So I was just driving home from a buddy's house, and his subdivision consists of all curvey roads. I took a 90 degree turn at about 30 and all of a sudden i feel this weird vibration and the car jumps to the right. I get out to check my tires, but none of them were flat. Luckily I was close to home, when I got home I took the wheel off and this is what I found, the ball that hooks into the lower control arm just popped right out, nothing broke. I'm not sure if I can pop it back in somehow. Here are a few pics. BTW I have a 96 a4 2.8L, the arm is on the drivers side.

 

hate to say this but your SOL on that control arm, chances are it was on its way out and that aggressive driving was jsut too much for it, luckily its the lower CA and shouldnt cost too much. ids say maybe 50 or so for the CA and depending on if you do it yourself or at your local shop free to $100 i wouldnt try to pop it back in because its probably gotten worn down to thepoint where its too thin.

 

Do I have to buy the lower control arm, and the part that the ball is connected to? Or is it just my lower control arm that's warn out and needs replacing?

 

The broken ball joint is part of the control arm (that's one of the things that most of us don't like about this car - when that goes, you have to replace the whole CA and not just the broken joint).

 

I need to replace the entire thing? I thought just the lower CA and the ball joint, which is connected with that bolt. I'm a noooob so I don't know much.

 

bump.

 

Yes buy that lower control arm and replace it, what are you asking?

 

If that joint popped out that easily I find it hard to believe it wasn't making any clunking noises prior to that.

 

Since the day I bought it(2 months ago) it's been making clunking noises, we knew it was the control arm.

 

Auditech, I was just confused about whether i need to buy the entire CA or just the lower part of it.