My car's right side cast arm has a loose ball joint.
I've read through a few of the threads about this here and the couple on the German forum that were linked.
The concensus currently seems to be to use cast arms as replacements, not the pressed ones. One reason given for this was that they are less susceptible to rust, and another, if I understood correctly, is that the pressed arms are not as widely available right now. Correct?
Arm:
Can I just change the one arm, and leave the other for the time being (tire wear was bad only on the right side, and slop identified there)?
I've found the following brands available: Master-Sport Germany (has anyone heard of them?), Meyle, Vaico
TRW was listed but unfortunately not available, and almost twice the price.
Are any of these three worth using, or should I keep looking for the coveted TRW ones?
Are Meyle still considered 'bad' for arms? It seemed to me like that conclusion was based on a thread on a2-freun.de, one post I think, which referenced only one pair, and from my understanding, though possibly incorrect, a stamped version, not cast.
Has anyone used Meyle arms since, with good effect, and more relevantly perhaps, the cast versions?
Rear bushing/'silentblok':
Should it be changed, or can it be left in place if not damaged during arm removal?
From reading the various threads, I gather that a tool is really needed to extract the bushing/'silentblok' from the console bracket easily?
Which manufacturers are best for the bushing/'silentblok' at the moment? I can find it from quite a few: FEBI, Lemforder, Meyle, TRW, Master-Sport, SWAG, FAG, Delphi.. Lemforder should be best from those? The price difference between them is not that large, except for TRW it seems, again.
Is an attempt at changing the arm without removing the console likely to succeed, or will console removal likely be necessary because of the 'long bolt' shearing, or possibly some other issue? Anything other than WD-40 that can be done to decrease chances of the long bolt shearing? What about heat?
Thanks
I've read through a few of the threads about this here and the couple on the German forum that were linked.
The concensus currently seems to be to use cast arms as replacements, not the pressed ones. One reason given for this was that they are less susceptible to rust, and another, if I understood correctly, is that the pressed arms are not as widely available right now. Correct?
Arm:
Can I just change the one arm, and leave the other for the time being (tire wear was bad only on the right side, and slop identified there)?
I've found the following brands available: Master-Sport Germany (has anyone heard of them?), Meyle, Vaico
TRW was listed but unfortunately not available, and almost twice the price.
Are any of these three worth using, or should I keep looking for the coveted TRW ones?
Are Meyle still considered 'bad' for arms? It seemed to me like that conclusion was based on a thread on a2-freun.de, one post I think, which referenced only one pair, and from my understanding, though possibly incorrect, a stamped version, not cast.
Has anyone used Meyle arms since, with good effect, and more relevantly perhaps, the cast versions?
Rear bushing/'silentblok':
Should it be changed, or can it be left in place if not damaged during arm removal?
From reading the various threads, I gather that a tool is really needed to extract the bushing/'silentblok' from the console bracket easily?
Which manufacturers are best for the bushing/'silentblok' at the moment? I can find it from quite a few: FEBI, Lemforder, Meyle, TRW, Master-Sport, SWAG, FAG, Delphi.. Lemforder should be best from those? The price difference between them is not that large, except for TRW it seems, again.
Is an attempt at changing the arm without removing the console likely to succeed, or will console removal likely be necessary because of the 'long bolt' shearing, or possibly some other issue? Anything other than WD-40 that can be done to decrease chances of the long bolt shearing? What about heat?
Thanks