I have no idea what an upper control arm is... other than seeing a picture of it on another thread. But recently, I was told by my dealership that I need new upper control arm(s).

First, I want to verify that the problems/symtoms I have are coming from upper control arms. Here are the symtoms.

When I turn the steering wheel, there is this creaking and moaning noise. This is more exagerated when the weather is cold. Once the car warms up or the weather is mild, the noise is not as apparent. So does this sound like a problem with the upper control arm(s)?

Also, I was quoted $1300 to fix the problem. Of course, this is the dealership and they are going to charge a premium. If I wanted to take it to a regular shop, what kind of a place do I need to go to? Tire and break shop?

Anyone in the Westchester (NY) area who can recommend a good Audi mech?

 

They start squeaking and making unsightly noises in the suspension. How many miles do you have, it may be time to chang them. If you take a look at them and see lots of cracks or tears in the bubber then it is time to change the. Also inspect your tie rod end also.

$1300 is upsurd butit takes time and at $100/hour plus expensive OEM parts, it's reasonable. Bring your car down to me, I'll do it for less than half that. Click the sig or PM me for more info.

 

Thanks for the reply. It sounds you are too far from me. Im in Westchester County (NY). Do you know anyone like yourself in my area?

In speaking with another dealership, the creaking and moaning when turning the steering wheel (especially when the weather is cold) is probably related to power sterring fluid.

However, there may be an issue with the upper control arms (no idea what they are) because that's what another dealership told me. I plan on filling up the steering fluid to get rid of the moaning noise and see if I can hear any other noise that may be indicative of upper control arm problems.

 

where is the noise coming from? if it sound like its coming from the steering rack its your power steering, if its coming from the wheel wells and sounds more mechanical and you can also feel vibration and knocking in the steering wheel the problem is in you chassis , check your PS for leaks and proper levels of fluid , check your ball joints, tie rods and control arms for your chassis . if its the chassis the work should cost something around 200-250$ , and parts vary.

 

not sure if this thread has died already but anyway...

Just took in my 04 A4 3.0V6 for a whining sound from the powersteering, more pronounced when cold and squeeking sound when steering all the way left or right..

They're replacing the steering rack to fix the whining and installing new upper control arms for the squeeking.. Kinda sounds like the 2 issues your describing.

Luckily for me all under warranty (certified pre owned, now 56K miles)

 

I just had the upper control arms replaced on my '04 a4 3.0 for $405 and the steering rack for $1200

 

Yeah, those dollar amounts sounds familiar. So the sounds I'm describing is what you also had? How critical is it to fix these? If I can put up with the annoying sounds, and I put this off, can it lead to more serious problems?