REDixon87

I found out today I have a broken ball joint in the driver side control arm. I also see that ECS has a special running on control arms(convenient). What do you all recommend when purchasing replacements? Should I stick with OEM or would after market ones such as the control arms ECS is selling be better?

Also would you recommend changing out the shocks while I have everything apart. My A4 just hit 91,000 miles and I'm not sure when or if the shocks were ever replaced. Thanks everyone for any insight!!!

TeutonicB6

I would recommend Meyle (the best bang for your buck), Febi is good too. The OEM pieces are very expensive, and in my opinion, not even close to being worth it. The condition of your shocks will be heavily dependent on where you live and how you drive. Replacing them really depends on the condition of the shocks, also, I am assuming that you're only doing the front control arms, so, to do the back shocks would be extra work, but it's up to you [and maybe you mechanic]. By the way, ECS is fantastic, I have been ordering from them for years. Hope this helps!

TeutonicB6

**and maybe YOUR mechanic**, after changing my user name, I can no longer edit, annoying...

TeutonicB6

I see that you spoke with the representative from ECS, I can't speak about the euro spec control arms as I have never used them, they may be good. I was not able to find any reviews on the net, maybe their new. But anyway, if you go with the euro spec, I'm sure everyone here would love to hear about the fit, quality, and in time, how they have held up

ezveedub

IMO, I stick with Lemforder, TRW or MOOG for control arms. Meyle is known to not last in the past, so they came up with the HD series. Not sure how well those HD kits are. There have been people who've changed out there suspension for an aftermarket kit, only to find out, the replacement parts last only about 2 years. You should be able to find TRW lower control arms for your car, which are OEM.

TeutonicB6

Sorry, I should have specified, I have only ever used Meyle HD, they have held up very well, they also have a 4 year warranty. ezveedub, do you know of any retailers that sell Lemforder, TRW or MOOG kits, I did a quick search to get a idea about pricing, and was not able to find anyone retailing kits. Thanks.

ezveedub

They usually don't come in kits from the OEMs from aftermarket suppliers. The dealerships usually carry the OEM parts in kits. Almost all kits sourced outside the dealers are aftermarket, like Febi Bilstein or Meyle.

Anyway, here is the straight lower control arm for a B6 A4 from Lemforder and TRW. If I search more, I'm sure I'll find more sources.

http://www.rmeuropean.com/Part-Numbe..._2CB14693.aspx

http://www.rmeuropean.com/Part-Numbe..._2B69CDA3.aspx

Here are a few other arms from TRW
http://www.thepartsbin.com/catalog/?...1921+9197+1090
And a few from MOOG
http://www.thepartsbin.com/catalog/?...11921+9197+799

TeutonicB6

So, for TRW (OEM) that's approximately $932 for upper and lower control arms, sway bar links, and outer tie-rod ends for both sides. Not including hardware, which is$85 for OEM (on ECS), bringing the grand total to$1017 (on the internet). While, Meyle HD, with all the same components is approximately $618. I wonder if the TRW last 1.6 times longer? I live in Pittsburgh, and the roads are terrible, I also had coil-overs on my last two audis (C5 A6s), so everything wore more quickly. But, interesting to know. The previous owner of the A4 I just bought was a dealer fanatic, and did anything and everything they told him, so I have basically brand new OEM control arms and links in the front, but this is good to know for the future... as I never considered OEM control arms before, but buying TRW online seems like a pretty good deal.

So, to simplify for anyone who cares:

OEM kit: $1017
(all OEM, even the hardware)

Meyle HD kit: $618
(the kit offered on ECS does not include sway bar links, but this price is the $549.59 for the kit, with $68.72 added for two sway bar links)

Kit: The 8 necessary control arms, 2 sway bar links, 2 outer tie-rod ends, and hardware

REDixon87

So its always a good idea to change the sway bars as well? Thanks for all the research and knowledge by the way everybody!!

REDixon87

....INTERESTING UPDATE: I was chatting with the ECS rep and he didn't try to up-sell me on the more expensive Meyle kit. He stated that he'll probably go with the less expensive Eurospec kit(whoa!). But that's what keeps me going back to ECS..honesty.