Rear Sway Bar Broke

[Mr Pink]

So the rear connector link that attaches the right rear sway bar broke a few days ago. Thinking this would be some warranty work, so no big deal. I bring the car in this morning to have it fixed. I talked to the mechanic a little before i left and he said that the rear bar broke because the RS4 sway bar on the back is putting to much tension on the connector. He told me that the bar is much to stiff for the car and the connector will break again. So i told him to just disconnect the other side and change the setting from stiff to softer. He said fine, I leave to go to class, just got a call a few minutes ago from the service writer saying that the car is unsafe to drive and he needs to overnight a new pussy sway bar in for my ride. I told him to just reconnect the sway bar and bill me. I told him that i would call him back within the hour and tell him what the plan would be. What should i do? i don't have the money for 360 dollar rear sway bar; which i don't want either. Could i just bring the car home and do it myself? This service writer is just trying to fuck me in the ass and i am not going to allow it.

So fellow AZ'ers what should i do?

Thanks,

Pink

[Glassnpowder98]

First of all, the sway bar (stock or RS4) from the dealership should only cost you $120 at the most (not including labor to install it). It also sounds like you have the Hotchkis RS4 sway bar since you said it was adjustable... That bar is REALLY stiff and it's not uncommon for it to break the connectors like what happened to you.

Did they weld your end links/connectors back on for the sway bar? If so, I would tell them to throw the sway bar back on the car, then drive it easy until you can save up for an OEM RS4 bar. The tech is right that it's likely to break again if it already happened to you once.

So to recap, you'll probably have to pay for them to weld a new connector on as I don't see them replacing that under warranty since you added a really stiff bar. Only have them do the weld if needed and say you will only pay for them to do that. Then you're gonna have to find somewhere else to get another sway bar unless you want to go through the same thing again.

[Mr Pink]

the connectors are still attached to the car. the sway bar is kind chillin there in mid air. it seems as if the bolt probably sheared off or broke. the connector/link looks like its in perfect shape. so could i just buy a new bolt and save up for the RS4 OEM Bar?

[Glassnpowder98]

Interesting. Normally when you hear about them breaking, the whole mounting point for the sway bar rips off. In your case it sounds like the bolt was the weak point. It also sounds like you could just buy another bolt and be done with it.

[Grishbok]

provided you can get the sheered bolt out.

[scoobycarolan]

Just buy an rs4 and swap the parts. It's a win-win!

[Mr Pink]

so i now talked to the service writer again and he said the link is actually broken. he quoted me for $320 for replacing the link and labor. FAIL. Oh that made me so mad when he said that. the part is 90 dollars and he wants 200 in labor. So i am on ECS tuning right now wanting to just buy a new rear link for the sway bar which is either 35 for after market or 77 for OEM. it will save me around 280 dollars if i go with the after market part. Does that sound good or what?

[Sly Raskal]

the connectors are still attached to the car. the sway bar is kind chillin there in mid air. it seems as if the bolt probably sheared off or broke. the connector/link looks like its in perfect shape. so could i just buy a new bolt and save up for the RS4 OEM Bar?

So you did have a Hotchkis bar installed and not the OEM RS4 sway?

[harryd14]

im sure you could find the rs4 connector/links for cheaper... there was a GB for the rs4 rear sway bar from 2 different companies recently, check the groub buys and call them and see if you can just order the links from them, or check the classifieds, some ppl might be selling their links (i saw one recently but i dunno if its gone by now or not)... i feel like ECS is way over priced...

[eMacPaul]

I drove my car for a week or so with the RSB only connected to the endlinks, cause I didn't have the RS4 brackets yet and wasn't able to get the S-Line brackets over it. Other than the RSB banging on the exhaust over every bump, the handling wasn't drastically affected.

[spitfire11]

I bought my RS4 Rear sway including all hardware at the dealership and it was cheaper than I found it anywhere online.

[harryd14]

I bought my RS4 Rear sway including all hardware at the dealership and it was cheaper than I found it anywhere online.

really? does that include all the GB's? i bought mine from a GB for $149 shipped, but have seen as low as $115 plus shipping which was said to be from $8-$15 so basically $123-$130...

[QTC]

Go get the car, drive it home or to an indy, and fix it yourself/get it fixed. A new bolt is cheap at the hardware store or Napa, and the car can be driven without one side attached.

