FAQ U.S.A.

AUDI/VW

Question:
There have been conflicting application listings reported for the 1996 to 2005 VW Passat
Tie Rod Ends. What are the correct part numbers for this application for these model years.

Answer:
The correct part number for all the VW Passats from model year 1996 to model year 2005 for both
the tie rod assembly and the tie end are as follows.

8E0 419 801 B MEYLE 116 030 8227/HD Tie Rod Assembly

8E0 419 811 B MEYLE 116 050 8228/HD Tie Rod End

There is another similar tie rod and tie rod assembly available but it is specific to various Audi A4 from 2000 to 2004 only.
The part numbers are listed on the HD Audi/VW page on this website.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question:
Can you please tell me the part number for the Audi S4 (early 2000) control arm set.

Answer:

There is no official complete kit available for the 2000 S4 since 2 of the upper front arms designed specifically for the S4 are only available from the Dealer or the OE manufacturer aftermarket marketing channels. A few of the independent Audi/VW repair shops that I have spoken with have been using the same upper arms that they use on the standard A4 and some of the online resellers of the kits are doing the same thing. I have no idea what the difference in the arms are.

You can also pick and choose or mix and match control arms from different brands to get the specific S4 control arms and the Heavy Duty control arms from MEYLE instead of going for the kit. I recommend contacting one of the online Audi Specialists and see what they usually do depending on the customer's needs and driving habits.

The un-official kit from MEYLE # 116 050 0029/HD has all the arms that have been used by some of the independent Audi repair shops for the model year 2000 S4.(this kit comes with tie rod ends and stabilizer brackets).

There is also another kit available (Less the Stabilizer Links) 116 050 0020/HD.

The most popular internet online Audi/VW suppliers of the control arms and kits are:

www.blauparts.com

www.autohausaz.com
www.ecstuning.com

BMW

E36/E46

Question:

I have a 2004 BMW 330CI and I have heard from one source that the ball joints are not replaceable and from another source that they can be changed once before the factory control arm has to be replaced. Can you comment on this? and if this is the case, what is the part number of
the outer ball joint for my application.

Answer:

When you look up any E46 models in the in the BMW electronic parts catalog the ball joint is not listed separately. This is the same ball joint that was used in the E36 3 series with the cast iron arms. There were lot of complaints on the original ball joint design with the E36 and E46 of premature failure because of the rubber isolation that the ball pin and cup itself would sit in.

MEYLE has marketed the the replacement ball joint BMW part Number 31 12 6 758 510 MEYLE # 316 010 0003/HD for only one replacement in the original BMW control arm.

I recommend being careful and make sure the new ball joint requires sufficient force to be pressed into the original control arm so they are held firmly enough in the old original control arm. If it goes in too easy then I would replace the complete arm. If you are the original owner of the car then you would know if the ball joints have been replaced. If you are not then I would take a look at your arms and see if the original metal cover plate that covers the bottom access the the original ball joint has been removed, if so then the ball joints have been replaced once before.

I would also be more careful if the car has higher mileage on it, like more than 80,000 to 100,000 or more miles and the car has been driven in severe climates where there are salts used on the roads to melt snow or the car was kept in very salty areas like along the coast by the ocean because it is possible that more electrolysis has taken place and when the old ball joint is remove it has the possibility of taking more aluminum material with it. If installed in a used control arm with a larger diameter hole than recommended then because of the way the ball joint is designed with a large lip on the bottom of the housing there is no possibility of the ball joint coming completely out of the arm, it would only make noise from the up and down sliding movement as it slides up and down in the control arm hole.

I have heard of only one case when the ball joints were installed and they became loose in the arm during the first test drive. That customer just turned around and purchased new MEYLE arms that were designed to be able to have it's ball joints replaced twice in the lifetime of the arm and come with a 4 year warranty.

You should also take a close look at the control arm bushings since the original control arm bushings are oil filled to dampen bumps and vibrations more softly when the oil starts to leak out or has lost all of it's oil charge the steering will also be unstable. MEYLE produces this bushing with HD rubber and no oil charge and gives the steering more of a firm performance type feel.
That part number is OE # 31 12 6 757 623 / MEYLE 300 311 2604/HD.

Question:

Can the MEYLE HD ball joint 31 12 6 758 510 / 316 010 0003/HD be used as a replacement ball joint in either the
E36 or E46 original BMW M3 version control arms?

Answer:

No, the outer diameter on the MEYLE HD 31 12 6 758 510 is larger than the original M3 ball joints used in
both the OE BMW E36 & E46 control arms.

Question:

Will the MEYLE inner ball joint 31 12 1 139 131 / 316 010 4345 used in the MEYLE E36 control also fit into the
OE BMW control arm.

