2009 Audi Q5 lower control arm
Thread Starter
AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2024
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
2009 Audi Q5 lower control arm
I'm really hoping to get some help/advice as I know very little about cars 
So I took my 2009 Audi Q5 3.2L, V6 (in pristine condition with only 96k kms) to a local shop for basic service today (in the Vancouver area) and was told that I need to replace "left front lower control arm" because it's cracked - I was quoted $438 for the part and $159 for labour as well as $190 for the necessary wheel alignment afterwards (plus taxes and "shop supplies"). Does this sound like a reasonable deal? I've been doing a bit of research tonight and have some questions such as - shouldn't both the left and the right lower control arms be replaced at the same time? Trying to understand if I need lower control arms with or without ball joints? Thinking of ordering the parts online on partsavatar.ca but not sure which ones to get... Is $190 a good price for 4 wheel alignment?
Also, I was told that I need a new battery. They quoted $464 plus $160 labour (plus taxes). Is this a decent deal?
So I took my 2009 Audi Q5 3.2L, V6 (in pristine condition with only 96k kms) to a local shop for basic service today (in the Vancouver area) and was told that I need to replace "left front lower control arm" because it's cracked - I was quoted $438 for the part and $159 for labour as well as $190 for the necessary wheel alignment afterwards (plus taxes and "shop supplies"). Does this sound like a reasonable deal? I've been doing a bit of research tonight and have some questions such as - shouldn't both the left and the right lower control arms be replaced at the same time? Trying to understand if I need lower control arms with or without ball joints? Thinking of ordering the parts online on partsavatar.ca but not sure which ones to get... Is $190 a good price for 4 wheel alignment?
Also, I was told that I need a new battery. They quoted $464 plus $160 labour (plus taxes). Is this a decent deal?
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 13,997
Likes: 3,376
From: Georgia
Is the the track arm (straight) or guide link (curved) that needs to be replaced? Cracked? The arm, or the bushing in the arm? The ball joint is integrated into the guide link. It's a separate object for the track arm. No need to replace it if it's fine.
$400 for a control arm is going to be Audi OE pricing. Not sure anyone bothers with the expense of those original parts. Lemforder, Meyle HD, 034, most probably use some manner of cheaper third party replacements.
But if it is the bushing, the bushing alone can be replaced. Don't know if you have 65mm conventional or 75mm hydraulic bushings on the guide link; the hydraulic can eventually tear and leak. (looks like 75mm was a running change during MY10) The track arm has two bushings, one to the subframe, one for the strut fork.
So hard to say without more specifics of what specifically is defective. The Q5 workshop manual appears to lack the "should be replaced in pairs" statements I recall from the A4 manual.
$190, is that CAD? You'd probably had to ask around. But in the end the price is irrelevant if the place doesn't know how to do the job well. If you think they know how to do good work, that price is perfectly reasonable.
$400 for a control arm is going to be Audi OE pricing. Not sure anyone bothers with the expense of those original parts. Lemforder, Meyle HD, 034, most probably use some manner of cheaper third party replacements.
But if it is the bushing, the bushing alone can be replaced. Don't know if you have 65mm conventional or 75mm hydraulic bushings on the guide link; the hydraulic can eventually tear and leak. (looks like 75mm was a running change during MY10) The track arm has two bushings, one to the subframe, one for the strut fork.
So hard to say without more specifics of what specifically is defective. The Q5 workshop manual appears to lack the "should be replaced in pairs" statements I recall from the A4 manual.
$190, is that CAD? You'd probably had to ask around. But in the end the price is irrelevant if the place doesn't know how to do the job well. If you think they know how to do good work, that price is perfectly reasonable.
