Anti-Roll bar link rods torque setting for nuts

fewkeste

Member
I have to change the anti-Roll bar link rods on my A2 1.4 petrol as the boot on one is deteriorated slightly and was an advisory on the last MOT. I looked on the thread for the list of commonly needed torque settings for various nuts and bolts on the car but couldn't find any figures for the nuts that retain the link rods. Does anyone know what torque they should be tightened to? Also any tips to be aware of? Are the link rods for example under tension or compression? After jacking up the car and removing the wheel, will I for example have to put a jack under the anti-roll bar ends to alleviate any twisting effect that puts tension or compression on the link rods that stop them just pulling clear of the mounting holes when the nuts are undone? Any tips gratefully received.
 
Easy to do. I did this job last week. I fitted TRW branded drop links from Eurocarparts. The quality seams pretty good.
You need to jack up both sides of the front of the car at the same time to prevent tension on the ARB, it's then a 10 minute job per side to swap the drop links.
Job order:
Loosen wheel bolts on both front wheels.
I used a trolley jack under the front of the car at one side. If you look there is a very large hex nut that bolts part of the subframe/suspension to the body, this I find is ideal to locate a trolley jack!
I then used the standard A2 jack with an axel stand for sturdiness to lift the other side of the car.
Take wheels off one at a time.
Subject to levels of corrosion (mine had mercifully little), the drop links should just unbolt.
You will need either a torx set or an allen key to stop the ball joint spinning while you tighten the nuts up.
For the job on my car I needed both torx and allen as the parts I removed had one, and the TRW new parts had the other!
To tighten the nut you can either use a regular spanner, ratchet spanner (like Halfords sell) or you can use a fancy pants socket set (again like Halfords sell!) that has a hole down the centre of each socket so that you can still hold the ball join with the torx/allen key while doing the nut tight.
Easy job (unless nuts seized or rounded) and should take less than an hour start to finish.
 
When removing mine a couple of weeks ago the centre torx nut on the ball joint had corroded so badly that it was not possible to hold it while undoing the nut and so I had to angle grind each nut off.

I would recommend buying the Meyle HD drop links because they have a seperate nut that holds teh ball-joint that can be held by a spanner while you tighten the nut.

Sorry, I can't help with the torque setting as I couldn't find the figures either, I just made sure they were tight. I've got to do a service next month so will re-check them 'again' on the service.
 
Torque setting for the top & bottom nuts on the drop link is 40Nm. New nuts must be used if the drop link is only being loosened. Audi use two different nuts for the top and bottom but both can be used at either side quite safely.

blue skies
tony
 
Thanks everyone for your invaluable advice and information. Some questions and replies to each of you:

chb: The large hex nut you refer to – is there one either side? The reason I ask is I’ve got a lifting beam with rubber pads that fits on a trolley jack in place of the trolley jack cup and I wondered if I could lift the front of the car in one go with a pad on each large hex nut (if there are two) then put axle stands with (rubber pads on top of them to protect the chassis) just inboard of the circular jack holes to support the car. Thanks for the tip about lifting both sides – I was only going to lift each side at a time which would have presumably caused torsion on the anti-roll bar possibly leading to difficulty getting the link rods off. Glad I asked for tips.

A2Steve & Bret: I’ve already bought them off eBay (£9.16 a pair delivered) but I’ll bear in mind what you and Bret say in future. I’ve got a 1.6FSI as well and so if I ever need to change them on that or if these fail sooner rather than later, then I’ll buy Meyle ones as you both recommend. Are Meyle products considered to be superior? Interestingly this reminds me of the days when I used to change the CV boots on my Mk1 Golf. At the time, pattern CV boots could be bought for £5 and the genuine VW kit was £17. I once made the mistake of buying a £5 pattern one and had to replace it two years later whereas the genuine VW ones lasted more than 10 years and it was such a pain to do. I learned the hard way I’d much sooner pay more for a quality part that lasts rather than fit a cheap part but have to do the job more frequently.

