dokebi1221

So, I will need to change the front upper control arms for my 07 S8 and Audi dealer quoted $1080 for just the labor. I do have a 10% parts and labor discount from them, so it will be $972+tax. Do you guys think that's a good deal for the labor part?

If I do it, I know I'm going to buy the parts separately from audiusaparts which is $166 for each parts equals to $664 since I need 4 parts. Dealer charging me $300 for each arm which comes to be $1200. Which is no no, but the manager said he will price match the online price, so we will see.

Let me know what you guys think.

Thank you.

Panelhead

My front end shop would replace for less than 300.00. But any good front end/suspension shop can install them for you. It is a fairly easy job for people who rebuild front ends for a living.

MP4.2+6.0

Parts wise, it is almost always the front upper arms, and not particularly the rear upper ones. You can take out half the parts cost just by doing that. You can also elect to go the bushing-only swap out, which means you keep the existing arms and have the bushings pressed in. That comes down to whether the ball joint side of the arm is good or not. I tend to DIY it and just do the whole arm, but a fair number on the board have been doing bushings only.

Per your thinking on audiusaparts, yes on these I would use OE/dealer parts. Lots of common refrains of yet earlier failure with non-OE parts. You just need to decide/sort if you want just the bushings, or the whole arm, and front upper only versus all four. As already mentioned in the first reply, any decent suspension shop can do it, even one not particularly specialized in Audis. You will probably end up getting/wanting an alignment, even if you were to DIY the install.

dokebi1221

Thanks for the reply guys. I just emailed the manager asking him if all four needs to be changed for sure. I'm sure he will say all four will need to be changed because that's what he emailed me before and going back on his words will be he was going to charge me for service that I didn't need, which I don't think he will...The sad thing is, if he tells me all four needs to be changed, then I can only trust his words. That being said, what do you guys think about $972 for the labor only to change the four front arms?

MP4.2+6.0

From an indy wheel and tire place that does decent mechanical work, I have never done all four via a shop, but I would expect more like $500 for labor as a guestimate, or maybe $600 max, inclusive of a four wheel alignment. The alignment might be $90 of the cost at a quality indy. My single arm change with an alignment on my similar A6 4.2 upper arm set up priced at something like $250-300 IIRC, where I supplied the (OE) part. Dealer did my D3 front uppers under CPO warranty (and an alignment with it), so I haven't had to pay their prices out of pocket.

Be sure you have alignment in their labor quote, which at a dealer could often be up to another +/- $200 if not already in the # you got.

I remain skeptical of the rear change need. You can look at them yourself with a bright flashlight and car in jack mode. Likely to see the fronts partially torn out and maybe now even the through bolt no longer looks centered with distortion. Unlikely to see that in the rear. Some minor cracking is normal, even on almost new ones, but tearing out and distortion are the over the line indicators it should be changed.

dokebi1221

Didn't know we needed alignment after changing the control arms. Thanks for the tip MP4.2+6.0. Will try to put that into the deal. Learning a lot from you in this forum. Thanks you!

dokebi1221

When I turn my steering wheel, it makes this weird ticking sound for both directions. That's why I took it to the dealer to get it checked out. Maybe, I really do need to change all four?

MP4.2+6.0

If you always drove perfect roads then the car returns to correct alignment when you put the parts back to original shape. But, in the real world if 1. the car was ever aligned before when some parts were partially worn, that wear has been built into the alignment settings and will now result in things being off when parts are returned to new, or 2. in the real world over the years the suspension has taken some hits and alignment is compromised anyway; over a several year window pretty likely so you should assume it is somewhat out of ideal anyway.

Each prior arm replacement on my Audis has been coupled with an alignment, whether the dealer replaced, the indy replaced or I did. And indeed, each time I have seen the alignment report at least one item has been out of alignment spec, and not infrequently two. Sometimes the rear for that matter. Said another way, I have never taken a car in for alignment or suspension work that comes back with a report saying everything checked out without an adjustment. Pretty much the same w/ tire balances, which I usually get done again around a tire's midlife.

MP4.2+6.0

I obviously can't inspect your car. The question though is was it a correct and careful review, or just throwing all the parts at the upper suspension area, more so since the are already in there and are connected at a common bolt. The number of D3 front upper control arm worn parts posts and diagnoses are pretty much off the charts now ("when not if"), while the number of issues on any of the other three arms (rear upper, either lower) are comparatively insignificant. Generically, I would suspect tie rod ends before rear uppers if I were to speculate on the next most likely parts related to your symptoms. But, if tie rod ends you will also likely get some shaking/vibration in steering at times.

mishar

In order to charge $130 per hour they must be adequately equipped, have all necessary tools and knowledgeable mechanics. If all that is in place to replace four upper links would take 2 hours max. Actually I can do that in my garage equipped with only two floor jacks. So yes ~$1K is too much. I believe that alignment is not included since Audi does not recommend it in this case. Than they don't recommend changing ATF either.