Wishbone replacement

mikec

Member
My car's right side cast arm has a loose ball joint. :(
I've read through a few of the threads about this here and the couple on the German forum that were linked.

The concensus currently seems to be to use cast arms as replacements, not the pressed ones. One reason given for this was that they are less susceptible to rust, and another, if I understood correctly, is that the pressed arms are not as widely available right now. Correct?

Arm:
Can I just change the one arm, and leave the other for the time being (tire wear was bad only on the right side, and slop identified there)?
I've found the following brands available: Master-Sport Germany (has anyone heard of them?), Meyle, Vaico
TRW was listed but unfortunately not available, and almost twice the price.
Are any of these three worth using, or should I keep looking for the coveted TRW ones? :)
Are Meyle still considered 'bad' for arms? It seemed to me like that conclusion was based on a thread on a2-freun.de, one post I think, which referenced only one pair, and from my understanding, though possibly incorrect, a stamped version, not cast.
Has anyone used Meyle arms since, with good effect, and more relevantly perhaps, the cast versions?

Rear bushing/'silentblok':
Should it be changed, or can it be left in place if not damaged during arm removal?
From reading the various threads, I gather that a tool is really needed to extract the bushing/'silentblok' from the console bracket easily?
Which manufacturers are best for the bushing/'silentblok' at the moment? I can find it from quite a few: FEBI, Lemforder, Meyle, TRW, Master-Sport, SWAG, FAG, Delphi.. Lemforder should be best from those? The price difference between them is not that large, except for TRW it seems, again.

Is an attempt at changing the arm without removing the console likely to succeed, or will console removal likely be necessary because of the 'long bolt' shearing, or possibly some other issue? Anything other than WD-40 that can be done to decrease chances of the long bolt shearing? What about heat?

Thanks :)
 
TRW right side JTC1141 doesn't seem to be available anymore at all!

Is it possible to take a petrol arm and replace the installed bushing with one meant for a diesel arm? I think I saw quite a few of the 'front' bushings available... someone in 2019 mentioned getting bare arms from Audi, so maybe that's why.

And 'Master-Sport Germany' seems to have most if not all of their operations in Poland: https://www.master-sport.de/EN/Contact_04/
hmmm. ;)
 
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Hi I answered this only recently I used a set of meyle Arms on my last suspension refresh ..and commented on the fact IMHO quality of the Meyle Cast arms was really good ... Yes the quality was in question on the German forum but as you say it was the only comment I could see I can only speak for myself and was pleased especially at that price point..
 
I have just purchased a Master-Sport kit from Autodoc for my TDI as I couldn't source any TRW or Lemforder ones. Audi Tradition do have them but they are 500 euros and not currently supplying to the UK due to brexit...

I have to say the Master-Sport kit does look good, the box claims OE quality & 2 year / 80K warranty. I won't be fitting them for a couple of weeks so will report back further. Aiming to do them in situ without removing the console as there shouldn't be any need (could be famous last words though, we shall see..., will definitely give them a good WD40 soaking a few days before).

I was drawn to the MS ones as the part numbers cross refer to Audi / Lemforder (in fact they use the Lemforder 27036/27037 as their P/N's). Also the box lists the kit specifically for the TDI only whereas as the other brands are listed for several models. The thinking is that the TDI's have uprated front bushes, but clearly the other versions do fit, so it's difficult to know...

It may well be that they don't last as long as the OE ones, but they came in at about £110 a set. Quick note - if you use Autodoc, order using the app as you get another 8% or so off, just allow a couple of weeks for delivery, but other than that there's been no issue with ordering or delivery with them.

Hope that helps !
 
My car's right side cast arm has a loose ball joint. :(
I've read through a few of the threads about this here and the couple on the German forum that were linked.

The concensus currently seems to be to use cast arms as replacements, not the pressed ones. One reason given for this was that they are less susceptible to rust, and another, if I understood correctly, is that the pressed arms are not as widely available right now. Correct?

