I started to hear some clunking in the front on my audi (see sig) and after some reading and research the control arms sounded like the culprit. As a high mileage (100 000+) car I am currently addressing all parts and sensors that experience high wear/failure hoping that I can get that drives like new feeling and peace of mind for the future.

Anyway, not wanting to spend an arm and a leg replacing the CA, and willing to sacrifice ultimate control, FCP was the kit for my DD, which is never punished anyway.

Today I finished the upper control arm and tie rod end install and am quite happy with the improvement. I have pics of these parts side by side per request and will post them tomorrow. Overall, the parts fit like a glove, were free from defects and imperfections to the naked eye, and while some pieces were slightly lighter than the OEM arms, the bushings were much more dense. For future reference I recommend this as a cost effective method for control arm replacement for DD. I dont know how they handle under extreme track stress, but I never do that anyway so whatevs.

 

They are crap. You will be replacing them. You should have completed your research. This is a known problem.

Bob

 

if they are crap and they run for 25k I'd say I got my money out of them. They certainly feel better than the 110k old stock ones. Once I finish things up, I will probably upgrade to ocap or meyle arms and a beefier sway bar too. By then I hope to have a different DD and I can keep this one for special driving.

 

I got my meyle kit just lastnight,now I'm hearing even there kits are junk and that the febi kits are the way to go
ah well I just got a hook up guy in the parts dept at an audi dealership,from now on I'll be using oem parts

 

I think I will be going with ocap the next time around, they are the oem supplier for lambo and they provide a stiffness upgrade too.

IMHO when it comes to control arms, any choice is a good one if yours are worn out. Even the cheapo kits provide a new bushing and ball joint which is what matters. I would say you end up paying more for increased durability. Its a part that wears out no matter how you look at it.

 

i bought fcp parts once, the ball joints were toast in 10k miles.

thats not to say everything fcp sells is junk but their house brand parts sure are.

goodluck either way

ps, how much did you pay for everything compared to a $500 complete kit of known quality parts?

 

I think some of the members are giving you unsubstantiated information. If you did your research you will plainly see that there is substantial evidence that our control arm kits are very high quality lasting on many vehicles over 50,000 (and some of these vehicles are track and rally cars, lowered, heavy duty shocks and struts, and or larger rims and tire combination's). Most of the Audizine members are running our kits on their vehicles with absolutely zero issues. Don't take my word for it, you can check out one of the threads:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ontrol-Arm-Kit

 

Although I bought all my Volvo parts from you, I bought a control arm set around 12k miles ago and had 1 control arm fail already. It was replaced under the 1 year manufacturers warranty. I will look elsewhere when the time comes for replacement control arms.

 

Call Force Five in Concord NH and see what they are selling. I got a complete front end set for a VW Passat (Wanta be Audi) and they were great.

 

This thread is ridiculous an out of control. I bought FCP total kit + hardware for 250$, thats half of a "high" quality kit. I did this for several reasons and was well aware of what I was buying let me explain my reasons and just freaking end this. Take from it what you will, and for those searching in the future I hope this helps.

1) I'm in a pinch as I have my hours cut where I work because of the slow season. I needed to replace the arms, they were 110K old, period.

2)As a DIY kinda guy, and this being my first control arm replacement on THIS a6, I wanted a "test run" to refresh myself on the process. This is NOT my first audi control arm replacement!

3)I recently moved and I didn't bring most of my tools and auto equipment with me so buying a half price kit means that I have 250$ free and clear to spend on the tools for the job, which was necessary.

4)This car is currently my DD, and since I only bought it circa 3 months ago, it needs some TLC to get back into top shape. I have several more sensors to replace, the DVs need to be upgraded, time for summer tires... etc. You get the point.

5) I plan on getting a work truck once I get my business up in the air and that will become my DD, I'll save a fortune in the long run keeping the a6 as a garage queen.

6)Having finished the Uppers and tie rods, I am satisfied with the quality that I paid for. Much tighter over the OE oldies and a smooth ride too. If in a few months they are toast, I'll get ocaps and know that I have everything I need to just do it in 1 afternoon. Then I will inform you about the quality of those and we can start this whole debate over again.

To FCPGROTON, even if you guys are getting bashed for not being the BEST option out there, you fill a market niche for many audi drivers who do not demand ultra track performance on their way to work. I get over 50 mph maybe once a week and I have confidence that these parts will suit my current needs just fine. If I suspect premature failure I reassess then.