What is worn (suspension), wheel shift on brake

jafische

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Pace, FL
TDI
2013 (A3) TDI SEL Premium (Reflex Silver / Moonrock)
I originally brought it in for a squeaky squeak when the weather started getting cold.
It only makes the noise when going forward.

I just had someone show me, when driving at just ~5 mph and hitting the brakes somewhat hard, both front wheels shift backwards (1/2" to an 1" maybe), before the front end dips (from momentum).

Can anyone point me in the right direction? This sure doesn't seem right.

2013 sel @ 155,000mi.

Thanks !
 
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forrest resto`s

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Jul 8, 2007
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athens ga.
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2000 jetta tdi auto rc2 2013 passat tdi 2015 passat tdi auto 2011 jetta tdi nav. s'roof..man. dpf delete 1970 GTO JUDGE 520 HP

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
you can press in more robust bushings (RS3?) on your stock control arms, save the metal, but at those prices of whole new control arms, its mighty temping.
 

jafische

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Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Pace, FL
TDI
2013 (A3) TDI SEL Premium (Reflex Silver / Moonrock)
The price range for control arms is pretty varied. I thought the same thing about replacing the bushings... when you add it all up, almost at the cost of a new aftermarket control arm.

The VW ones.... is it worth double the cost? I see TRQ come up a lot in a basic search. Everyone claims they meet or exceed OEM specs. And do you look for one with the ball joints attached already?
 

forrest resto`s

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2007
Location
athens ga.
TDI
2000 jetta tdi auto rc2 2013 passat tdi 2015 passat tdi auto 2011 jetta tdi nav. s'roof..man. dpf delete 1970 GTO JUDGE 520 HP
The ones I bought came with the ball joints SEPARATELY.. We decided not to use them as the originals were fine..I will try to find the ones I purchased? It is NOT from the link I provided..
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
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Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
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2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
IDparts also has cheap LCA
 

jafische

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Pace, FL
TDI
2013 (A3) TDI SEL Premium (Reflex Silver / Moonrock)
I ordered some Mevotech Supreme control arms. They were $100 on RockAuto. Lifetime warranty. Made in Canada and comparable to Moog (non-China)...so says the internet.
 

jafische

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Pace, FL
TDI
2013 (A3) TDI SEL Premium (Reflex Silver / Moonrock)
I ordered some Mevotech Supreme control arms. They were $100 on RockAuto. Lifetime warranty. Made in Canada and comparable to Moog (non-China)...so says the internet.
Yeah... so it clearly says on the box "Made in China"
 

jafische

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Pace, FL
TDI
2013 (A3) TDI SEL Premium (Reflex Silver / Moonrock)
Rockauto by the way... I ordered the parts on Thursday, got the LCA's on Friday and the stabilizer bars on Saturday. Super fast standard/cheapest shipping.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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Aug 16, 2004
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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I think all MevoTech products are made in China. They are a Canadian company, so they often ship from there. And their stuff is pretty good quality.
 

VernK

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Kelowna
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2012 Passat 2.5L Gas
That it's made in China isn't the problem, particularly if it's something designed elsewhere — it's the standard it was made to that counts. Chinese manufacturers are happy to cut corners for you if you want a cheap product, and equally happy to supply high quality if you'll pay.

Yours
Vern
 

jafische

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Pace, FL
TDI
2013 (A3) TDI SEL Premium (Reflex Silver / Moonrock)
The Mevotech LCAs are good quality. Both Mevotech stabilizer links had bad joints. Bad popping. Had to take them off and bought VW ones.

Now all rides smooth. Feels like I fixed a bad balance on the tires also. Assuming it was the worn bushings on the control arms.

Don't ask about the intake manifold gasket and fuel injector seals. Dealership did that for $800. But didn't tighten hard fittings properly. So halfway home diesel was smoking all over the inside of the engine compartment. Almost lost control on a turn with diesel spewing all over the place. 1/4 tank lost in 10 miles. They towed it back and fixed their repair. Nightmare.
 
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Shawn67

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 19, 2015
Location
Ma
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI
Just replaced both lower control arms on a 2015 6 speed at about 83k miles. I used the LCA from IDParts which are made by Spidan. They came with ball joints attached. The car clunked on bumps and turned to the right slightly while braking. I knew the driver side vertical bushing was bad as it clunked when hitting the arm with a rubber mallet.

Swapping these out was easier than expected as there was no clearance issues on either side when removing the front bolt. Most videos (from earlier NMS) made it look like I was going to have to jack the engine for the passenger side and lower the subframe on the drivers side but neither was needed. Hardest part was really just lining everything up with the new arm. Putting the back side too far in and then pulling it out enough to get the front bushing in place worked pretty well. Then bolt the front bushing, the ball joint and then maneuvering the assembly around to line up the rear bolt worked pretty well.

Driver side bushing was really bad.



The passenger side was starting to tear as well. I'm going to replace the bushings in the factory control arms just to have as spares.
 

jafische

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Pace, FL
TDI
2013 (A3) TDI SEL Premium (Reflex Silver / Moonrock)
Just replaced both lower control arms on a 2015 6 speed at about 83k miles. I used the LCA from IDParts which are made by Spidan. They came with ball joints attached. The car clunked on bumps and turned to the right slightly while braking. I knew the driver side vertical bushing was bad as it clunked when hitting the arm with a rubber mallet.

Swapping these out was easier than expected as there was no clearance issues on either side when removing the front bolt. Most videos (from earlier NMS) made it look like I was going to have to jack the engine for the passenger side and lower the subframe on the drivers side but neither was needed. Hardest part was really just lining everything up with the new arm. Putting the back side too far in and then pulling it out enough to get the front bushing in place worked pretty well. Then bolt the front bushing, the ball joint and then maneuvering the assembly around to line up the rear bolt worked pretty well.

Driver side bushing was really bad.



The passenger side was starting to tear as well. I'm going to replace the bushings in the factory control arms just to have as spares.
That is what mine looked like at 155k miles. I read the pains others went through and had someone do it for me. He said he needed to lift the transmission and inch to get the driver's side out. 2013 Passat
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Just replaced both lower control arms on a 2015 6 speed at about 83k miles. I used the LCA from IDParts which are made by Spidan. They came with ball joints attached. The car clunked on bumps and turned to the right slightly while braking. I knew the driver side vertical bushing was bad as it clunked when hitting the arm with a rubber mallet.

Swapping these out was easier than expected as there was no clearance issues on either side when removing the front bolt. Most videos (from earlier NMS) made it look like I was going to have to jack the engine for the passenger side and lower the subframe on the drivers side but neither was needed. Hardest part was really just lining everything up with the new arm. Putting the back side too far in and then pulling it out enough to get the front bushing in place worked pretty well. Then bolt the front bushing, the ball joint and then maneuvering the assembly around to line up the rear bolt worked pretty well.

Driver side bushing was really bad.



The passenger side was starting to tear as well. I'm going to replace the bushings in the factory control arms just to have as spares.
DSG or 6MT?

I've heard DSG needs the subframe dropped a couple inches.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
So they undid the transmission mount/dog bone, rather than drop the subframe.
 
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