Audi C7 Control Arms Replacement DIY 

Just to add, the kit that comes from FCP Euro, has both lower arms with a hole for the light leveling. SO make sure you check which one is left and which one is right. I didn't and the job took at least 3 hours longer ;-)

Ouch lol. Good to know

The s6 adaptive air suspension uses those points for leveling. I have an s6 and need both them holes.

@@raw.shu.x what points? Going to do my c7.5 s7 soon

@@tonyluu3173 Holes on the lower arms for the headlight leveling sensor arms

Thank you!

The tab was on the side facing the rear of the car, but I don't think it actually makes a difference. I just like to stay consistent.

Thank you!

Glad you got it done!

Thank you!

😂🤣

@@AudiC7Owners Great video dude, keep it up!

That is definitely something I want to do. If you buy me the g2 kit, I'll make the video 😉. Definitely in the future though

Thank you!

Awesome! Glad it helped you!

Thanks man! I didn't replace any of the rear suspension components but I'll work on finding specs for you.

@@AudiC7Owners really appreciate it! Keep up the great work! Big fan here!

Feels good. Should have two more videos out soon 👍🏻

@@AudiC7Owners standing by

Thanks for the heads up! I will update the links this evening 👍🏻

@@AudiC7OwnersThe ball joint separator kit you linked in the description has a ball joint separator with the same size jaw opening (7/8) as the loaner tool I tried to use, which isn’t big enough to fit the lower rear ball joint. I tried hammering it in like you did in the video but it would just not go in, tore the ball joint boot and everything. Car’s sitting now until I can be confident enough to order the right one that’ll actually fit.

Order the schwaben tool to be certain

It's likely very similar as most audi's are, but the torque specs and other things will vary im sure. Good luck

I should have done it when I did my zf fluid video. I will definitely record it when I do it though.

@@AudiC7Owners Yeah I am planning to do it all at the same time. Cool, thanks for the detailed vids. This one was super informative.

If they are oem bushings you should be able to indirect for cracks in them

@@AudiC7Owners Think the lower rear ones on the front do have some cracking in them.

I use a jack pad to raise the car in the designated location, and put jack stands on the pinch weld. Some people don't do this, but I've had no issues. There are also pinch weld pads for jack stands that you can get

Was the last bolt on the control arm m12 or m14?

That is specific to your car as it is different amongst years. You need to verify with your Vin at the dealership

There are some places that sell a digital manual but I'm not sure where to buy it.

The torque settings are the same for the A7 as the A6 👍🏻

Thanks man! Any stretch bolt you remove should be replaced 👍🏻

@@AudiC7Owners yeah thats what i think too! Thanks again

Nope. You don't have to do anything with the strut if you are only doing the lower arms

Maybe an hour each side? Maybe 1.5 if you take your time?

All springs require a compressor to remove them

The first thing I'd do is compare the one that won't go in to the one that did go in & make sure they are the same size. If they are you just have to play around with it. It can be tricky but you will figure it out eventually.

Thanks! My control arm bushings were completely worn out. This is a common issue with the C7/B8 platform along with engine mounts. If you are over 70k you should start inspecting them.

@@AudiC7Owners dumb question, but how would I know bushings were worn out?

You can inspect them for cracks and play by moving them. When they get really bad you will start to hear clunking in the front suspension

Their parts will fit, but they will likely fail very fast. I'd order my replacements from fcp euro at least, or get 034 upgraded arms.

Based on the mileage above I'd replace them. Our control arms wear quickly. You can visually inspect them for fluid leaks & wear

If you've got the tools and the time, it's not that bad

@@AudiC7Owners I may go for it after pricing the parts and needed tools. Not so bad. I'll get new struts and isolators while I'm at it. Probably get a friend to help for extra set of hands and moral support.

Definitely would be helpful

@@AudiC7Owners Received my control arm kit. Going to tackle it this weekend. Looking over the parts and pairing each control arm to make sure everything is there, I noticed that it seems the upper control arms are not uniform for each side of the car. Is that true?

Never mind, just figured it out. I had the smaller ones paired together, and needed one long and one short to be paired.

I'm unsure about the A8 fitment

@@AudiC7Owners thx for answer. And... i need special tool for my audi 2011? Cuz. I need to fix it

I am not familiar with the A8's so I can't really tell you. But most audi suspensions are very similar.

@@AudiC7Owners alright.. thx for you help 👍

Oh man. Hopefully I can save you a headachy on future jobs

The best way to know 100% is to email 034 your Vin number. Let them tell you which one to order without question. You can also verify with your audi dealership parts department

You absolutely need an alignment, but that is too correct things so your tires don't wear out. If you are leaking grease already then that seems like a part failure

@AudiC7Owners ok 👍. Yeah I just replaced the ball joint boots, the bushing were perfect, and I will take her to do alignment this week. Thanks

It should be the same process, but let me look into it

@@AudiC7Owners don't think it is. I've replaced all front control arms using your video. When trying to preload the suspension, it raises the car off the lift and does not compress the suspension.

OK then yes there is something else going on. Let me look into it

I just checked a diy from an rs7 on Audizine & there is no mention of any special trick needed. I'm going to keep looking though. www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/822489-DIY-RS7-Front-Control-Arms-(034-Density-Full-Kit-)-WARNING-A-Lot-of-Pictures!

@@dameonpryce9931 do you have your car in the setting for changing tires? It's an option in your mmi for air ride equipped vehicles.

If that is the meyle kit then it is basically an oem replacement kit. You can change the sway bar endlinks out anytime while you are doing the job, just torque under load. No special tools required. You can watch our diy sway bar video to see how I replaced mine. And you shouldn't need a computer for anything in regards to swapping control arms, but you will need an alignment afterwards.

