djpaudi

Hi all-
I hardly ever post, but I do read this site daily. I had to bring my a4 to the dealership to get the a/c head unit replaced. They also did the 52.5K checkup. Here is what they found:
worn suspension link
worn sway bar link

Now, they also said that my 5 month old brand new tires were completely worn on the inside edges. Would this be the result of the worn links? Does this somehow cause the tires to lean inward slightly, or is there something else going on, like a worn control arm (I am not much of a car guy). I have read the posts on sway bar links, but can't seem to glean much info. I hear both a clunk and a groan.

Any advice would be useful (i.e. should I get other suspension parts replaced as well as the parts listed above).

Thanks

Salsero

I had worn tires on mine that was due to a misalignment. It turned out that the toe-in was off, resulting in extreme wear (the steel belt was starting to show) on the edge where the shoulder meets the contact patch, which is why I had not noticed it before. Camber problems are more obvious as you notice uneven wearing on the contact patches itself by reaching in and comparing the depth both on the inside and outside with your fingers.

I don't know if the links would cause this though. Is your dealer referring to the control arms? My 98.5 with 68K needed four upfront. The symptom was a clunking sound when braking. No problems with my sway bar though.

Rezal

Kris Hansen

generally, if one corner of the car is wearing badly, you can blame a bad bushing or joint.

As for replacing more than you have to, don't bother. Most of the front control arms can be replaced without performing an alignment.

where do you bring your car?

Is your car lowered at all?

djpaudi

Hi guys-
Thanks for the followup. TO answer Kris's question, I drove all the way to Kinney in Rutland. Also, only the front two tires were worn. The funny thing was that the wear pattern was the same on both tires, suggesting that the whole assembly was somehow tilted. I don't know how this could happen though.

I will go to get my alignment done, and have them replace the parts that need replacing (they are covered by a warranty I have).

Thanks

ps- no my car is not lowered in any way.

Kris Hansen

would seem to indicate toe problems, rather than camber problems.. If it was camber, one side would be much worse than the other, as on the A4, you can't have both sides with too much negative camber, only one side at a time..

For my time and effort, I make the drive to Lewis in Burlington, but I also hear that Lakes Reigon in Laconia is a fabulous dealer. If your warrantee is aftermarket, check with Northern Motorsport over in Wilder, they often can do work and charge the warrantee companies.

Noting your email address, do you work for Dartmouth, or are you a student? I work in West Lebanon..