...or am I just ignorant?

I took the car ('98 A41.8TQS) to the dealer for a 4-corner alignment and was told he couldn't bring the rear wheels' toe into spec due to too much rust. (Everything else is OK, just the toe at the two rear wheels.)

Well I can vouch for the rust, after 17 New England winters. And something's definitely wrong: The car pulls left.

He (they) helpfully suggested that if I give them $1700 they will be glad to replace the lower control arms, and that'll fix it.

I took a look under there and it looks to me like the @$$-end toe is adjusted by a track rod, a much cheaper part than the control arm (and a lot less work to replace). Not to mention, Mr. Bentley says this is the part to fiddle the toe with.

Or is it not as simple as that? Your thoughts?

 

The answer to "Is my dealer trying to scam me?" is always "Yes".

 

I don't think theyre so much trying to scam you as up-sell you.

You say you need the track rod? You obviously need it. Replace it and see if you can get it aligned.
Do you need all the control arms? Maybe not, but you may soon, and that's what they think you might need to get around to. It may be a part that is often changed with your track rod as they either come as a set, or tend to go bad at the same time, or are replaced in tandem when you're under there anyway (like timing belt/water pump), or etc. etc.

 

I'd like to see the proposal. Two cars in my possession, a 2000 1.8tqms avant and a 2001 1.8tqm avant, were purchased for $1500 combined. $1700 for a rear end rebuild is nuts.

What they mean is that the camber adjusters or seized. It is incredibly common. If you can figure it out yourself, I recommend an independent shop. However, odd are the rear suspension could use some freshening up