A2 Cars (Tony): Thanks very much for the torque setting. Thanks also for the heads up about new nuts. My link rods came with new nuts – they look like Nyloc nuts but they seem to be the same socket size so it will be interesting to see the nuts that come off the car.
 
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Yes the Meyle ones are Meyle HD which I think stands for heavy duty. They seemed a lot heavier than the ones that came off and thicker but I didn't do any measurements. I think they come with a decent warranty as well but I can't remember the exact numbers. Sorry I can't be more specific but I bought them as they have been recommended on here lots of times and just stuck them on. Very happy with the results.
 
Yes the Meyle ones are Meyle HD which I think stands for heavy duty. They seemed a lot heavier than the ones that came off and thicker but I didn't do any measurements. I think they come with a decent warranty as well but I can't remember the exact numbers. Sorry I can't be more specific but I bought them as they have been recommended on here lots of times and just stuck them on. Very happy with the results.

Yes I've found them on eBay - £14.42 each delivered with a 4 year warranty. Next time eBay has one of these special offer sales where you get 10% off everything you buy, I'll probably get a couple of sets. £9.16 for my pair delivered v £14.42 each - there has to be a difference in quality I imagine.
 
I haven't tested the Meyle HD drop links, but my experience with all the rest of their "HD" stuff is rather contradicting. I've fitted their control arms to A4 and Passat B5/B6/B7/B8s and some of them failed about 20 000km / 1 year later, while others went on for another 80k, so at least at some point their quality varied alot. Also keep in mind it's not the drop link itself that fails, but rather the ball joints, so it doesn't really matter if the part looks and feels HD if the joints are poor quality.

In my opinion the best stuff you can get for your under carriage is either OE or parts from a manufacturer who makes the OEM stuff like Lemforder or TRW. Quite often if you buy Lemforder you'll see it's the same part as the OE Audi part, but with the Audi part number ground off.
 
Original set lasted 1 year here.
Replacement lasted 2 years.
Meyle HDs were put on for the first time in 2007, I think. Replaced in 2010 and again last year, always the same. There is a massive quality difference and the longevity improvement is significant.

The cheap ones will clunk after one winter. You'll hear it when going up and down minor kerbstones or so. There is no point in saving on these.

- Bret
 
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Whilst searching on eBay for link rods I came across this item:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231720799056?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

and the replaceable ball joints that go with them when eventually needed are here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291580566731?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I think these can be ordered to be the same length as standard link rods. The beauty of these is that individual ball joints can be replaced if they fail rather than removing and discarding a whole link rod (or pair of link rods) when perhaps only one ball joint has failed. The initial purchase price is higher than budget link rods but in the long run they may work out better quality and be better value. They seem to work out about the same cost as a pair of Meyle HD link rods. Have any club members tried these? Has anyone got any comments (good or bad) to make about these? I am keen to hear what members think. I have two A2s I intend to keep for ever so my thinking was to buy two (or possibly three) sets and some spare ball joints so I can replace individual ball joints as and when they fail. By purchasing a third spare set I can have a ready made up pair of link rods to put back on the car if I need to remove a link rod because a ball joint has failed and then replace the failed ball joint at my leisure.
 
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Hmmm...not sure these would be a good idea. The threaded bits would corrode and then you have more problems! Best to buy Meyle/TRW/Lemforder and replace them in the years ahead. Any of these branded ones should be good for 50,000 miles plus.
 
Hmmm...not sure these would be a good idea. The threaded bits would corrode and then you have more problems! Best to buy Meyle/TRW/Lemforder and replace them in the years ahead. Any of these branded ones should be good for 50,000 miles plus.

Yes I know what you mean - it reminds me of the track rod end/tracking adjustment difficulties I sometimes have on my other car (Polo) although I mitigate the problem by coating the threads with copper grease or anti-seize compound. In your first post replying to my original question you mention the large Hex head bolts you jack up the car on. I asked you if there was one either side - do you know?
 
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