Re: bending rear suspension?

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

Hi Elliot;

    The manual is referring to replaceable suspension components
(trapezoidal arms, links,struts,etc.). When a component is bent and
straightened, it is usually weakened and can fail later. For safety, it is
best to replace bent components.
    This does not mean a straightened component will fail, but you should be
aware of the consequences to yourself and others should it fail under stress
(say at 70 mph under hard cornering through your favourite set of twisties).
You have to assess the potential for failure with the component in question
and make your decision. Personally, I err on the side of safety.
    Another problem with straightened components is that they usually don't
come exactly back to their previous shape, so the suspension is never quite
right.
    This does not apply to body mounting points. You can tug, pull, bend,
spindle, and mutilate these to your hearts content, but they usually don't
return to the exact same position either. When my '86 5ktq was t-boned, I
talked to a couple of frame shops about checking and straightening the
unibody. They didn't want to touch a German car - they said the steel was so
tough it was unlikely they could get the car straightened properly. Said
Audi, Mercedes, and BMW were all problems for them.

HTH

Fred Munro
'91 200q  280k km

----- Original Message -----
From: Elliott Potter <epotter@abraxis.com>
To: <quattro@audifans.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 1999 12:42 AM
Subject: bending rear suspension?


> So back in March I had an altercation with a guard rail (whoops!  Way to
> finish of a QCUSA event :(  ), which left one of the rear wheels with a
> lot of toe out.  (FWD '93 90CS)  The shop where I took the car to be
> fixed put it on a frame straightener to bend the wheel back in place,
> which seemed fine with me at the time ... but the other day I was
> flipping through the suspension manual (for an unrelated reason) and
> there in big bold letters it says DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BEND OR STRAIGHTEN
> ANY COMPONENTS OF THE REAR SUSPENSION (or something to that effect).
> So now I'm worried; should I tell this guy to replace the rear axle?  Or
> will bending it not be so bad?
>
> Thanks all,
> --
> Elliott
>