2012-2015 VW Passat TDI B7 Front Lower Control Arms / Bushings (Fast Method)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2023
- Hey TH-cam,
Here is a quick and easy tutorial on replacing your Front Lower Control Arm Bushings on your 2012-2015 VW Passat TDI. You can decide if you want to just swap the bushings out or replace the entire arms. We show you step by step on how to get this job done quickly.
These Control Arms were also used on the 2012-2019 Beetle and the B7/B7.5 Passat from 2016-2021 so the removal and installation will be very similar depending on your engine style.
Plastic Undertray Removal - • 2012-2015 VW Passat TD...
Tools Needed:
16mm Socket
18mm Socket
Ratchet
Pry Bar 16”
Nm/Ft. Lbs Torque Wrench
*Optional - Press or Bushing removal kit
We always order from FCPEuro since these parts are guaranteed for life.
Parts Links:
Control Arm Bolts for 2012-5/2013 - Need (4)
www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-c...
For 6/2013-2015
www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-b...
Dog Bone Mount Bolts - Need (1) each
www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi...
www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-s...
Front Rearward Bushing - Need (2)
VW - $26
www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-s...
Lemforder - $11
www.fcpeuro.com/products/volk...
Front Forward Bushing - Need (2)
VW - $24
www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-s...
Lemforder - $6
www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi...
Or if you prefer to swap the entire control arms out, here are your options:
VW Right $346 - www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-s...
VW Left $346 - www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-s...
REIN Right $89 - www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-s...
REIN Left $104 - www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-s...
2014 Volkswagen Passat Quick Reference Specification Book - static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/201...
Enjoy the Video!!!
Cheers!
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Website bradleysgarage.com -coming soon
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If you liked the video, remember to give it a "thumbs up" and consider subscribing. Thanks again for hanging out!
#VW #repair #DIY
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of BradleysGarage, we cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. BradleysGarage assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. BradleysGarage recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of BradleysGarage, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not BradleysGarage.
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Fantastic step by step process complete with tips, tricks, and torque specs. Very nicely done. Thank you, I will be tackling this video over the weekend.
Thanks for the kind words Matthew, glad you enjoyed the video. Please let us know how your repair goes, we are happy to assist if needed. Thanks again for hanging out, Cheers!
This was fantastic. Thank you so much for the bolt links. Very informative. Keep up the great videos.
Thanks for the comments Matt, glad you enjoyed the video. Appreciate the feedback, good luck on your VW project. Cheers!
Bless your soul for making this video! ❤ Literal life-saver! Keep up the amazing work!
Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoyed the video. Good luck on your VW project.
Cheers!
Just finished doing my Front Left and Right Lower control arm bushings as well as new ball joints on my 2014 VW Passat TDI and much thanks for your very detailed video that showed how to do this without dropping the sub-frame. I will say that this technique worked, but man oh man was the horizontal bolt on the driver's side quite the bear to remove (barely had enough space after moving the engine as far as possible. Really appreciated the torque specs and great narration throughout the process - bravo Sir!
Thanks for the kind words TJ, glad you enjoyed the video. That bolt can be a little tough since the transmission is in the way. It's all about that pry bar location and getting just the right angle for it to slide out.
Glad to the video was able to help you get your Passat TDI repairs done. Thanks again for hanging out.
Cheers!
The dealer wanted $850 per side. Sovthankful for this video it saved me big money on a simple repair. The links for the stretch bolts greatly appreciated😊
Glad you enjoyed the video and it helped you out with your Passat project. Thanks again for hanging out. Cheers!
Awesome, same for my 2016 GTI. Just did the passenger side. Moving the DSG transmission forward is holding me back. I'm just afraid of prying it forward and breaking or cracking something. I just hope it will have the same play as the Passat. But watching that transmission dangling over your head is pretty frightening. Even with 75k miles, the left side doesn't have any indication that it needs to be changed. And seeing that it can be done without being on a lift gives me confidence. Thanks.
Thanks for the comments MLeung, glad you enjoyed the video. Remember you are only removing the "DogBone" transmission mount to allow movement front and back. It is still connected entirely to the engine so it's not going anywhere, although it does look precarious.
