tgmilazzo

OK sorry in advance for rambling. Think I've read every control arm post on the forum and I only have more questions. I have a 2001 S8 that is exhibiting some of the same symptoms my 2000 A8 did before it became a parts car (groaning at low speeds, rattling up front). The S8 then started to get a front wheel wobble. From what I got from the forum I decided not to get the Blauparts meyle kit and just changed the drivers side outer tie rod end which was spent and was causing the wobble. I'm still getting some groaning which after looking at them appears to be upper control arms and my question is this. My A8 parts car had new upper and lower control arms put on it maybe 10k miles before it died, not sure of the brand, it was about the only job I've ever had a shop do but I needed it done that day. Is it possible to reuse these control arms? Will I be able to get them off without damaging them? I figure I should get this all done now before I get the alignment. Thoughts?

silverd2

Absolutely...I'd use em...same part #'s...won't hurt em a bit to remove.

They've got a lifetime of use left in em.

tgmilazzo

Thanks, I thought they might be useable. I got the lower straight arm half off and it looks like a trw and in nice shape. The sway bar link doesn't look as good, might not have gotten changed by the shop. What's the best way to get the lower ball joints off without damaging them? I have a pretty long pickle fork but I'm worried about hurting the boot. Is there a better way? Also any clues on how to decide whether I should do new struts while I have this all apart?

silverd2

Audi calls the lower ball joint tool "3287A". That 'exact" tool can run about $175...but I bought a generic German car ball joint tool off eBay much cheaper. All it needed was a little grinding on the "boot cutout" side to fit right without damaging the boot...then works like a charm.
I call it a pickle fork with opposing thumb Here >>

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-Audi-A4-A..._Tools&vxp=mtr

I never mess with shocks (struts) unless they show real signs of failure...bouncy (don't recover instantly) or actually find an oil leak.
Others believe after so many miles, change em anyway...and swear there's an improvement.

tgmilazzo

So I got a tool from napa (BK 7769096) that's like the one you were talking about and after some heavy grinding/modification I still can't get it to work, it's just not the right size. I'm thinking I might need the other style like this one from Ebay (JTC 1258)Wondering if there might be anyone in the Denver/Boulder area who has one of these???

silverd2

I couldn't get ANYTHING except the specific design I showed you. Maybe the extra leverage from that design is what does it(?)

tgmilazzo

I found this one which says it is the same as VW tool 3287a and the company is local. This type worked on the (straight) front lower correct?

silverd2

Yep, that should work on both front lowers. The picture I posted was a stock photo of a high dollar model...not the one I use...same design, though.

Remember, the cone fitting on these ball joint stems is a really, REALLY tight fit...seems to get tighter with usage. So it will take a lot of force to break em loose...they'll pop like little firecrackers when they finally release.

Before buying the ball joint tool, I tried EVERYTHING to get one loose and nothing, including the weight of the car, would break it loose.

jamesm0913

The $20 one from Harbor Freight works really well, but you need to take a Dremel to the open side of it and make the opening a bit wider to fit over the tapered stud. I've used mine ~15 times and it works great, just put some grease on the threads of the bolt.

tgmilazzo

I agree. My girlfriend was at Harbor Freight so I had her pick up the $20 tool there before I went and ordered the expensive one and it worked great after modification. I just ran mine right down my bench grinder the width of that wheel seemed to make it perfect. After getting my parts car lower arms off they seemed to be in exactly the same condition as the ones on the S8 which appeared to be fine, it was the uppers that are horrible. When I got the strut mount and uppers out of the parts car it turned out those uppers were shot and guess what they were the Meyle's. I wound up ordering Lemforder upper curved arms and TRW upper straight arms from partsgeek. Cost around $375 for the 4 uppers. I can't stress enough how easy the tough lower came off with the Harbor freight tool when it wouldn't budge any other way. The lower curved arm bolt cut much easier than I was expecting just using a Sawzall with a 6" metal blade, it took less than 15 seconds, much easier than messing with the subframe. Now all that's left is gettting everything torqued down. Do I have to put the wheels back on for this step or can I just lower the lift onto jack stands on both sides and eyeball where the car should be weight-wise? (bad explanation) Do I have to torque those arms while the weight is still on them or just bounce it then lift it back up to tighten? Also anyone have an alignment recommendation in the Boulder, CO area? I'm leaning toward just taking it to the dealer for this step based on some other posts I've read.