Anti Roll Bar Replacement Thread

arallsopp said:
Sorry to drag off topic here, but can I just ask if that price was from an audi dealer? If so, can you give me their details as I'm being quoted 3 times that amount and am having to surrender the car as I can't stump the cash.

Cheers,

Andy.
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Andy,
If you're outside the warranty period dont bother with an stealer, find a good VAG specialist and have them do it, even go to a VW or SEAT dealer, they will almost certainly be cheaper, it's the labour for the suspension geometry reset that does it.

Don't forget AUDI =

All
Ur
Disposable
Income!!!

Mike
 
Cheers Mike. Am looking into Turner autos of Maidstone, as they seem confident they can fix this for lots less :)
 
arallsopp said:
Sorry to drag off topic here, but can I just ask if that price was from an audi dealer? If so, can you give me their details as I'm being quoted 3 times that amount and am having to surrender the car as I can't stump the cash.

Cheers,

Andy.
Click to expand...

Hi Andy

Sure no problem - it was Exeter Audi who are part of Audi Southwest.
They use standard job times so yours is either excessively high per hour or one of us has been quoted the wrong number of hours. I'm also interested in the cost/need for the alignment given other comments on this forum.

Cheers
Jonathan
 
Our mechanic did our ARB without an alignment check afterwards. His view was that he could see that the subframe went back in the same place as before, which was the only thing that could effect the alignment. Time has since shown that the tyres are wearing evenly and the car feels fine to drive. The alignment check is belt and braces - you take your choice...
 
Thanks GrayB

I'm thinking its overkill and just another way to extract more £. Given the use of alignment pins its just a check on their work rather than any movement inherent in the change of parts.
I'm also think about a set of Koni FSDs after which I will get an alignment check.

Jonathan
 
BlooA2 said:
Slightly (I think) off topic,would this fault cause a vibration upon acceleration at say 50mph plus? The repair will be done in a couple of weeks.Or should I suspect the dual mass flywheel? (If it has one,I know the TDI does). Thanks again,and sorry for the verbose prose.

A2 1.4 SE,2001/51,61k

Mat
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Hello Mat,

I'm having probs with vibration during acceleration, especially over 30 miles per hours. I was not suspecting the ARB but I'm giving it a second thought. I'll lift the car tomorrow and check the roll bar. Are you having the same problem?

My A2 handles just fine but I have heard a couple of clonks lately. And the vibrations only appear during acceleration.

Patrik
 
FYI - ARB replaced today under extended warranty. No idea about cost - but I would have been charged for a full alignment too. 2003 A2. 49K.

Ben
 
Would this be the correct audi address

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED
YEOMANS DRIVE
BLAKELANDS
MILTON KEYNES
MK14 5AN
 
richard- said:
Would this be the correct audi address

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED
YEOMANS DRIVE
BLAKELANDS
MILTON KEYNES
MK14 5AN
Click to expand...

To be sure that you get your correspondence to the right place, call Audi Customer Services first on 0800 699888 and ask them for the correct postal address.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Well done everyone. Now to get a standard letter in place, pull together, and start demanding someone sorts out these FARB issues before our doors tear off. :)

From my side, I'm taking stubby (which my other half has now christened 'cafe con Hoff') to an independent, as my seller's warranty buckled at the Audi quote like an alloy up a kerb.
 
Yes my FARB bushes are loose too, tis annoying. I'll have to look into whats involved in refitting the part.

Mart
 
Huzzah! Mine got fixed by Turner Autos of Maidstone. Lovely job they seem to have done. £450 the lot, including replacing the FARB, bushes and bolts, plus the front brakes (incl. new discs and pads), and cleaning the back brake drums. Or something like that anyway.

Point is. Huzzah! She's mine again, and she now feels all lovely and taut at the front and is even handling bumps with a degree of decorum.

(yeah. by bumps, I mean pebbles in the road, or crossing the lane marker paint. Not pot holes or anything. They're still like jumping off a roof and landing on your coccyx.)
 
ecoangel said:
The A2 anti roll bar has had a design change but no recall from Audi UK. There is nothing wrong with the bar itself but rather the 2 plastic collars that prevent the rubber mounts from moving sideways under load.