In regards to the pry bar, that is on a thick side with a very strong edge. It's not really that much force, it's just getting the correct angle. If you have a helper who can pry while you are inserting the bolt it will make things easier.
We would recommend replacing both sides at the same time; that way you know @ 75k they were done and you won't have anything to worry about for another 75K.
Thanks again for hanging out, good luck on your VW project. Cheers!
@@BradleysGarage Did the driver side the next day. After removing the dogbone bolts, the transmission had a little play. Instead of just using a prybar against the transmission, I placed a small piece of flat wood between the flat part of the transmission and the prybar. It was a little scary on how much I can pry, but I was committed. The rest was pretty straightforward. Surprisingly, even after 75k miles, the bushings were just fine. The passenger side had a small tear. Regardless, I'm good for a good few years. Thanks again for your help.
@@MLeung-vl7we Glad to hear things went smooth with the driver's side. You will be good for at least another 75k or more. Thanks again for letting us know how the other side went. Cheers!
another interesting videos (i already consulted your videos for filter replacements) and while I won't be don't this myself I wanted to see what is involved. came back from alignment appointment only to be told they won't do it due to control arms being "worn with excessive play". did not notice any noise or shaking but will i'll get this looked after. thanks for informative video!
Thanks for the comments, glad you enjoyed the video. We realize that not repairs are possible for each individual. Glad we could show you what's entailed to get this kid of job done.
Good luck on your VW project, Cheers!
Thanks for the video. What should I expect a reasonable shop to charge me to replace the smaller bushings if I bring the control arm and bushing to them? I don't have a press.
Hey Frankee, thanks for the comments, glad you enjoyed the video. It shouldn't take a reputable indy shop more than an hour to swap out those two bushings. Depending on where you are located, that's $100-175/hr shop rate.
Just make a couple calls to verify you can bring in the new parts along with the control arms to them. They should be able to tell you in advance.
Good luck on your VW project, Cheers!
Thanks for the video -I am getting ready to do this. Question, I am replacing the LCA as a full unit and need the torque spec for the upper ball joint nut? Also, could you verify that the LCA stretch bolts are 70Nm + 180 degrees (I keep finding + 90 degrees)? Thanks again!
Hey Andy, glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for the questions.
The lower control arm upper Ball Joint nut is torqued to 60Nm. The lower (3) nuts are torqued to 100Nm.
The stretch bolts (M12) that attach the LCA to the subframe are torqued to 70Nm + 180 degrees and should always be replaced.
Here are the pictures from the VW Quick Ref Book 2014 -
ibb.co/8Mc6WyW
ibb.co/2Fs6dnj
ibb.co/vj6QYQq
The DogBone mount bolts however are only a 90 degree turn after the initial torque value.
Good luck on your VW Passat project, let us know how it goes.
Cheers!
Thank you for sharing the video with these instructions. Are these the same torque specs for a 2016 Passat SE TSI?
Thanks for the question Dan, all of the torque values will be the same up to 2019. There were just minor cosmetic changes from 2016+, all of the suspension components are the same. Good luck on your Passat project.
Cheers!
Good video. Wish you had a light under there.🙂
Thanks for the comments, glad you enjoyed the video. We didn't realize the contrast from the sun was causing it to be dark until we went to edit it. Hopefully it still was able to help you with your Passat.
Thanks again for hanging out, Cheers!
The manual for my 2014 passat does say to use new nuts on ball joint to control arm. It says it at the end of the cv axle install portion at the end in the torque spec table.
But I see no reason the originals cannot be reused. I did replace mine when doing the cv boot. While under there I noticed the control arm bushing is getting pretty bad. When I replace them I will reuse the new nuts I just installed.
Page 84 Rep Gr 40 front suspension.
Thanks for the information, we also agree that is seems a little unnecessary to get new nuts for the control arms. I mean we have heard of stretch bolts but are there stretch nuts?
Thousands of miles later and we have not had any issues with the control arms or hardware related to them.
Cheers!
What was the squeak heard before and after installing the bushings?
Hey Rick, thanks for the question. The sound is more of a clunk/thump sound when first applying the brakes. The easiest way to tell if they are bad is to have a buddy slowly pull it forward while you watch from outside the car.
