struts for 98.5 A4 2.8Q

Thanks for this tip; I'll share it with my mechanic of 15+ years who'll be doing the job. We didn't find loose bearings, but he didn't check for bushings as far as I know. If the alignment was done incorrectly, I'll be really pissed off because the nearby Audi independent did it. I have been thinking they're somewhat fraudulent, just a smidge cheaper than the dealer, and always seem to cost me a lot of money, unlike my mechanic.

A case in point is my recent rear brake job, for which the independent wanted to charge me about $350 for rotors and pads and possibly another $250 to replace one stuck caliper. My mechanic did the job for $100 less and unstuck the caliper, lubricating it for continued service. I'm gonna have him do the next timing belt/water pump/tensioner job in 20k miles instead of going to the independent ripoff artists.

So you're suggest>> I think my 98.5 A4 2.8Q needs new struts at 102,000 miles. The rear

If the only reason you are thinking of replacing the struts is tire wear, yes, I would recommend alignment first.

Still, you should check for bad bush> >

Okay, thanks for this suggestion.

One last question: do struts on these cars simply not die? Or, what's the basic life expectancy of struts on A4Qs?

Thanks, Tony, we'll double check those strut bearings and the dampening resistance.