These collars were attached in the factory before powder coating/painting. Corrosion occurs on the surface beneath the collar and eventually it splits requiring the entire bar to be changed and corresponding sub frame alignment.

This fault is common to the Audi A4 and previous TT models.

The new bar has metal collars.

The Audi TT Club members sent a list to Customer Services and now all TT anti roll bars are replaced FREE regardless of warranty status.

We can achieve the same for A2OC and A2 drivers so if you have had this fault please list below to include type (FSI,TDI etc),age of car, when replaced, miles, and cost (or FOC if under warranty).

Cheers

here's mine:

A2 1.2 TDI, 06/2001, 06/2007, 82k, approx £300.
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Hello!

I've had no end of trouble with mine- and yes i also had to replace my roll bar. It happened at the worse possible time (was a bank holiday and had loads of plans but didnt get my car back for a week) I had the following done:4 anti roll bar nuts, 2 anti roll bar links, 1 anti roll bar, 2 anti roll bar mounts = £148.08 (thats just the parts not including labout or vat) and i had to have springs done which was £76.62 net in total i had £905.23 to pay for the labour vat and parts (had some brakes changed)
My Audi A2 is 1.4 SE Petrol i can supply the reg if needed?

Chantelle
 
'52 Sport
Mine is clonking around quite a bit now, has been for a while. I'm going to take it to an independent dealer soon for the diagnosis, but from everything above, sounds like I know what to expect.
 
Concerted effort required

We need to write to one person not just customer services. Please put down your details including cost and Audi service experience at the time to :

Jeremy Hicks, Director
AUDI (UK) Limited,
Yeomans Drive, Blakelands,
Milton Keynes, MK14 5AN

He is quoted as saying:

“it's essential for brand promise to be matched by brand delivery”

and we all agree that brand delivery is found wanting when it comes to A2 anto roll bars!
 
Here is part of my letter sent by recorded post 10 July 2007:

"ANTI ROLL BAR DESIGN FAULT:
Several cars in the Audi range have suffered with anti roll bar quality issues. Had this been a Honda the issue would have been fixed by a simple recall. The TT, A4 and even new model A3 have had a re-design fix for a known design/construction fault. The A2 suffers the same issue.
The bars have been made with plastic collars that prevent the anti roll bar mounting rubbers from slipping laterally. These collars seem to have been fitted to bare metal bars before powder coating. Corrosion occurs under the plastic and even with low mileages the plastic becomes brittle and splits resulting in suspension knocking noises and affecting the vehicle’s dynamics when cornering.
The solution from Audi DE was a redesign with metal collars welded in place.
In Industry circles replacing a whole metal roll bar is unheard of unless the car is accident damaged. My other car is a race going Lancia Fulvia from 1969. The original bar is still torsionally sound and the rubbers are easily replaced with just 4 fully accessible bolts.
Many members of the A2OC have experienced these plastic collars splitting - some after just 20,000 miles from new. We have started a thread which can be viewed here:

http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5793

I enclose photos of my own recent experience. More are available on the web:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ekranoplan/Audi A2/

21/06/2007: Teeside Audi supplied the new bar and replacement rubbers after diagnosing the fault during a routine pre MoT service. The car would have failed the MoT if uncorrected.
The parts (2 off 8ZO 411 314 and one off V8ZO 411 305 L) came to £64.15 with discount but labour was quoted at £321.56.
In the end I went to an Approved/ VAG trained Audi specialist to fit the new parts and complete the alignment set up. This still cost me an extra £110 on top of parts cost.
Clearly there is an issue with the deign of the original front anti roll bars. The end users deserve better customer service. One A2OC member was charged £590.72 for the same task by an Audi Dealer. This is completely unacceptable for a job that is the result of a known Audi manufacturing fault.
Please investigate the matter further and arrange an Audi UK refund to cover parts and labour.
Yours Sincerely,"

If we all do the same there should be some response shortly.
 
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