audi bug

2006 A6 Quattro upper control arm bushing replacement

After seeing how much it cost to replace the front upper control arms ($1400 ~ $1600), I was compelled to write a guide to replace bushings only to help fellow AudiWorld members to save chunk of money. DIY upper control arms? - AudiWorld Forums

This guide is for information purpose only based on my experience with 2006 A6 Quattro with 3.2L FSI engine, VIN No. WAUDG74F96N03xxxx . Use it at your own risk.
I have no personal interest in any of products or companies I mentioned.
Please check the parts numbers with an Audi dealer to get the latest level parts to fit your car.

Parts needed: Total cost including tax and shipping ~$110
I got bushings (item 3 and 5, both same part number) from genuineauidparts.com; bolt and nuts from local Audi dealer. All four bushings are same. I recommend to pre-order all bolts and nuts since dealers usually don't stock them.
The cost of upper control arm is about $180 each, and you can save a lot by replacing bushings by yourself.

http://genuineaudiparts.com/media/im.../1/1352330.gif

Update: Jan 31, 2016
Now there are after market replacement control arms available from Meyle and Lemforder near half the price of Audi OEM. You may consider them as option instead of replacing bushings.

One good example is this complete Meyle Kit from fcpeuro at $408
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/aud...d-d3uppercamey

Tools:
Torque spec:
A. Inspection of bushings and symptom:
You can inspect the condition of bushings without removing tire or lifting your car. They are clearly visible through the gap between fender and tire.
You can see some cracks. Another indication is uneven tire wear. My tires showed slight uneven wear on outside.


B. Lift the car and put it on jack stands:
1. Engage parking brake and chock the rear wheels
2. Open hood, remove cowl seal and cover, and three caps covering the strut mounting bolts.



3. Loosen up the front wheel lug bolts (do not remove yet)
4. Lift the car and put it on jack stands.

C. Removal of a strut/spring assembly:
1. Remove wheel lug bolts and remove tire
2. Remove a holding nut on the upper control arm holding pin. Sorry picture was taken after the ball joints were pushed out.


3. Remove the upper control arm pinch bolt and nut. This is the most difficult part of job because bolt is frozen shut to the knuckle due to galvanic corrosion even though they look clean. My left side came out by just tapping it with a small hammer, but I had to eventually drill out the right side. It wouldn’t come out using the air hammer like in the video shown in the above link. Be prepared to tackle this one!
This was end result after many swearings!

4. Remove ball joint of upper control arm from knuckle. I used a bearing puller on the outside one and air hammer on the inside one. There is some galvanic corrosion and they don't come out easily.


5. Remove pinch bolt and nut for strut to lower control arm
6. Remove three bolts holding strut bracket to strut tower
7. Maneuver the strut/spring assembly out of the lower control arm.
Note: For removal and installation of the strut/spring assembly, you may need to turn the steering wheel in certain direction to get better clearance. In addition you may need to push down the knuckle/wheel hub to clear the strut/spring assembly.



See the cracks on my bushings.



D. R&R of upper control arm and bushings:
1. Remove one upper control arm from the strut assembly
Caution: Remove one control arm at a time to replace a busing so that the other one is a guide for installing back. This is required so that bushings on upper control arms are not pre-loaded.
2. Remove the busing from the upper control arm. Lock the upper control arm on to a bench vise and set up the busing removal tool as shown.



Squeeze out the busing slowly while occasionally loosening the tool so that removal tool is not jammed/cocked into the control arm. You need patience because of homemade tools.
3. Install a new bushing. Set up the tool as shown so that new bushing is installed in the same direction as old bushing came out.



Caution: the holes in the busing needs to be positioned perpendicular to the control arm as shown. Audi specification is 90 +/- 5 degree.



4. Install the control arm to the strut assembly. Set the control arm with new busing is same location as the other control arm and tighten to the specified torque.
5. Repeat for the other control arm.

E. Install the strut assembly back:
1. Position the strut assembly on the strut tower and install three bolt just enough to hold the strut assembly. Caution: do not engage the strut assembly to the lower control arm yet.
2. Install ball joints of the upper control arms to the knuckle. Clean the ball joint and apply anti-seizing compound. Lift the knuckle/hub assembly (I used a hydraulic jack) such that the ball joints of upper control arms are close, and push and tap the ball joint in the knuckle. Apply anti-seizing compound to the body of the pinch bolt. Install the pinch bolt and tighten to the torque.