Answer:

Yes the MEYLE 31 12 1 139 131 / 316 010 4345 inner ball joint can be used in both the OE E36 control arm
and the MEYLE E36 control arm.

Question:

Can the MEYLE E46 Heavy Duty Control be used as a replacement for the Control Arm used in the E46 M Sports Package II

Answer:

MEYLE does not list an equivalent control arm for the M SPORTS PACKAGE II part number or the M3 part number. The sports package has a different number control arm than the M3. The control arm bushings supplied with the M SPORTS PACKAGE II are the same part number that MEYLE offers for the standard E46 models 31 12 6 757 623. There used to be a left and a right side but it was subbed to a kit of 2 pieces. The M3 arms use different control arm bushings.

This information below is from http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do

For the E46 330ci, FOR VEHICLES WITH M SPORTS PACKAGE II

LOWER CONTROL ARM, LEFT - from 11/2000 PART NUMBER 31 12 2 282 121

LOWER CONTROL ARM, RIGHT - from 11/2000 PART NUMBER 31 12 2 282 122

CONTROL ARM BRACKETS WITH RUBBER BUSHINGS D=66MM 31 12 6 757 623

For M3 E46

LOWER CONTROL ARM, LEFT PART NUMBER 31 12 2 229 453

LOWER CONTROL ARM, RIGHT PART NUMBER 31 12 2 229 454

CONTROL ARM BRACKET WITH RUBBER BUSHINGS, LEFT PART NUMBER 31 12 2 229 623

CONTROL ARM BRACKETS WITH RUBBER BUSHINGS, RIGHT PART NUMBER 31 12 2 229 624

Question:

Are there any other details that you can supply me with concerning the E46 control arms
and the "HEAVY DUTY" outer ball joint used in both the E36/E46 MEYLE control arms?

Answer:

The ball joints are the main component of wear on these arms and MEYLE has designed it so
the ball joints can be replaced at least twice in the life of the arm. As a matter of fact MEYLE Products
has gone so far to offer free replacement ball joints for the next 30 years. The ball joints will be supplied
free of charge but the labor to remove the arm and press out the out ball joint and press in new ones is
not included.

Here is some information on the testing procedures from the TÜV organization that does testing and
certifications of many different products in Germany. TÜV is also in charge of the annual testing of all
personal and commercial vehicles in Germany for safety. I was informed that the TUV certification for
the operational stability of our ball joint is based on the following procedure.

The TÜV institute tested  the ball joint for  2,000,000 cycles by oscillating impacts to the ball pin. The forces
varied frequently (10 Hz) between 3kN and 13 kN  so that the ball pin, plastic seat and also the housing gets
actuated. Before and after the test the parts were analyzed and compare and they could not find out any
differences (dimensional, function e.g. torques etc.). The tests were done on a special hydro test facility to
simulate the  driving conditions. Enclosed also pls. find the pictures of the technique.

To the best of my knowledge MEYLE Products is the only company that has attained this certification
for their E36/E46 Ball joint.

Also MEYLE Products is using a special steel for all our ball pins. It is a standard material also used for example in crankshafts and other steering and suspension parts. It is called
DIN EN 10083 41Cr4 (comparable to SAE 5140). Tensile strength can go up about to 1200 N/sqmm which is really high in comparison to many other common used steel materials.

One of our engineers did a small calculation , the smallest diameter of our ball pins used is 14 mm.

That means if material tensile strength is roughly 1000 N/sqmm . You would need about 154 kN to
break the pin. This is about 15,7 tons or 15700 kg or 34600 pounds!

If the pin is hardened it is more fragile. Therefore it is not always better to have the most hardened material. There must always be some "toughness". This is better so that the pins in our example
could be stretched plastically before it breaks. A hardened material would break faster
(comparable to glass).

BMW 7 Series E65/E66

QUESTION:

I tried replacing the original strut rod bushings in my original front strut support arms with the MEYLE HD version but the new bushings fit too easily into the old arm. Is there a problem with the size of the bushings made by MEYLE?

ANSWER:

This is an issue with the OE control arms and the situation was reported to me even before the MEYLE HD bushings were first released. In some cases, but not in all cases when you push out the old bushings from the original arms it will take some the surrounding aluminum away with it.

When visiting BMW repair shops and when speaking to BMW repair specialists I make them aware of the issue and recommend stocking both the arms and the bushings. I also have one BIMRS member in Fort Worth, TX that says he uses "Loctite" during the bushing installations and in some cases will install a set screw to keep the new bushings from moving in the old arm.

When pressing these new bushings in you must remain aware of the pressure or lack of pressure it takes
to install the bushings. In some cases the bushings might feel like they are in tight enough but they might work themselves loose in a few hundred miles and you or the owner will eventually end up installing the complete arms.