Arm:
Can I just change the one arm, and leave the other for the time being (tire wear was bad only on the right side, and slop identified there)?
I've found the following brands available: Master-Sport Germany (has anyone heard of them?), Meyle, Vaico
TRW was listed but unfortunately not available, and almost twice the price.
Are any of these three worth using, or should I keep looking for the coveted TRW ones? :)
Are Meyle still considered 'bad' for arms? It seemed to me like that conclusion was based on a thread on a2-freun.de, one post I think, which referenced only one pair, and from my understanding, though possibly incorrect, a stamped version, not cast.
Has anyone used Meyle arms since, with good effect, and more relevantly perhaps, the cast versions?

Rear bushing/'silentblok':
Should it be changed, or can it be left in place if not damaged during arm removal?
From reading the various threads, I gather that a tool is really needed to extract the bushing/'silentblok' from the console bracket easily?
Which manufacturers are best for the bushing/'silentblok' at the moment? I can find it from quite a few: FEBI, Lemforder, Meyle, TRW, Master-Sport, SWAG, FAG, Delphi.. Lemforder should be best from those? The price difference between them is not that large, except for TRW it seems, again.

Is an attempt at changing the arm without removing the console likely to succeed, or will console removal likely be necessary because of the 'long bolt' shearing, or possibly some other issue? Anything other than WD-40 that can be done to decrease chances of the long bolt shearing? What about heat?

Thanks :)

Hi Mikec,
The same comments from me as Greywolfhound ... no problems with the Meyle branded (cast with permanent ball joint) ones that I used in 2018, they looked identical to the ones that came off.
 
I'm in Poland, Autodoc is here, but it always seemed much more expensive than the other local places I get parts from.

I've looked up Master-Sport on some Polish forums, and there seemed to be 'users' there shilling for them; they were quickly called out, with quotations from other forums, etc. Didn't look nice. Some genuine-appearing posts though said they were of medium quality, someone mentioned having them on for 40-50k km and 2 yr I think and them being still ok, another said they had the ball joint rubber fail after about 10k km I think, so who knows.
It seems to me like they might want to profit off the 'German' brand, even have an office in Germany, 'gmbh', etc., but that doesn't quite sit well with me, and the possible shilling thing too, though how can you know who to trust online, lol.
I myself might go for the Meyle, but I'm thinking of ordering a petrol version arm, from say Delphi, or Febi, and comparing. I wonder if it's even possible to tell the difference between proper diesel and petrol arms.
The last A2s are now 15yo this year, so I figure parts availability will get worse. Some law about min. 15 yr parts availability from manufactuer or somesuch. Kind of hearsay perhaps, but I think there might be some truth to it.

Have a look here if you're curious:
petrol: https://sklepmotonet.eu/partscatalo...73&pnode=0008,0100013,0100208,0100571&lang=en
tdi: https://sklepmotonet.eu/partscatalo...-0002-00273-0008,0100013,0100208,0100571.aspx

Maybe someone will make another batch someday, maybe TRW..

Are the Polo pressed arms not the same geometry? Saw a thread about this, but no one seemed to answer really; it got reduced to "diesel vs petrol" and "you don't want pressed"..
 
Just to answer one of your previous questions ... I would think it's easier to take the console off ... if the long bolt is going to shear then it will have to come out anyway ... I didn't want to crowbar, force or risk bending anything, sorry just seems that's how it should be done ?.
 
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Hi Mikec,
The same comments from me as Greywolfhound ... no problems with the Meyle branded (cast with permanent ball joint) ones that I used in 2018, they looked identical to the ones that came off.
Thanks. How many miles have they done so far? Is the ball joint cover rubber thick? Is the rubber cover the same shape as the original?
My original ones are very squished (normal?), and have now broken due to age.
I guess I'll see if/when I order it...
 
I would think it is easier to take the console off ... if it's the long bolt that goes through the front of wishbone into the console that's going to shear then it will probably do it whether it is still in place or not.
I was thinking of undoing the bolt carefully, back and forth (after WD40), and if succesful, prying the front away from the console/subframe, while hammering it out from the back. A bit hacky, and if that doesn't work, I guess the console would have to be removed. Is there a risk of screws breaking/threads getting stripped while unscrewing the console, or just the long bolt on the arm?
 
