[s-cars] Ever heard of this? - Lower control arm 'snapping' in traffic

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

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This is a tough crowd...  Wanna find blame, walk thru the logic of it
first...  I'll try a different approach to the same runway (there ya go
Hap)...

IME/O, I've never heard of a control arm break...  Yet.  Further, I can't
even fathom an install procedure that would cause one to do so.  *Any*
component can fail, even on new arms.  Replacement is only a guarantee that
you got something different than what you had before.  That doesn't at all
equate to or mean that what you got (new) was better or can't fail.  Failure
of correctly specified parts isn't automatically the fault of the installer.

What needs to happen, is you need to get some sort of documentation that the
arm was installed incorrectly, or some other negligent act by the installer
was the cause of the accident.  From what I read, that's gonna be tough to do
(good luck).  When I read of a C/A snapping, my mind goes exactly opposite
the posts so far = this isn't an installer problem, this is just a faulty
part, plain and simple.

A faulty install would result in the control arm leaving the subframe (due to
incorrectly installed, or not properly torqued bolt), the control arm leaving
the hub (due to incorrectly installed or not properly torqued pinch bolt), or
control arm leaving the swaybar (due to incorrectly installed or not properly
torqued SB nuts).  "the passengers side lower control arm snapped" sounds
like a production problem of the lower control arm.  That would be the
manufacturer of the part, not seller or installer.  I'm also thinking that
even if the manufacturer is "6 sigma" ISO certified, 3 parts in 1000 won't be
like the other 997.  I'd also bet that Boge (or whomever) would appreciate
knowing about this failure more than you could imagine (read:  maybe even
more than just replacing the part).

Glad the damage was limited to metal.  Wanna find blame?  Don't make it a
thread, be selfish and report when YOUR interests are satisfied, or not.

Just my .02 reading the same thing as everyone else.

Scott Justusson



In a message dated 5/3/2003 1:32:09 PM Central Daylight Time,
robert at s-cars.org writes:

Ouch!  Dave Flagg?  Dave <DFAUTOHAUS at aol.com> is (Or used to be? Haven't
seen a post from Dave in quite a while.) a q-list member.

At 10:13 AM 5/3/2003 -0400, David Glasser wrote:

>The shop is a father and son operation in Burlington VT called AutoHaus.
>
>I appreciate your advice and am seriously thinking of taking some sort of
>legal action.
>
>Dave Glasser
>95 Black S6
>www.daveglasser.com
>Louis, Duke, Bird, Diz, &Trane live on through
>the work and efforts of today's jazz musicians.
>Please continue to support the future of this great
>American art form.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "CyberPoet" <thecyberpoet at cyberpoet.net>
>To: <s-car-list at audifans.com>
>Cc: <divad at rcn.com>
>Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 10:59 PM
>Subject: RE: [s-cars] Ever heard of this? - Lower control arm 'snapping' in
>traffic
>
>
>>Lower control arms do not simply 'snap', especially under
>>such a light load. The first bit of advice: Immediately
>>contact a civil liability attorney specializing in lemon
>>laws and vehicles, and go after the shop/dealership which
>>sold you the vehicle. The accident, the damages, the car
>>and your peace of mind are all worth $$$ and a torte action
>>is probably the only way that such a facility will feel the
>>pain enough to not perform such shoddy work again. Do not
>>attempt to contact the dealership directly in any case
>>what-so-ever, and if you can't control yourself enough to
>>do that, tape every conversation with them, with their
>>attorneys, and make sure you get the adjustors' comments on
>>tape as well when the car is inspected by the insurance
>>agency.
>>
>>Oh, and please, for the sake of the rest of us, tell us
>>which shop/dealership you obtained this nightmare from...
>>
>>This kind of thing is very unlike Audi's and it needs to be
>>explained that it is obviously the fault of human error at
>>the local shop/dealership, and not the type of products the
>>Audi factory puts forth. Whether the car was in a bad
>>accident previously, and was not repaired correctly, or if
>>the parts installed were used and questionable, or if the
>>repair simply wasn't carried out, either way the full
>>liability needs to lie with the responsible party.
>>
>>Usually I dislike attorneys, but for cases such as this, it
>>is the only way to make a corporation (such as a
>>dealership) feel the pain adequately to prevent them from
>>repeating this kind of carelessness before it actually
>>kills someone.
>>
>>Sorry about your misfortune,
>>=-= Marc Glasgow
>>www.cyberpoet.net
>>
>>DAVID GLASSER WROTE:
>>
>>Last Friday I'm driving to a job at about 4:30pm on the Henry Hudson
>>Pkwy in
>>NYC.  Stop and go traffic.  I'm moving about 25 mph in the right lane
>>when a
>>van cuts into my lane from the center lane (which was stopped at the
>>time).
>>I hit my brakes to slow down (no danger, plenty of time to stop) when I
>>hear
>>a clank and my car suddenly lurches uncontrollably to the left,
>>scraping the
>>right front of a blue escort along my two drivers side doors and then
>>hitting the right front quarter panel of a limo in the left lane with my
>>drivers side front quarter panel and scraping along the limo's
>>passernger
>>side doors.  Noboby hurt, thank god.  Turns out the passenger side lower
>>control arm snapped causing the car to lurch to the left.  I've owned
>>the
>>car two months (just received the title in the mail today).  The lower
>>control arms were supposedly replaced by the dealer I purchased it from.
>>
>>End result is the car is a total loss.  I don't know yet what the
>>insurance
>>co. will give me for it.  I have nowhere to keep the car to part it out
>>or I
>>would.
>>
>>Anyone ever heard of such a mechanical failure on these cars?  Kind of
>>scary.  Thank god I wasn't driving 70mph with my pregnant wife or
>>newborn
>>son (12 days) in the car.  I'm fighting hard to feel good enough to
>>purchase
>>another Audi.  Just though I'd share.  Any BTDT's or advice most
>>welcome.
>>
>