i know i've seen one before but i can't seem to find the link to a good article on replacing the upper control arms. anyone got it?

 

The pinch bolt is the key here-

Google "Pinch bolt removal " or similar- audiworld, vwortex and other forums.
Blauparts has an article as well.

 

ok thanks...got a couple strategies to deal with the pinch bolt.

still few questions:

1) i will have both front sides on jack stands, wheels removed. when i take out the pinch bolts do i want to push up on the knuckle/lower control arms to compress the coil at all or should this be free to move (with the coil naturally extended)? i.e. what position puts the least amount of shearing force on the pinch bolts?

2) i need to loosen the 3 bolts under the hood to the upper strut assembly right? does this make it easier to get to the inside nuts (the 2 that are very close to the coil spring) where the bushing are? it seems like a tight space up there on the inside.

 

You might find this link quite usefull:

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=233225
http://audi.kris-hansen.com/upper_co.../wheel43.shtml
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_h...controlArm.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5450488_chan...i-quattro.html

and many more

 

More

http://www.ehow.com/how_5450488_chan...i-quattro.html

 

wow, this job is a pain in the ***...only got one side done before dark after work. not looking forward to the other side.

1. pinch bolt was not that bad...used the dremel, hex nut/washer method in the first article. that went pretty smooth.

2. getting the control arms out of the knuckle, and even the new ones into the knuckle was the hardest/most annoying part of the whole thing. and yes, this was even with a blowtorch, hammer, and pb blaster.

is there a special tool or anything to push these out from the bottom??? i guess an air chisel probably would have worked.

3. it would have been nice if they designed it so the bolt that goes thru the rubber bushing in the front upper could come out without disconnecting the lower strut and dropping the mounting plate. this adds unnecessary time imo.

4. wrestling the whole thing back in place to get the uppers back into the pinch bolt/knuckle was much easier as a 2 person job...fortunately i was able to get a little help.

any other suggestions before i do the other side would be appreciated.

 

update....sheared my pinch bolt when i did the other side...this is faaaar worse than anything i complained about in the post above. DO NOT let that happen! Make sure you get some kind of movement whether it be rotation or a little axial movement before doing the dremel method!!!! Then PB blast the **** out of it. After it went so well with the first side i was lazy about prepping better for the second side...cost me 4 hours, a sunburn and sore back. After you get the nut off the pinch bolt put a hex nut with a lot of threads on it to hammer on. This way you dont destroy the threads which you'll be using to extract the bolt. Buy several of these hex nuts because that was part of the problem i believe...using the same hex nut that was probably gummed up a bit form the other side.

Good luck to everyone else that has to do this.