Hey, thought this may be of use -

I was getting the usual: started as some clatter / noises, some groaning at low speed, progressed to lots of vibration at high speed.

By the time i got around to looking at it, all ball joints and some of the bushings up front had gone. Stealer wanted $1500 parts only, after a lot of looking I was able to find a complete Febi kit for $500 shipped. The source I used was purems.com , and what I found in searching for that is auto suppliers are NOT up with search-engine-technology!

What I mean by that is, for me, typically the best way to find a product is to use a combo of google , google shopping, pricegrabber, etc... but in looking for these parts, I only had luck doing a straight search, then taking the time to dig through forums, as well as company websites... It took a ton of time, but it was WELL worth the > $1000 I saved.

I have been lead to believe that Febi actually oem's for VW, although that is pretty inconsequential. The kit came with all links, the tie rods, and all bolts (which you should replace when you do such a job, anyway). It appears to be precisely identicle to the audi branded stuff that was on the car, and of the same build quality.

As this was the first front end replacement I have done, I had a few hangups...

1) follow the order in the manuals to the T ! although they are on occasion wrong so you should keep your common sense, when they tell you that you have to, say, remove the whole shock tower to be able to install & torque the upper arms, they mean it! i ended up removing it anyway, after some wasted effort!
2)one of my tie rod ends had apparently rust/galvanically welded itself to the threaded stud of the ball joint which is inside the rack& pinion boot. I had to cut it off & buy a new $80 ball joint for the steering but that had nothing to do with the Febi kit
3) order, order, order.... once you bolt in the conical seats for the ball joints, they are extremely difficult to remove. With the to-be-removed old ones you can ruin it getting it out, but with the new ones you are installing that would be an expensive error.
4) you WILL need to take it ALL apart like the manual says...

I don't want to disuade you from trying this. As a disclaimer, i have a bend pack lift, but this job WOULD still be possible, you just need to get the car a substantiall way off the ground in front. (for reference, I think my 19" suv-style jack stand would have been ok).

good luck, what out for the stealer !!!

 

Was the noise in the beginning like a low humming, rotational type vibration at low speeds?

Thats what im getting right now but its very very slight. I can feel it more during breaking but I figured that was just the vibration being channeled through the brake pedal.

 

have you ever replaced your rotors?

 

Rotational humming could very well be a wheel bearing, so try to determine if the noise gets louder as you go around a smooth bend (corner) in the road. As you increase the load on the bearing it should get louder, so you will need to go around corners in both directions in order to determine which side is causing the issue, although truth be told if you have never replaced either bearing it may be wise to just replace both at the same time.

A vibration is generally either your wheels out of balance or the rotor needing to be replaced. Don't bother to resurface your rotors as they won't hold up, and always replace your pads at the same time you replace your rotors.

 

mboard - what manual did you follow for your suspension replacement? I have the Bentley CD so I'm hoping that will suffice, but if you used something else I would be interested to know what....I don't want to end up half way through the job only to find out I don't have the proper tool or get stuck.

 

The rotational humming is not (i hope) a bearing. Turning either way makes no audible difference. The wheels were rotated by the dealer (they took it to a local wheel/tire store) after my complaint of the vibration and that didnt take care of it.

Would the rotors still be a possibility even if the noise occurs with no braking? (calipers/pads close enough to the warped spot even while not compressed)

If the rotors are warped, would that be due to the previous owner riding the brakes hard, or is this normal on the 4k lb A6? (i thought the rotors looked too small for the size of the vehicle)

thanks a bunch for the help...this is becomming a bit annoying the more I drive hehe

EDIT: hope Im not hijacking the thread...ill start another if needed

 

could be brakes. Also, some Audis have problems with rust deposit on the hub causing sligh vibrations and somtimes noise.

 

mboard182 Good write-up

I found the same type of deal for the front suspension parts for a 99 Passat (AKA fake Audi A4)
I saved a ton on parts and had an Indy do the install. They were amazed at the savings and quality of the parts.
The Indy's cost for parts would have beenabout $1800 an I got all the stuff for around $500. They now use my supplier for all their Audi and VW parts.

 

I have the bently manual (eBahn reader) as well as a copy of the factory software - the two are about the same, for the crucial stuff they seem to contain exactly the same information.

For mechanical work such as this suspension replacement, Bently is 100% sufficient (well, you need a few 'customized' suspension tools, and a good amount of patience to pop some of the joints... but that's a different story)

The factory manual does have a few extra sections but they are in german

 

I need to redo the entire front suspension on my a6 as well. What are some things you think I should know having just finished the job? I plan on putting the car up on jackstands as soon as spring break starts and give myself the time. Do I need anything like a pickle fork or spring compressor?