In addition, this type of bushing and aluminum arm combination is used also in the E90 3 series, E60 5 Series, E64 and 64 6 Series. This problem has the possibility of happening on all these models.

We are researching the issue at MEYLE in Germany and possibly will market a slightly oversized bushing
to allow for the missing aluminum material removed by pressing out the old original equipment bushings.

MERCEDES

Question:
Why does the Heavy Duty 300 Turbo Diesel Air Cleaner Bracket 617 090 03 40 continue to brake in the same well know area of the bracket.

Answer:
The are many different reasons for the stress that this bracket absorbs and the HD version has greatly changed the defective rate. The HD design has probably cleared up about 95% of the short lived bracket problems.

The Mercedes specialists that I visit have many tricks to make them last longer since the failure is usually due to an over abundance of vibrations being transferred through the bracket.

Here is what is recommended to do when you change the bracket

Item List

1 piece 617 090 03 40 Bracket
3 pieces 617 988 01 11 Rubber Mounts
3 pieces 617 094 02 20 Heat Shields
6 pieces 304032 - 006008 Nuts

Other Items recommended to change

Rubber sealing sleeve between air cleaner housing and transfer hose to Turbo
1 piece 603 098 03 65

Rubber sealing sleeve between hose to turbo inlet.
1 piece 617 098 03 65

In addition some of the specialists I have spoken with have also done the following

1. Drill a small 6 mm hole in the air cleaner housing and either buy an extra rubber mount 617 988 01 11 and cut one end it off so you have only one stud remaining and the other end of the mount is all rubber. Insert the threaded end through the hole in the housing and secure it with a lock washer and nut. This
mount acts as a rubber dampening device between the air cleaner and the valve cover. Optionally you can use the 123 987 09 40 muffler buffer. (see picture)

2. Some will purchase 1 shorter rubber buffer and use it on the longer arm of the bracket so the air cleaner housing itself leans a little further away from the valve cover so there is less chance for the air cleaner
housing to hit the valve cover.

3. Some will take the new bracket and run a bead of weld along the area where the bracket most often breaks and then repaint it. (see picture)

4. Double check the motor mounts 123 241 30 13. These full rubber motor mounts soak up a lot of vibrations and then wear out and need to be changed. The newer diesel models use Hydraulic mounts which have a better ability to dampen engine vibrations. Also make sure the heat shields 123 241 02 34 are installed above the motor mounts.

5. Some Mercedes specialists do all of the above.

6. Also some of these 617 Engine version 5 cylinder diesels also had a modified backing plate installed on the fuel injection pump with a stronger spring loaded adjustment screw to adjust the fuel rack and even out the idle on the engine. The spring loaded dampening screw 000 074 26 74 can also become weak and need replacement.

MERCEDES TIMING CHAIN GUIDE RAILS M116/M117 Engines

Question:

Can the MEYLE HD/HEAVY DUTY chain rail be used on all of the M116 and M117 engines.

Answer:

The MEYLE timing chain guide rail was designed after the rail that was first installed on the Mercedes M116 3.5 liter motor in the late 1960's, and originally it was aluminum then and later was changed to plastic. The part number is 116 052 17 16 and this rail in the plastic version continues to be used in the M116 3.8 and 4.2 liter motors.

The MEYLE aluminum version is a suitable and longer lasting replacement for the original equipment plastic rail. The M116 engines use 3 of these rails but the plastic rail that fails most often is the left upper inner. This is where a majority of the slack in the chain appears after years of wear and the chain will slap against the hard and brittle plastic guide and sometimes break it in two pieces. After the rail breaks the chain has the possibility of slipping and the valve timing being changed which can lead to severe engine damage.

The M117 4.5, 5.0 and 5.6 engines use a similar plastic chain rail which MEYLE does not supply in an aluminum version for. The M117 chain rail is 20 mm longer. Below are the dimensions of all 3 chain rails.

M116 - MEYLE Version 116 052 17 16 = 122.00 mm length, 25.60 mm width.

M116 - Original Equipment 116 052 17 16 = 130.00 mm length, 29.35 width.

M117 - Original Equipment 117 052 08 16 = 142.00 mm length, 29.35 width.

I have been told by a number of different Mercedes specialists that they have used this MEYLE
116 052 17 16 aluminum chain rail on the M117 engines but it is not a direct fit replacement and is
not listed as such on the www.meyle.com website. So far in the past 7 year I have never heard a report
about one of these chain rails failing.

The difference in length between the MEYLE aluminum M116 rail is 8 mm or a little more than 5/16th of an inch. The difference in length of the MEYLE 116 aluminum rail to the the plastic version 117 rail is 20 mm or a little more than 3/4th of an inch.

SAAB/VOLVO

NO QUESTIONS YET