Re: Ball Joints on 1995 90 Q Sport

[Elliott Potter <epotter@abraxis.com>]

FWIW, I heard the same thing about the ball joints--that they tend to
die pretty quickly.  Mine held on for 63K, but really needed to be
replaced at about 40K.

Did they update these at all on the A4?  Perhaps there are some stiffer
ones that would fit?  It's awfully expensive to replace them every 40K
miles.......
--
Elliott

Chris Newbold wrote:
> 
> Rich wrote:
> >
> > Ball Joints...That's what the Midas Service guy said when I took my car in
> > for a Vermont State Inspection. (NO! I would not even think of letting them
> > work on my car!) Anyway the service guy said that there was some play in the
> > front ball joints, and proceeded to rock the tires back and forth while we
> > stood under the car, showing me that there was a little bit of give. I'm
> > still under warranty, so should I take my car into the dealer, or is this
> > normal and as it should be?
> 
> I don't really know the answer, but I do have some BTDT... I went through
> my first set of ball joints on my 1993 90 in about 36k miles. Dealer
> decided there was too much play and replaced them under warantee.
> 
> Seems like an awfully short life, but I've since received other annecdotal
> evidence that the ball joins don't last long on these beasts. The
> deal seems to be that they used front suspension bits from the previous
> generation 80/90, but dropped the heavier V6 motor in...
> 
> I'd get a second opinion from a trusted mechanic; they may well be shot.
> If so, head to the dealer and get it done before you have to pay.
> 
> -Chris
> 1993 90CS 70k miles (just about time for more ball joints)