Like we showed in the video, you will see the entire wheel move backwards towards the fender. When the bushings are worn out there is a lot of movement, especially towards the rear.
Good luck on your Passat project. Cheers!
im confused about the control arm bolts you have listed in the description above i have a 2013 Passat but how do i know if i have a early 2013 or a late as it appears the late 2013 requires 6 bolts ? maybe im just miss understanding your parts list thanks in advance
or does it mean i need 2 of each as they are different bolts sorry
Hey Cody, thanks for the question. Sorry for any confusion regarding the bolts. You will need (4) bolts for either the early or late years. The cutoff is May (5th month of 2013 or before) or June (6th Month of 2013 and after).
The only change they made was to increase the length by 5mm. Pretty sure you can use the long ones on a early VIN since all the other parts are identical. VW probably just made a change to add a little more length to those bolts for added strength.
Here are the bolt specs-
M12x1.5x80
M12x1.5x85
Hope this helps you with your VW Passat project.
Cheers!
Excellent video showing a much easier method than on other videos. I am planning to do this job on my daughter's 2012 Beetle. Do you think that this method will work for the Beetle? I haven't really had a look underneath the car yet, but a mechanic told my daughter that she should get the bushings done asap. Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words Andrew, glad you enjoyed the video. Depending on the engine layout and transmission in the Beetle, it should be very similar. Not sure if any of the bolts are blocked by the oil pan or transmission. Since we haven't specifically worked on a Beetle we can't say for sure.
The parts are shared so there is a good chance you can use the techniques shown in this video to help guide you though the Beetle repair.
Good luck on your VW project, let us know how it goes.
Cheers!
Thanks Bradley. I completed this job a few weeks ago on my daughter’s 2012 Beetle. Rotating the driveline out of the way worked on the passenger side, but on the driver’s side it was really tight compared to the Jetta (or so it seemed to me haha). I was still short of space even with a spare tire jack creating as much room as possible. In the end I opted to remove the transmission pan to make more room and do a filter replacement too. The car has 217,000 km so it was due. Unfortunately, with rust here in Canada one of the tranny bolts was seized and snapped off. I had to drill it out and put in a slightly larger bolt (1/4” -20). In the process I learned about filling tranny fluid in this type of transmission.
It was also my first experience pressing in control arm bushings using a friend’s press. Your guidance made it possible to do.
Excellent advice on the stretch bolts and I found an NHTSA reference document for torque settings very helpful. At the same time we changed ball joints and stabilizer links and replaced brake pads and rotors on all 4 corners.
The cost of repairs at a garage here is very expensive, but my daughter loves her blue beetle so we did the work together. It was a great experience for both of us. She got an alignment the other day and everything is perfect now and it drives better than ever. Thanks for all of your help!
PS. Someone suggested that I could have lifted the engine to give clearance for the bolt on the driver’s side control arm. I didn’t think of trying that and I am not sure what I would have needed to do. I definitely didn’t want to start messing with the subframe at all.
@@andrewsnider4098 Congrats on getting all those repairs done Andrew. You have saved tons of money and got to work with your daughter in the process.
It's been great working on all these projects with the boys, they will have life skills they will be able to pass down for generations.
Each VW platform is slightly different even if it uses the same parts. Lifting the motor may have given you the required clearance but it sounds like you made the most of your adventure.
Glad we could help motivate you to get out and tackle it on your own. There is nothing like the accomplishment of getting it down yourself and keeping a ton of cash in your pocket at the same time.
Thanks again for hanging out, Cheers!
I have a 2013 VW Passat 2.5, the mechanic says the 8 subframe bolts are not stretch bolts nor torqued. Do I need to be worried? Can you provide me a VW reference link with these details?
Thanks for the questions Michael. All of the front subframe bolts are "Stretch" bolts and need to replaced after each use. You can view the VW torque specs here - static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2014/MC-10073693-2280.pdf
Look at page 22 of that PDF and you can clearly see the subframe bolts need to always be replaced.
It's up to you if you want to use them a second time but they won't be to factory spec.
Good luck on your VW project.
Cheers!
