. Couldn't find pressed steel in stock anywhere.
 
chubbybrown said:
still at a loss with all this are they interchangeable or not?
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Me too and I received an email “as you know your items are not in stock”. If I’d known that I wouldn’t have ordered them. Waiting for yet more parts.

I got the impression cast and pressed were directly replaceable. Cast was my only option as couldn’t find pressed anywhere. I think cast come in two variants, one for diesel and one for petrol.

When my arms arrive, if they don’t fit, I’ll have to work out which compatibility issue I have.
 
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These are interchangeable as mentioned above on page 3. It's what I found for 1.4 TDI 2005 at least. But there are different types so would have to check.
Also as previously stated , considering the rust and wear of these new pressed steel ones then sticking with cast is a safer option in the long run.
 
If I had to have these replaced, I would avoid the cast ones, as apart from not being able to replace the ball thingy they look heavier and as a sprung bit weight is important. I also think the steel ones look stronger. Now most A2 members know about corrosion and can take steps to avoid
it. I have used spray grease with a nozzle for years, when I first noticed peeling paint, but will move over to Waxoil from my Anglia days :)
Martin
 
cast ones every day for me
oko said:
If I had to have these replaced, I would avoid the cast ones, as apart from not being able to replace the ball thingy they look heavier and as a sprung bit weight is important. I also think the steel ones look stronger. Now most A2 members know about corrosion and can take steps to avoid
it. I have used spray grease with a nozzle for years, when I first noticed peeling paint, but will move over to Waxoil from my Anglia days :)
Martin
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One TRW JCT 1140 has just arrived for my 2003 TDi.

Offering it up as best I can (turned it over and offered to the opposite side) it appears correct. I thought it would be aluminium but it is a great lump of cast iron. I have no concerns regarding strength but I suspect the unsprung weight is going to increase.
 
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Before you fit it Phil, can you take the time to weigh that TWR arm? I've got a pair of Lemforder cast arms sat here, waiting for me to fit them. I'll do the same with those.
 
TFG said:
Before you fit it Phil, can you take the time to weigh that TWR arm? I've got a pair of Lemforder cast arms sat here, waiting for me to fit them. I'll do the same with those.
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3.3 kg and interestingly the ball joint is branded Lemforder.
 
Weight of the pressed steel version for comparison would be interesting....

Simon.
 
philward said:
3.3 kg and interestingly the ball joint is branded Lemforder.
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The Lemforder cast item weighs 2.98Kg, including its ball joint nut. They are very nicely made and finished, as Lemforder stuff invariably is. Out of curiosity, I set the arm up horizontal on my kitchen table, with the inboard end propped on a block and the ball joint-end on my digital scale. The result, including aforementioned nut, is 1.07Kg. As an indication of unsprung weight, I'd say that's pretty good; I'll certainly settle for that.

I've found that the cast Lemforder arm is similarly lighter in the case of my Multipla. The Birth ones are the worst - horribly made and badly finished by comparison and weighing in nearly 50% heavier than the Lemforder. Even the bolt hole centres don't match the subframe correctly.

I note on the Lemforder website catalogue pages that the arms for the A2 are 'shortly to be discontinued'.
 
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