control arms on 98 A4 2.8 Quattro

Jan 07, 2004 6 Replies

Hi, folks. In the process of entering I77 south to Akron from I271 from Cleveland (this is in Ohio, USA) on a snowy night last month (Christmas Eve, to be exact), I tried to merge over onto the highway and wasn't able to see clearly the low curb placed along the merge lane. As a result, I sideswiped this curb with my driver side wheels and am now paranoid about what possible damage I might have done to my control arms. Yes, both wheels sustained scratches, both tires are fine, but how can I tell if I damaged my control arms?



I absolutely love this car.


I know the exact place you mention.

If your wheels weren't bent or cracked, or out of alignment (camber, caster, pitch, yaw???) then you should be OK.

Just in case, ECS has a set of control arms sold as a kit for over 50% off (Audi dealer) retail--> ecstuning.com. But you probably knew that since you're local.

Assuming you've driven the car regularly since the incident on 12/24 (i.e.,

10+ days) with no ill effects, you are probably OK.

I don't think anything was out of alignment, and I know my wheels weren't cracked or bent. I was driving this lovely car regularly with no ill effects until today, when I experienced what I can only describe as a shaking, not quite a shudder, while driving to work this morning in 23F temps. It wasn't consistent and sometimes went away, but was most obvious in the 30-45 mph range. And the road was perfectly smooth all the way. The same happened on the way home in

10F temps. Tires look ok, no ice seems to be in the wheel wells, can't imagine what's causing this.

I should clarify that we've been having snow and ice where we are (not in Ohio, fyi, but in western New York). What would cause this kind of episodic shake/shudder? Advice/guidance much appreciated.

Original post below for those who care to refresh their memories.

Thanks, Tony, I'll do exactly this. Great suggestion.

Check to see if the balance weights are still on the wheel rims - may have got knocked off.

Tony Ottawa

Yes, that would make sense especially since my street was only partly plowed, and I arrived home and parked after driving through quite a bit of thick heavy snow. The next morning, after the car had sat overnight, was when I experienced the shaking. I didn't notice it the next day, so I suspect your theory could be the answer.

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