Front Suspension Audi A4 Avant 1999

The bolt is described in many ways, most more 'descriptive' than 'notorious'.

You can try to use penetrating oil, impact drives ... but most end up cutting or grinding it off and using torches then replacing the parts.

You could check > At the top of the front suspension housing forging/ casting there is a pinch

Penetrating oil the day before you are going to work on it, let it soak in, large hammer, drift, gloves, they aint too bad if you know how, heat helps too, the bolt will definitely need replacing, at 70,000 miles plus rather than replacing parts on the front suspension as they fail I would replace everything, a complete kit works out cost effective, you can get a genuine audi parts kit for about £350 that contains all 8 front suspension arms, 2 track rod ends, 2 C links & all the nuts bolts & washers, I would also re grease the front CV joints & put new gaiters on while you have it in bits,

Steve.

Thanks for the replies both. I will look in the forums.

Easing oil has been applied and I've made a small extractor tool which I hope will assist in removal, if it fits - I don't have access to the vehicle as yet.

The reason I need to remove the bolt is because of an outer CV boot in a distressed state, so I'm hoping to avoid the 350 pound touch.

Has anyone used the VAG special tool for the purpose? Is that effective? My home-made extractor is designed to try and do the same thing as the Audi one - I hope, that's supposing the Audi one works!

I'm afraid hammers and drifts won't be of much use on the one side. Some pillock has fitted the bolt with the head on the outside i.e. impossible to achieve a good strike for removal!

Are you suggesting that the bolt needs replacing because of corrosion making it progressively more difficult to remove if you don't?

By the time you have finished with the hammer the bolt is usually damaged, in fact the end broke off mine, then I used a drift to bash it through + heat, the kit came with new bolts so I was not worried,

Steve.