@@AudiC7Owners Just tried this with the my C7 2.0t. Man it was a battle and I ran into some problems. The top four control arms were a breeze….the lower four however were ridiculous. I could only get the lower forward control arm on the drivers side replaced. Had to leave the right forward lower and both rear lowers. I just couldn’t get to the bushing bolts on both of the rear lowers, I must not have the right tools. And for some reason the M12 bolt on the right forward lower control arm hits the tie rode. Tried everything short of taking the tie rod off the wheel side but I don’t think that would have helped. Must be something different from side to side because the driver side M12 bolt came out easy….idk. So I only got 5 out of 8 replaced. Gonna have to find a local shop to do the rest. Any pointers on the right side M12 bolt or have you heard of this? Maybe something only the 2.0t faces?

I had to just push it out & push the tire rod boot above the bolt. It also helps to turn the wheel left/right to get more clearance.

You don't have to remove the upper control arms. I'll be releasing a diy on installing springs soon as well

@@AudiC7Owners wow! I'm installing them sometime this week. The shop wants close to $700 with alignment. I want to do this to save $.. I'm just nervous about the upper LC's removal. Thanks if u do you're a life saver!!

I'll try to get the diy up asap, but my computer is being a finicky bitch right now. You don't have to remove the upper control arms at all.

700$ is expensive. You can save a lot of money doing it yourself if you can hold off and wait for the diy

@@AudiC7Owners thank you!! I'll wait for the DiY and removing just the LCA looks so much easier! I can save $600 doing this and pay $100 for alignment

No. I've never heard of that happening which arm?

@@AudiC7Owners lower front forward, I got sent a replacement after contacting FCP and the same thing happened again with the Meyle 8K0407689G ball joint.

That is bizarre

Definitely get a rear sway bar, upgraded upper & lower control arms, drivetrain & trans mount inserts, jxb performance driveshaft carrier, & some good coilovers.

@@AudiC7Owners Thank you so much! I will look into these upgrades. Do you have brand preference? I found an Audi suspension kit from Bilstein that Ive heard good things...

Eurocode & 034 motorsports are my favorites. For coilovers you can't go wrong with a good set of h&r or kw's

@@AudiC7Owners Thank you! I truly appreciate the feedback!

You are the first person to notice that! So far I have had no issues so I don't think it's a big deal. Do not use any grease. Dirt & debree can get trapped in it & act like cement in the long run. This is a thing that has plagued VAG cars for decades

I used 034 motorsports control arm kit 👍🏻

@@AudiC7Owners Thanks for the reply. I can't get 034 here in the UK. So think I'm going to mix and match between TRW, Delphi and Meyle. I won't add any grease to the pinch Bolt, which only cent out before Christmas for new dampers, so hopefully won't be a killer on the next removal. Great video though.

I'd try to stick to meyle for the entire kit if I were you. If you really wanted 034 you could have someone stateside buy them & at them to ship the kit to you, but that would be pricey

@@AudiC7Owners I’m going for Lemforder instead. Heard the Meyle ones are very hard and stiff.

I cannot confirm, but if it looks like my knuckle then maybe?

Nope. That arm can be done independently of all the rest

@@AudiC7Owners amazing cheers, had it noted the bushings were shot so hoping to sort this out 🙌🙌

The oem bushings are fluid filled (hydraulic fluid) for ride comfort. Sounds like you damaged a bushing. You will need to replace it.

@@AudiC7Owners Thank you for responding! Do you think a leakage from the bushing can cause the steering wheel to be stiffer or it may be just the wheel alignment? This is 2018 Audi A5 sportback and the steering wheel used to be very light and moved easily. Now it's stiff and requires stronger holding and effort to turn.

I wouldn't think so. But you should probably get everything inspected by a reputable shop

@@AudiC7Owners thanks a lot for your input

If all goes according to plan it should be anywhere from 2.5-3.5 hours a side

We replaced the arms with me bushings in them. It is easier and more cost effective.

The ball joint separator? Mine was from ewk tools.

​@Audi C7 Owners yes. Ok cool I will check that out.

@@luiszubillaga1463Which ball joint separator didn’t work for you, and which one ended up working?

Amazon 32mm opening tool

At this time I do not, but they usually run decent sales around major holidays.

It already is. Integrated engineering Stage 2 single pulley 👍🏻

@@AudiC7Owners that is reassuring because I am about to go for the stage one from IE.

Yes. Get them cheap on Amazon

I'm not 100%, but I believe so

@@AudiC7Owners oh okay I gotchu would you be able to find out for me and make a DIY for that

Nope. I don't have a 4cyl C7. You should find out if the parts are the same. If so then you would install exactly like this video.

@@AudiC7Owners ok cool preciate it

No. If you are looking for comfort then you shouldn't modify your suspension at all. Replace worn parts with oem replacement parts

@@AudiC7OwnersSo in other words, buy OEM for a daily driver and these Street Density ones from 034 Motorsports for a track driven car? 🧐

I'm running 034 on my daily & I'm happy

@@AudiC7Owners So the street density control arm kit you got from 034 came with the front lower control arm that uses the M14 bolt? Support with FCP, ECS, and the product listing for 034 all state that my production date 4/20/12 C7 A6 will have the “M14 ball joint” but none of the ball joints have a triple square on them and the only triple square I have is the same M12 on the front lower arm bushing like your’s. So I’m just confused on what to get, I verified that bolt you pointed out in the video is M12 on my car. I just want to get the right kit I need.

The only way to insure you choose the right kit is to contact your dealer with your Vin number & find out which lower control arms you need. M14 or M12.

20v xr brushless 👍🏻

@@AudiC7Owners i was looking for the code, like dcf 894 maybe?

That is indeed what I have