AudiWorld Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 769
Likes: 42
I'm really hoping to get some help/advice as I know very little about cars
So I took my 2009 Audi Q5 3.2L, V6 (in pristine condition with only 96k kms) to a local shop for basic service today (in the Vancouver area) and was told that I need to replace "left front lower control arm" because it's cracked - I was quoted $438 for the part and $159 for labour as well as $190 for the necessary wheel alignment afterwards (plus taxes and "shop supplies"). Does this sound like a reasonable deal? I've been doing a bit of research tonight and have some questions such as - shouldn't both the left and the right lower control arms be replaced at the same time? Trying to understand if I need lower control arms with or without ball joints? Thinking of ordering the parts online on partsavatar.ca but not sure which ones to get... Is $190 a good price for 4 wheel alignment?
Also, I was told that I need a new battery. They quoted $464 plus $160 labour (plus taxes). Is this a decent deal?
So I took my 2009 Audi Q5 3.2L, V6 (in pristine condition with only 96k kms) to a local shop for basic service today (in the Vancouver area) and was told that I need to replace "left front lower control arm" because it's cracked - I was quoted $438 for the part and $159 for labour as well as $190 for the necessary wheel alignment afterwards (plus taxes and "shop supplies"). Does this sound like a reasonable deal? I've been doing a bit of research tonight and have some questions such as - shouldn't both the left and the right lower control arms be replaced at the same time? Trying to understand if I need lower control arms with or without ball joints? Thinking of ordering the parts online on partsavatar.ca but not sure which ones to get... Is $190 a good price for 4 wheel alignment?
Also, I was told that I need a new battery. They quoted $464 plus $160 labour (plus taxes). Is this a decent deal?
Thread Starter
AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2024
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Is the the track arm (straight) or guide link (curved) that needs to be replaced? Cracked? The arm, or the bushing in the arm? The ball joint is integrated into the guide link. It's a separate object for the track arm. No need to replace it if it's fine.
$400 for a control arm is going to be Audi OE pricing. Not sure anyone bothers with the expense of those original parts. Lemforder, Meyle HD, 034, most probably use some manner of cheaper third party replacements.
But if it is the bushing, the bushing alone can be replaced. Don't know if you have 65mm conventional or 75mm hydraulic bushings on the guide link; the hydraulic can eventually tear and leak. (looks like 75mm was a running change during MY10) The track arm has two bushings, one to the subframe, one for the strut fork.
So hard to say without more specifics of what specifically is defective. The Q5 workshop manual appears to lack the "should be replaced in pairs" statements I recall from the A4 manual.
$190, is that CAD? You'd probably had to ask around. But in the end the price is irrelevant if the place doesn't know how to do the job well. If you think they know how to do good work, that price is perfectly reasonable.
$400 for a control arm is going to be Audi OE pricing. Not sure anyone bothers with the expense of those original parts. Lemforder, Meyle HD, 034, most probably use some manner of cheaper third party replacements.
But if it is the bushing, the bushing alone can be replaced. Don't know if you have 65mm conventional or 75mm hydraulic bushings on the guide link; the hydraulic can eventually tear and leak. (looks like 75mm was a running change during MY10) The track arm has two bushings, one to the subframe, one for the strut fork.
So hard to say without more specifics of what specifically is defective. The Q5 workshop manual appears to lack the "should be replaced in pairs" statements I recall from the A4 manual.
$190, is that CAD? You'd probably had to ask around. But in the end the price is irrelevant if the place doesn't know how to do the job well. If you think they know how to do good work, that price is perfectly reasonable.
So I just called that shop and was told that it's one of the bushings which is cracked. I asked him (based on your recommendation) why can't the bushing be replaced instead of the whole arm and he said that "what if the other bushing fails later.. you'll end up having to pay again for the work plus wheel alignment". He (the service manager) didn't know if the bushing is conventional or hydraulic.
Money is tight at the moment so I'd rather not waste it on unnecessary car repairs. Wondering what to do now.. I guess I'll need to call a few other places locally to see how much they will charge. If one of the bushings is cracked on the left lower control arm - I wonder how long I can leave this situation without addressing?
Also, I found the control arm online for $160 Cad (vs $438 quoted by the shop for a non Audi part).. but the service manager said that customers can't bring their own parts. What a rip off. He said that they are not using Audi parts but "premium after market" parts.
