The bushes on my A4 are worn due to fairly high mileage.. but i got it for a good price and am willing to make it as sound as i can. Audi have said that the bushes come in kits.. which include the entire suspension arm which obviously is expensive. The car will be getting new shocks and springs so i thought of looking at Powerflex bushes. These come as kits which are to be replacements for old.. not the arms. So if i get the kit from Powerflex ( and they only stock front bushes!!?? ) do i then get them fitted by a garage/audi.. Anyone out there could clarify the best steps forward for me. I intend to get Bilstein shocks and springs as the shocks on there are squeaking. So the bushes are worn i should replace them. Best step forward for me?! anyone help.. please.

 

the bushings are so difficult to replace on the A4 that Audi decided that it was cheaper to replace the entire control arm with the bushing from the factory, rather than suffer the extended labor costs it would take to replace the bushing alone.

Powerflex makes some bushings for the A4, but there are some they don't make - including one critical one that is a common bushing that goes bad (thats in the front too). Myself and a couple friends contacted Powerflex about replacements, and we were told that.

I think there is another company called Delrin that makes bushings for the A4 - not sure if thats the right name tho. The only reason to get new bushings is to do it yourself. It would cost you more in labor to have new bushing put in by Audi techs than it would to replace the full control arm and all - hence the reason Audi does that in the first place (to save themselves costs on warranty replacements).

Why not go to www.ecstuning.com and check out the full A4 control arm kit? All 8 control arms for the front come in a kit. Why are you replacing them? Are they making noise?

EDIT: just noticed your in the UK... Might want to check if someone local to you also sells a kit, since ECS is in Ohio, USA.<edited><editID>brrman</editID><editDate>38025.9614699074</editDate></edited>

 

Yes the bushes are worn. To the point that they are making a noise. There are two bad ones which have been identified as being the worst. As i will be replacing shocks and springs i thought that it would be sensible to do.. but it obviously it is not that straight forward or cheap!
Thanks for the advice, it makes some sense now. If anyone has details on some suppliers in England that would be useful.