I'm trying to remove the bolt on the top of the front hub carrier. It is the one that retains the upper links to the hub carrier. I've tried everything I can think of and it won't budge. Someone must have come across this and figured something out. Can someone help me?

 

It's called the pinch bolt, and this is a very common issue.

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel43.shtml

https://www.audiforums.com/forum/sho...hlight=control

 

Thanks much for the links. It looks like I'm in for a major pain.

 

You may be. I've been in on jobs where it took 5 minutes to remove, all the way to one that took three of us 17 hours and over $100 in tools to finally destroy. The tried-and-true method that works for me is to remove the nut, pry the pinch sections open, soak it in penetrating fluid, thread the nut back on 3-4 turns, torch it with a map gas torch, and wail the living hell out of it with a 4lb sledgehammer. There's no finesse in the technique but dissimilar metals chemically seize to each other and that's been the way that works.

 

Concur. Used a bit of air hammer instead of the sledge with good results.

 

Seems like where you live affects how long the bolt will take to remove. My car's always been a southern California car, I think each pinch bolt took just a couple minutes to remove, and they were the original ones with 12 years on them.

 

Salty roads and long winters will do that to nuts and bolts. You're right.