I was thinking of undoing the bolt carefully, back and forth (after WD40), and if succesful, prying the front away from the console/subframe, while hammering it out from the back. A bit hacky, and if that doesn't work, I guess the console would have to be removed. Is there a risk of screws breaking/threads getting stripped while unscrewing the console, or just the long bolt on the arm?
I had no issues removing any of the bolts but had given them a good spray with wd40 over a number of days whilst waiting for the parts to arrive.
Mine is a 1.4 petrol version and it may be different on the diesel but I couldn't see any way to 'safely' remove the wishbone without taking the console off.
 
Thanks. How many miles have they done so far? Is the ball joint cover rubber thick? Is the rubber cover the same shape as the original?
My original ones are very squished (normal?), and have now broken due to age.
I guess I'll see if/when I order it...
Not many miles as the car is currently off road since before lockdown but it certainly feels and steers like new again ... the meyle looks identical but the rubber wasn't perished on the original.
 
I've more wishbones to replace though planning not to remove the console. I left the console in place with the last one I did, as did the mechanic who did the other side. The bolts have been there a while, I reckoned the fewer removed the better.
 
I've more wishbones to replace though planning not to remove the console. I left the console in place with the last one I did, as did the mechanic who did the other side. The bolts have been there a while, I reckoned the fewer removed the better.
Did you have a close look at petrol vs diesel ones ever, and notice any difference in bush rubber, or anything else?

I might order a Meyle (universal, according to their catalog), a Febi (petrol), and maybe even a Master-Sport, and see if I can tell any difference. I'm a bit biased towards Febi, for no apparently technical reason I think. They're a bigger company than Meyle I think, if anything. If Meyle put 'HD' in their marketing, like for the drop links, maybe I'd prefer it, lol (enough trust in the name to believe they differentiate, but still a bit skeptical I guess). I think I got an 'OE Quality' cabin filter from Meyle once, and an aftermarket Mann was (obviously?) better, in my opinion. Febi has a 3yr warranty, but it might be void altogether if 'petrol' arms are used on a diesel, whereas Meyle's might still be valid (though wear and tear might be excluded, so point might be mostly moot). I wonder if Master-Sport in the end would be of similar quality to Meyle/Febi. ?‍♂️ It's hard to go by random anecdotes online. I digress.
 
I've only purchased diesel wishbones though from what I've seen here, the bushes are different for petrol cars.
 
I've more wishbones to replace though planning not to remove the console. I left the console in place with the last one I did, as did the mechanic who did the other side. The bolts have been there a while, I reckoned the fewer removed the better.
[/QUOTE
I've more wishbones to replace though planning not to remove the console. I left the console in place with the last one I did, as did the mechanic who did the other side. The bolts have been there a while, I reckoned the fewer removed the better.
Do you know what method allows for the consol to remain on the vehicle?
 
the brute force method? :) (my guess is pry bar and hammer, possibly requiring an extra pair of hands).
edit: actually, a hammer might not help much, unless the rubber is supported, so maybe some sort of puller?
By the way, read on a Polish forum of someone using Skoda Fabia pressed arms, but they were shorter, had to be ground down a bit at the console end (!), and steering rod ends had to be changed to get proper wheel alignment (originals too long, and not enough thread). Camber was off from factory spec a bit too, in the positive angle direction.
Source (can be run through google translate): http://www.audia2.fora.pl/img-src-h...-wymieniac-naprawiac-regenerowac,1266-40.html
 
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Front (only) wishbone bolt out, pull the now unbolted section away and lever wishbone forwards. Not easy or fun on your own, the rear pin won't release from the bush without a fight. I ended up cutting through the rear section around 150mm from the Bush then drilled through the round section and fitted a heavy chain allowing me to get a decent length lever which was pivoted in the front wishbone mount.
I'll take photos next time.
 
Front (only) wishbone bolt out, pull the now unbolted section away and lever wishbone forwards. Not easy or fun on your own, the rear pin won't release from the bush without a fight. I ended up cutting through the rear section around 150mm from the Bush then drilled through the round section and fitted a heavy chain allowing me to get a decent length lever which was pivoted in the front wishbone mount.
I'll take photos next time.
Sweet, so was you able to re-use the consul Bush?
 
The bushes never seem to look worn so if the old arm can be extracted without harming the bush I am sure the New arm with a little rubber lube will be fine!
My dust covers are perished again (forged arms) so i need to change them but planning for the future when the spanners need to come out proper!!
 
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