!c01s4

I have an 01 S4 that need control arms. I saw these two kits on ebay and wondered what experience anyone may have had with them. The local import house here was buying what he was told were German sets but when he bought a Chinese set he said they were the exact same thing. Wondered if that was the case here. The first, more expensive guy said its an upgrade kit. Any advice?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Audi-...item5194a14b66

!c01s4

Also, I hear about Febi, which is Bilstein. I have purchased several vw balljoints in their Febi box and they had stickers on them that said 'made in China'. When you took the joint out and looked at the bottom cap it said just 'Germany'. I believe the term is 'manufactured under contract'.

AnthonyS

You only wish it was "manufactured under license." I used to be an engineer for an automaker. I won't say which one or which years. My boss was in charge of all "cost savings" projects.

We used to send parts out to China for bid. They would duplicate each and every part right down to the manufacturers marks.

All our parts had a part number (assigned by engineering) and a manufacturers code (a random alphanumeric assigned by accounting). The Chinese companies had their own alphanumeric manufacturer's codes too. Guess which ones they always put on the parts? Always the ones on the provided sample part or the sample one on the engineering drawing. They didn't understand enough English or anything to put their own manufacturer's code number on the parts.

Made in Germany with a Made in China sticker, means made in China and probably not to German specifications or to any sort of quality control. That's why the crap is cheap.

!c01s4

So if they duplicated them, who the heck knows and possibly it may not matter if they were duplicated well enough. Price could be the difference if you coan trust the vendors.

I sent the first, more expensive guy, a message asking him if his parts were better and he said they were as I would have expected. However he did use quotation marks around the word German to describe his kit. I took this to be a hint toward honesty and that I should therefore trust him. Possibly true, or just an adept sales remark.

I also sent the cheaper guy the equivalent message asking if his parts were as good as the expensive guys and if they would for sure fit my S4 that I occasionally take to the track - not true but an effort to include his morals in the response. He only responded that they would fit an S4 built after 11/99. So I guess they suck. Maybe ok for a Passat groccerie-getter, maybe.

z00lander

i bought the febi's and put them on. however when i had a problem installing the lower control arms,( a) cuz theyre a bi***, b) the 2000 has different ones than the 2001 and 02,) the company i bought them from, couldn't care less and wouldn't take back just the lowers because they sell them as a whole kit. But then i called 034motorsport. they have been 100% awesome to deal with. they had the lowers that fit right sent to me immediately, and they actually knew about the difference/ problem unlike the Febi dealers. I swear, any part i want from here on out i will only purchase from 034

AnthonyS

I've had good luck with ECS myself. I agree that 034 is probably good too. Any aftermarket vendor is going to want repeat customers. The bigs parts wholesalers don't really care; they just want to move product.

That's the difference between car guys and accountants.

And I would never assume a part made in China is as good as one made in the US or Germany. It might appear that way, but metallurgy is a huge factor in part design. You can skimp a ton and save a lot of money on it too, and you'll have problems because of it. On control arms bushings and rubber durometer and chemical composition are also huge too. Never assume because two parts look the same, they are the same. If there is a price difference, that is usually related back to a material cost. Of course, what do I know....

!c01s4

Good point about metallurgy's influence over design. Have to wonder what they might use for filler in some of the metal like you said - especially all the water supply fittings at the hardware store.

And in this case the entire world has rushed to move manufacturing to China due to labor costs. Unfortunately the quality is inconsistant. At one time post-war Japan cranked out a bunch of little junk, then took a lead later with electronics, optics, even cars once their industry picked up. For years now many Sony products have been manufactured in China - to a spec. I have a friend who works for a small, high end optics company. They once contracted some of their products to be built in China. Evidently many were perfect, but not enough, so they backed out for now. I'll bet its just a matter of time though. There is even a beginning of organized labor I hear.

Ok, thanks for all your help. Guess I'll stay away from Ebay when it comes to keeping the wheels attached.

Pete@ECSTuning

A good outlook. Everyone wants to save money but when your life is in danger in the even of a failure - that is worth considering. Our 12 piece FEBI kits are 499.95 with free shipping. You also have a person to contact (me) should anything arise.

lexusmuscle

I got screwed by one of these Ebay Kits..Theyre a total scam..Stay away from them..The Lower arms didnt have the same diameter joints as the originals..I ended up going to the dealer and buying all new arms. Stay away from all Chinese parts sold on Ebay..Also stay away from the Chinese KO4 turbos and Chinese cell phone batteries on Ebay. Those are mistakes Ive made in the past.

Audios S4

I have a B5 S4 and am looking to replace the housings for my keys. I have run into a snag with removing the IC board in my old key. There is two brass pins that are holding the board in, and they wont come out. Any Info out there?