This is what I found online..
https://partsavatar.ca/shopping-cart
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Dec 2023
Posts: 98
Likes: 30
The link you provided is for a cart which can't be viewed by others. You can call around for a shop that will let you bring your own part and ask if you could pay cash. You can get an alignment at your Audi dealership for $200. Rockauto.com would be a good place to find the part also. Lemforder or TRW are OEM.
Last edited by PaulsAudi; Apr 12, 2024 at 12:11 PM.
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 13,997
Likes: 3,376
From: Georgia
Not every shop has the tooling to do the bushing. The old arm coming out and the new arm going in is less time work than the old arm coming out, the old bushing being pressed out, the new bushing being pressed in, and the old arm going back in. If they're worried about the other bushing (so this it the track arm, the one with two bushings in it?), just replace both. But that means now there's work they did that they have to do correctly. Taking something out of box, anyone can do correctly. The conventional vs hydraulic question is only relevant to the guide link, the rearward curved arm. And seems not relevant at all to a MY09. But that he didn't know about that subject, ....
Is this a dealership? A shop that won't let you supply parts, I'd probably skip.
https://www.ilcats.ru/audi/?function...00&language=en
That's the front suspension. The guide link is the curved lower, part 7. You see it changed Jul '09, when the bushing, part 8, was changed from 65mm conventional to 75mm hydraulic. Yours is conventional.
But it sounds like it's the forward track arm (straight), part 1, they are talking about? We see, part 1, as well as the ball joint 20 and ball joint nut 6A, all rolled from one combination to another starting Nov '08. So the mo/yo of your vehicle build would be relevant to getting the correct arm if you went whole arm replacement. The rev D arm has replaced the rev C arm, and Audi catalogs that as the replacement for the B arm as well. But that brings up the question, if you have the B arm and the E ball joint, and go to replace the B arm with a D arm, do you need to replace the E ball joint with the F ball joint? Off the cuff guess would be yes.
$42, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-8k0407182b (replaced rev A)
$92, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-4e0407181b
$260, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151b
$313, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151d (replaced rev C)
So to be honest, for the bushing parts and the labor to press/install, probably same enough to just buy an actual Audi OE arm. Clearly, if it's the older arm, that's better than the newer arm. I assume your prices are CAD rather than USD, so my numbers are probably higher for you.
Is this a dealership? A shop that won't let you supply parts, I'd probably skip.
https://www.ilcats.ru/audi/?function...00&language=en
That's the front suspension. The guide link is the curved lower, part 7. You see it changed Jul '09, when the bushing, part 8, was changed from 65mm conventional to 75mm hydraulic. Yours is conventional.
But it sounds like it's the forward track arm (straight), part 1, they are talking about? We see, part 1, as well as the ball joint 20 and ball joint nut 6A, all rolled from one combination to another starting Nov '08. So the mo/yo of your vehicle build would be relevant to getting the correct arm if you went whole arm replacement. The rev D arm has replaced the rev C arm, and Audi catalogs that as the replacement for the B arm as well. But that brings up the question, if you have the B arm and the E ball joint, and go to replace the B arm with a D arm, do you need to replace the E ball joint with the F ball joint? Off the cuff guess would be yes.
$42, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-8k0407182b (replaced rev A)
$92, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-4e0407181b
$260, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151b
$313, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151d (replaced rev C)
So to be honest, for the bushing parts and the labor to press/install, probably same enough to just buy an actual Audi OE arm. Clearly, if it's the older arm, that's better than the newer arm. I assume your prices are CAD rather than USD, so my numbers are probably higher for you.
Thread Starter
AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2024
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Not every shop has the tooling to do the bushing. The old arm coming out and the new arm going in is less time work than the old arm coming out, the old bushing being pressed out, the new bushing being pressed in, and the old arm going back in. If they're worried about the other bushing (so this it the track arm, the one with two bushings in it?), just replace both. But that means now there's work they did that they have to do correctly. Taking something out of box, anyone can do correctly. The conventional vs hydraulic question is only relevant to the guide link, the rearward curved arm. And seems not relevant at all to a MY09. But that he didn't know about that subject, ....
