I have a couple of ball joints (track rod end and forward top arm) that need replacing on my V6 TDi Superb and am contemplating a total rebuild of the front suspension.

One of the top arms (front) needs replacing and apparently the whole leg needs removing to get the main pivot bolt out so I'm thinking about doing the whole thing in one hit.

Hoping some of you out there can answer the following questions :

My car has sports suspension (factory), is there a difference in the arms, rod ends etc ?

I see there is the occasional listing on eBay for a full set of links and arms, anybody had experience of buying one of these sets ?

How long should I plan, time wise, to rebuild each leg, I am handy with the spanners ?

What is the torque setting for the hub nut, I believe the driveshaft will have to be parted from the hub to get the leg out ?

When replacing the track rod end, what measurements should I take to retain the 'raised toe' (hope that is the correct terminology) setting ?

Alternatively, should I just replace parts as they wear out ?

Thanks in anticipation

iirc the arm will come out without taking the leg off, the pinch bolt is a sod to get out, but once it's out the arm is detachable, the hub I think is 35nM but don't quote me on it, if you replace the track end you should be able to wind it on as far as the other one came off, always best to have an alignment though ime, and I would replace as when needed rather than the whole hog.

Hi

I have replaced one of the top arms on my Superb, due to accidental damage of the balljoint rubber boot (while putting the sport springs, incidentally ).

Easy job, best done by dropping the whole assembly (3 screws in the plenum chamber), and disconnecting the shock. Sounds like a big job but is not - you'll see once the assembly is dropped.

Haynes manual for old Passat (or ELSAWin if you have one) shows how to position the arms before tightening, this is important otherwise they may make noise or wear out faster.

Sports suspension on the Superb Mk I makes no difference to arms etc., the only difference are the sport springs which are 1 coil shorter.

Thanks Dieselv6, that makes more sense than splitting driveshafts from the hub etc.

A quick Google brought up :

UKpassats.co.uk • View topic - suspension arm replacement

I know it is for a B5 Passat but it gives the basics.

When you say the arms need aligning does that mean leave the mounting bolts loose until the car is under it's own weight and then tighten ?, or are there datum points to use ?

There are specific angles the bushes need to be oriented at, otherwise you will leave stresses in the bushes. Get Haynes Passat manual, it is all outlined there. I do not remember the exact angles, though 15deg from horizontal comes to mind.

It is possible that you could get the same angles by tightening with car resting on the wheels, but I'd guess access to the bolts will then be quite difficult.