Ok first off its a 96 a4 2.8 quatro.
1) when driving at "highway" speeds i have a bad vibration in the pass frt wheel. where should I start looking? Ball joint,tie rod end, other?

2) the pass rear door does not unlock could this be a vacuum issue or other?

3) windows-- sometimes the back windows do not work this is probably regulator but i figured id. ask

That is it for now. just trying to get an idea
before next days off

thanks

 

1. You can get a complete front upper and lower control arm kit, do both sides. Any of the parts in the front could be doing it and if you only replace the ONE part that's bad, you'll have more problems. There's a DIY around somewhere, I've done mine 3 times, not that hard.

2&3. Back windows and your back door lockrobably related. Vaccum line is either broken or pinched, same as the wires for your windows, mine did the same thing. Just open the door, remove the rubber weather seal on the frame and the door and take a look, I took my door apart as well just to check all the wires, and you'll see all the wires...my guess, they are pinched/cut and so is the vacuum line for the door.

 

Before you start thowing expensive parts at your car, jack up the right front (leave the left front on the ground so you have some resistence), then put your hands on the wheel and start trying to move it in and out. Do it with your hands at 12:00 and 6:00, then at 3:00 and 9:00. If you feel any movement at all, have a friend wrap his fingers around the tie rod (inner and outer), and each of the ball joints and bushings on the control arms.

If there is no movement at all, start thinking about the wheel. Did you loose a ballance weight? Has a belt inside the tire slipped? Put that wheel on another corner and see if the problem moved.

 

okay so it took a long time to get to it. the right front tire has a lot of movement from side to side very minimal movement up and down. looks like the tire-rod is shot. also i noticed that the rear upper a ball joint might be bad also. any quick tips for changing these?

thanks

 

There's not much "quick" about changing B5 chassis suspension parts lol. Like mentioned a few posts up, pick up a whole control arm kit from a company like FCP Groton or Blauparts instead of buying them one or two at a time. You'll save yourself time, money, and aggravation by doing them all at once. I wouldn't recommend trying to rebuild the control arms, either.

 

Don't make the rookie mistake of tightening the bolts on the bushing end of the control arm, and then putting the car down on the ground. Those bushings need to be tightened when they are at the same angle they are in when the car is sitting still. Otherwise the rubber will always be stressed and won't last at all. On those uppers, I put a jack under the suspension I'm working on and let the weight rest on that while I crank down those bushings.