Check your front suspension arms people

TheBlueScarab

A2OC Donor
Here are some photographs of the offside front lower suspension arm of my '03 reg 1.4Tdi A2 - after it collapsed while I was driving it, fortunately at low speed (as I was on a single-track country road, with passing places, and had just braked to let a car come from the other direction). Had this happened at (say) motorway speeds the outcome could have been quite different, as the wheel actually moved back in the wheel-arch and was rubbing against the mudflap, making a loud graunching noise - it could have jammed at a higher speed and caused the car to spin ? This car passed it's MOT the month before, so the extent of the corrosion was not obvious, it has rusted from the inside outwards. IMG_3103.jpgIMG_3102.jpgIMG_3101.jpgIMG_3100.jpgIMG_3099.jpgIMG_3098.jpgIMG_3097.jpgIMG_3096.jpg

The intact one is the nearside, needless to say the car is currently in a workshop having both arms replaced (and the new ones will be wax-treated inside).
 
WOW,

Thanks for the heads up.

When was it last MOT'd LAST MONTH? hat should have been an advisory at ther very least, it doesn't get that bad in a month!.
There is PLENTY of external rust to show that it should be checked closely.

Glad you are all ok.

Steve B
 
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Am I correct in thinking these are aftermarket arms as they look like pressed steel. The earlier cars had long lasting cast items so don't suffer the same issue I believe. Not sure if Audi went to pressed arms later on though.

Dave
 
Am I correct in thinking these are aftermarket arms as they look like pressed steel. The earlier cars had long lasting cast items so don't suffer the same issue I believe. Not sure if Audi went to pressed arms later on though.

Dave

As far as I know these are the original arms, I've had the car a few years now, and from the state of these components I'd say they are as old as the car ?
 
WOW very very lucky, like you said if it had been at speed god knows what the outcome would have been :eek:
Does your ball joint have 3 bolts holding it on or is it a single nut?
 
The cast lower wishbones where used until about 2002, then the pressed steel ones where phased in, there does not appear to be an exact cut in/out point, I suspect the factory used the ones available at the time of assy.
The cast ones have the ball joint fixed as part of the wishbone, where as the pressed steel wishbones have the 3 bolt changeable ball joint

I was going to look for some pressed steel ones due to being able to replace the ball joint, but after seeing these I think the cast ones are the safer bet

Cheers,
 
WOW very very lucky, like you said if it had been at speed god knows what the outcome would have been :eek:
Does your ball joint have 3 bolts holding it on or is it a single nut?

Its the newer type pressed steel arm with 3 bolts securing the ball joint...


WoW !!! you should consider yourself very lucky as could of been alot more serious and imagine at any kind of speed outright DANGEROUS to say the least, absolutly gob smacked this was not picked up on at the mot, even as an advisory due to excessive corrosion, I remember awhile back another members car with the older forged steel arms had failed its mot due to surface corrosion but nothing like this ..

Glad alls well and no real harm done
 
Looks terrible and you were very lucky!!

Mileage and where it has spent it's life will have a bearing on the serious corrosion. Whats the mileage and where has it lived for most of it's life?
 
Wow, absolutely shocking. What did they do - simply wave it through it's MOT?

I take the car has an engine under tray? That said the arms should still be visible on an MOT.

I changed the wishbone arms on my wife's A2 and opted for Meyle parts a couple of years ago. The car is 2003, but it was the integral balljoint version, not the pressed steel version which looks like blue cheese!

Anyone attempting this as a DIY, then this is relatively long job as you need to lower subframe module to access wishbones, and you need to press them out. Pictures attached for reference. Before attempting this, mark the position of the subframe module and the retaining bolts with indelible ink so it lines up exactly.
 

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Report the MoT station, they are visible and there is no way that should not have been picked up.

I personally like to see the underside of my cars as often as possible, which is why I accompany the Katsastus guy.... but wow, that should have been picked up.

- Bret
 
Report the MoT station, they are visible and there is no way that should not have been picked up.

I personally like to see the underside of my cars as often as possible, which is why I accompany the Katsastus guy.... but wow, that should have been picked up.

- Bret
I'd agree with bretti_kivi, report them that should have been picked up.
Good to hear you ok.

Sent from my SM-J320FN using Tapatalk
 
Looks terrible and you were very lucky!!

Mileage and where it has spent it's life will have a bearing on the serious corrosion. Whats the mileage and where has it lived for most of it's life?

85,000 miles when it failed, so not a high mileage - I've never had a car with such severe rust on a major suspension component - the replacement parts fitted are the earlier type of cast arm (I wonder if Audi knows there is a problem, and have withdrawn the pressed steel type ?).
 
They replaced the cast with pressed steel as its cheaper to produce and will need replacing more often.
 
Had a similar incident this week,passenger side collapsed again luckily whilst at low speed.
I need to replace both sides,i have a 2005 special edition tdi with 57000 miles,we have owned the car from new and it passed itsIMG_0712.jpgIMG_1029.jpgIMG_0712.jpgIMG_1864.jpg mot October 31st 2016.
Could i replace the the original pressed steel ones on the car with the cast iron type and which manufacturer or would it have to be Audi parts.
 
Absolutely shocking Phillip. Surely MOT picked this up and issued advisory last time around. It's like Swiss cheese.

Not sure on compatibility, but I'm assuming cast ones fit as car geometry is exactly the same to earlier models. Mentioned before I fitted Meyle and have had no issues including winter and summer tyre swaps, so check tracking on completion if you do go for cast ones. When wishbones came off the car at 140k miles the wishbones were absolutely solid, just surface corrosion as you can see from pictures earlier in thread.
 
No advisory on last MOT on October 31st 2016 !!
Many thanks for your advice.Looks like I may have sourced some Audi original pressed steel.
 
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