3. Push down on the knuckle/hub assembly and engage the lower part of strut assembly to the lower control arm. Align the holes on the lower control arm and the strut, and hand tighten the pinch bolt and nut.
Note: For removal and installation of the strut/spring assembly, you may need to turn the steering wheel in certain direction to get better clearance. In addition you may need to push down the knuckle/wheel hub to clear the strut/spring assembly.
4. Tighten the three bolts for strut assembly to the strut tower to the torque and install plastic covers. Tighten tem in several steps so that strut bracket is evenly attached.
5. Install tire/wheel

F. Repeat R&R of strut and bushings for the other side:
Do same for other side.

G. Tighten the pinch bolt and nut for lower control and strut assembly:
Caution: need to this procedure as car is in normal ride position or busing in the lower control arm will be pre-loaded like in the picture causing early failure.



1. Lift the car off the jack stand and remove the jack stand
2. Position the ramp underneath the tire and lower the car
3. Repeat the same procedure to the other side



4. Bounce front of the car to remove any binding
5. Torque the pinch bolt and the nut to the torque



6. Lift the car and remove the ramps

Note.:
1. There is no need for front end alignment since suspension adjustments are at lower control arm, and strut bracket has self centering guides.
2. Since my car was close to 100K miles, I replaced brake rotors and pads along with flushing brake fluids while the car was on the stand.



I hurried up to post the guide, and there probably will be a lot of mistakes. I will correct them later. Alos you may PM me the corrections.

am_ver

Great info - thanks!! I wish precious DIY's like these were made a sticky. Damn mods have defected. Maybe we should just piggy back to the 55k service sticky and add it over there!!

tepps

this is a great article, although you would be 100% better off to replace the entire upper control arm as usually the tie rod end component will fail 1st. or certainly eventually.Source out a cheaper part than the dealer and switch out the whole thing, as eventually you will have to do it anyway.

05whtaudia6

This needs to be a sticky,, great post

Turkeybaster115

79,000 miles on my 2007 Audi A6, and I just did the front lower control arms, upper control arm links, and tie rods assembly. At this mileage I had a clunk, when turning the steering wheel at low speeds, and the ride quality was extremely poor. I knew The shocks weren't causing the bad ride quality, because I installed new koni yellows, and eibach springs at 50,000 miles.

This DIY was extremely useful to me, as I bought all the bolts, and nuts listed here from the stealership. They came in real handy, because as OP noted, the bolts are frozen, and had to be destroyed.

martinklc

I have an A8 which I hear to expect the bushing to go out. The dealer quoted me $1415 to replace the Upper Control Arm Bushings, due to wear of Control Arm Kit???

The questions I have are..
1) Should/do I replace the whole control arm assembly?
2) Should/do I have to replace both side (driver/passenger)?
3) Do I have to have a wheel alignment after the replacement?
4) Any suggestions as to cost at repair shop as opposed to dealer?

Just curious as to your opinion. Great info though!

Thanks!

audi bug

I guess I have to answer your questions, though most of questions were answered directly and indirectly in my guide.

1. It depends on the condition of the ball joints of control arms and your budget. If ball joint is worn, whole control arm has to be replaced. The cost of each control arm is around $180, and the total for the contol arms is $720 compared to the total cost of $84 for 4 busings. Ball joints of my control arms showed no sign of wear, so I changed the bushings only.

2. Do both sides. No question about it.

3. No need for an alignment as I stated in the post. My car (06) has 110K miles. I was going to do an alignment after control bushings and new tires, but I decided not to because it was so well aligned that I actually thought new alignment would do more harm than good.

4. You can call around good independent shops near you. It will be noce you can share that too.

Turkeybaster115

IMHO, it's pointless to replace just the bushings, because the ball joints are also pretty worn. Unless of course you have low miles. The cost of the whole arm isn't too much either. I replaced both front lower control arms, as well as the front upper and lower control arm link, and both tie rod assemblys. I got the parts online, and had my local indy shop install them. The stealership, is just raping, with those prices!