Is this a dealership? A shop that won't let you supply parts, I'd probably skip.
https://www.ilcats.ru/audi/?function...00&language=en
That's the front suspension. The guide link is the curved lower, part 7. You see it changed Jul '09, when the bushing, part 8, was changed from 65mm conventional to 75mm hydraulic. Yours is conventional.
But it sounds like it's the forward track arm (straight), part 1, they are talking about? We see, part 1, as well as the ball joint 20 and ball joint nut 6A, all rolled from one combination to another starting Nov '08. So the mo/yo of your vehicle build would be relevant to getting the correct arm if you went whole arm replacement. The rev D arm has replaced the rev C arm, and Audi catalogs that as the replacement for the B arm as well. But that brings up the question, if you have the B arm and the E ball joint, and go to replace the B arm with a D arm, do you need to replace the E ball joint with the F ball joint? Off the cuff guess would be yes.
$42, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-8k0407182b (replaced rev A)
$92, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-4e0407181b
$260, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151b
$313, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151d (replaced rev C)
So to be honest, for the bushing parts and the labor to press/install, probably same enough to just buy an actual Audi OE arm. Clearly, if it's the older arm, that's better than the newer arm. I assume your prices are CAD rather than USD, so my numbers are probably higher for you.
Is this a dealership? A shop that won't let you supply parts, I'd probably skip.
https://www.ilcats.ru/audi/?function...00&language=en
That's the front suspension. The guide link is the curved lower, part 7. You see it changed Jul '09, when the bushing, part 8, was changed from 65mm conventional to 75mm hydraulic. Yours is conventional.
But it sounds like it's the forward track arm (straight), part 1, they are talking about? We see, part 1, as well as the ball joint 20 and ball joint nut 6A, all rolled from one combination to another starting Nov '08. So the mo/yo of your vehicle build would be relevant to getting the correct arm if you went whole arm replacement. The rev D arm has replaced the rev C arm, and Audi catalogs that as the replacement for the B arm as well. But that brings up the question, if you have the B arm and the E ball joint, and go to replace the B arm with a D arm, do you need to replace the E ball joint with the F ball joint? Off the cuff guess would be yes.
$42, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-8k0407182b (replaced rev A)
$92, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...ing-4e0407181b
$260, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151b
$313, https://www.genuineaudiparts.com/oem...arm-8k0407151d (replaced rev C)
So to be honest, for the bushing parts and the labor to press/install, probably same enough to just buy an actual Audi OE arm. Clearly, if it's the older arm, that's better than the newer arm. I assume your prices are CAD rather than USD, so my numbers are probably higher for you.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2024
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
After reading all the replies I've decided to do nothing and just roll the dice.. maybe the car will keep working okay with a cracked bushing for a while. I don't know anything about cars and this seems too complicated. Thanks to everyone who responded.
AudiWorld Stories
Bringing Audi to Life for Audi Fans
10 Strangest Audi Designs That Actually Made Production
Joe Kucinski
2027 Audi Q7 and SQ7: Audi Upgraded EVERYTHING!
Michael S. Palmer
Audi Unveils Absurdly Cool New Supercar: 10 Things You Need to Know!
Verdad Gallardo
The Highs & Lows of Every Audi C-Class Generation
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Audis Ever Sold on Bring-A-Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Audi Features & Options We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
Audi Recreates Crazy-Looking Speed Record Breaker From 1935
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilder Recreates the 1995 Audi TTS Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Every Audi V10 Car Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 13,997
Likes: 3,376
From: Georgia
If the suspension is not knocking and the steering is not "loose", it's probably still holding well enough for you. The bushing is to absorb the road vibrations while allowing parts to move along either other in a limited range. When the steering seems just wrong, or the ride is poor, or you're getting a lot of clacking, ....