Make sure the suspension is "at ride height" or loaded before you tighten them otherwise you they will be in the wrong position and war out prematurely.

Jason

 

Thanks Jason will do.

FYI for anyone who may be wondering, I spoke with Tech Support at Meyle and discovered that:

Meyle 4B3 498 510 CMY (the one I should have bought for my A6 Quattro) is identical to Meyle 8E0 498 510 AMY (the one I bought for A4,A4 Quattro & S4) with the exception of the two lower front control arms (straight) and the stabilizer bar end links:

4B3 498 510 CMY uses end links:

8D0 411 317 D - MEYLE # 116 060 0007 Left side
8D0 411 318 D - MEYLE # 116 060 0008 Right Side

8E0 498 510 AMY uses end links:

8E0 411 317 - MEYLE # 116 060 0016 Left side
8E0 411 317 - MEYLE # 116 060 0017 Right side

Luckily, FCP included the proper end links with the kit I bought so I do need to replace those.

 

Well, I finally received my new LCAs (fronts). I got everything installed and now I just need to torque them down under load. However, I called the mechanic who did the original install and found out that they did NOT torque any of the control arms under load. They let it hang from the lift, of course. My question is, can I loosen the bolts (on all 4 uppers and 2 lower rears) and re-torque them under load, or are they TTY? Or, can I just put the suspension under load and check the torque with a torque wrench? If they haven't reached the recommended torque spec I should be able to tighten them still correct? If they have, am I screwed?

 

I dont believe those bolts are TTY so you should be able to remove and install no problem.

Torquing them down under load isn't so much about how much torque is applied but more so the angle of the control arm.

If you tighten the control arms while they hang down essentially that is the position the bushings will be in. When you go to lower the car they will twist since they are now always going to be in the ride height position.

Having the bushings twist will cause them to wear out pre maturely - this is why they tell you to load the suspension or tighten everything down at "ride height" since this is the position the control arms will be in most of their life.

Make sense?

I hope this helps!

Jason

 

Thanks Jason. I understand the reasoning for tightening them down under load. I guess I was mainly concerned that I would have to replace the bolts if I loosened them, but you answered my question. Being that it is kind of a PITA to get to all of the bolts without a lift, I think I will take it back to the original mechanic and make them do it...for free

 

Sounds good glad I could help!

Jason