@BradleysGarage How long was the pry bar? 12, 16, ... inch?
Thanks for the question, we used our large pry bar on this repair. It's a 25" Craftsman (#43383) but like we said in the video it may hit the ground depending on how high the car is on the jack stands. You just need to have a long enough bar to get the leverage you need.
Good luck on your Passat project.
Cheers!
is there any major diffence when doing this on a TBI to a 2.5L 2012 SE?
Thanks for the question TJ. All of the bushings will be the same from 2012-2019 so from a part perspective you are good.
There will just be minor differences depending on the engine layout. Since we don't own a 2.5L Passat, we are not sure if the transmission is blocking the bolt access like it does on the TDI which has the DSG transmission.
Most likely you will need to perform a similar step by either jacking up the motor or prying the trans in order to get clearance.
Good luck our your Passat project. Let us know how things go.
Cheers!
Is this the same procedure for a 2014 Passat 1.8t ? I know it’s probably a dumb question 😅
Thanks for the question, they are never dumb. These front lower arms were used on all Passat's from 2012 to 2021. This includes the 3.6L, 1.8L, 2.0L, 2.5L as well as the TDI motors.
Good luck on your VW project, Cheers!
If this is lose could it make it feel like tires unbalanced?
Thanks for the question Isaak. It depends on how worn out those bushings are. If they are pretty bad you will get a lot of movement out of the wheel/control arm. Things would definitely feel unbalanced for sure since it's basically flopping around.
Good luck on your Passat project.
Cheers!
@@BradleysGarage thanks
@@isaakgiesbrecht2651 No worries, let us know how it goes.
Cheers!
Okay... I have a 2013 Passat TDI and I am swapping out both control arms. In order to do this, which bolts do I need for the control arms and how many total? And also how many Dog Mount bolts do I need and which one is for the 2013? I know you said there were 2 different ones. Thanks for any help from anyone willing to give it
Thanks for the questions Georgia, we posted all the necessary parts in the video description along with the list of tools needed to perform the repair.
To recap you will need (4) control arm bolts - www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-bolt-genuine-vw-n91217701
And you will need (2) Dog Bone mount bolts, one of each different length.
(1) - www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi-vw-hex-bolt-genuine-audi-vw-n91167101
(1) - www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-shock-mount-bolt-genuine-vw-n91066101
If you are purchasing the entire arm then that's all that you will need to get the repair done. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. Good luck on your Passat project.
Cheers!
@@BradleysGarage thanks. I was just confused because that one said the earliest Passat was 2014 Volkswagen Passat Suspension Control Arm Bolt. I appreciate the response and enjoy the content!
@@GeorgiaFire85 They switched to the longer bolt for production after 6/2013. Honestly it seems like a change just to provide a few more threads. The longer bolt will still work just fine on the earlier cars as well.
Maybe VW just thought, let's just add 5mm just because (engineers).
Thanks again for hanging out.
Cheers!
all that white in the background is making the foreground crazy dark
Thanks for the feedback Joe, we had a hard time filming with the sun overhead. We didn't notice the darkness until we were editing the video. We have made adjustments to minimize that effect on future videos.
Cheers!
Change the Shocks
Thanks for the suggestion Daniel, we will look into doing that video. Cheers!
Is wheel alignment needed afterwards ?
It is definitely recommended but it might actually improve things after the new bushing are in place. You would be getting excessive wear from the entire assembly moving under braking all the time.
If you don't have great tires right now, we would just wait until your next tire change and then get the alignment done.
Good luck on your Passat project. Cheers!
thank you so much for the feedback@@BradleysGarage
@@easyrider020 No worries, let us know how it goes. Cheers!
the dealer wants $1150 and I am still thinking about it.
Thanks for sharing Gloria, we realize that this repair may not be suitable for everyone. Given the OEM arm cost, it looks like the Dealer is charging about $400 in labor.
Since we only invested less than $100 it is tough to justify an $1150 bill. Even if you don't have access to a shop press, you can order the arms complete and just bolt them in. Going aftermarket (several options to choose from) you would be out less than $250 whereas OEM arms would set you back $700. You can decide which option is best for you.
Good luck on your VW project.
Cheers!