[swoardrider]

I sheared the bolt off my rear Hotchkis when I spun off the track into a field at 85mph. Continued driving on the track like that for the rest of the day and the following 2 weeks after. It won't hurt anything to drive normally this way, and it uses a special bolt, so you can't just buy one from the hardware store. Get the correct parts, and either do it yourself, or bite the bullet and pay the stealership to do it.
Do not use the the stiffer inner setting on the Hotchkis. It is way too stiff for an A4, and will produce nasty, dangerous oversteer. Plus, as you now know, it will break shit.

[Mr Pink]

so i just got home from picking up the car.

walked into part. (stupid as shit) service writer says, "your car is done"
Me, "cool, were the mechanic"
Service writer the point
I then proceed to walk out and completely ignore the service writer and proceeded to talk to the mechanic.
I dont like the service writer.

The mechanic said that i should try and find not an OEM link. he said to try and find one with a metal bushing typing thing instead of a rubber one. he also said i should try to find one that is adjustable, so i can crank done on the sway bar?.

If anyone could give me any ideas were i could buy a link for the rear sway bar that would be awesome. I am so glad i got there car out of there. They wanted to keep the car over night... plus i am getting my windows tinted tomorrow so i had no choice to break her out of the audi fortress

Pink

[Mr Pink]

Oh yeah and i have the H Sport front and rear sway bars.

The previous owner had both sway bars on the stiffest setting. So i will probably changing the front one as well to a softer setting.

[speedydragon]

previous owner probably didn't upgrade the end links when upgrading the sway. Check our PureMS for the end links. The oem endlinks are plastic, and becomes fragile if you remove the sway just once.

[speedydragon]

pm replied :). +rep :DD

[extremesport3]

i had my hotchkis (S4 sway kit) hanging off on one side for a while. I only new there was a problem when i was going up the driveway at my house with the window open and i heard a metal rubbing noise. Turns out the bolt backed itself out and the sway bar was just hanging from the end link. Lesson learned, use lock tight on just about everything that moves in the car!!! You dont want bolts backing out.... In any event good luck with the repairs, and worst case you can always adjust it yourself? Its easy to!!

John

[Jer]

previous owner probably didn't upgrade the end links when upgrading the sway. Check our PureMS for the end links. The oem endlinks are plastic, and becomes fragile if you remove the sway just once.

This is interesting. I'm getting set to replace my stock rear sway with a RS4 rear sway and wasn't aware of any other parts that needed to be replaced. I even asked and was told all I would need would be included. No mention was made of plastic end links that shouldn't be reused. Seems sellers of these should make mention of that if it is indeed the case.

[Sly Raskal]

This is interesting. I'm getting set to replace my stock rear sway with a RS4 rear sway and wasn't aware of any other parts that needed to be replaced. I even asked and was told all I would need would be included. No mention was made of plastic end links that shouldn't be reused. Seems sellers of these should make mention of that if it is indeed the case.

I haven't checked part numbers for the end links between the base s-line a4 and the s4 and the rs4, but I can assure you the clips and bushings between the A4 and RS4 are different. The bolt that holds the clips is the same between the three models, a guy at the parts dept at rusnak audi checked that for me.

Many people force the stock a4 clip over the oem rs4 bushing, but the price of the rs4 clips isn't much and makes for an easier install from what I've heard. I still have mine waiting to be installed. I don't have any wheel ramps. :(

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267071

RS4 Sway Bar - Part Number
OEM B7 RS4 22mm Rear Stabilizer Bar Pic

* B7 RS4 22mm Rear Stabilizer Bar - 8E0-511-409-AM or 8E0-511-409-AL (new number)
* 2 x Rubber bushings for bar - 8E0-511-327-B
* 2 x New clips for bar - 8A0-511-439
* 4 x Bolts for rear stabilizer bar - N-101-277-06

[elwigglero]

I haven't checked part numbers for the end links between the base s-line a4 and the s4 and the rs4, but I can assure you the clips and bushings between the A4 and RS4 are different. The bolt that holds the clips is the same between the three models, a guy at the parts dept at rusnak audi checked that for me.

Many people force the stock a4 clip over the oem rs4 bushing, but the price of the rs4 clips isn't much and makes for an easier install from what I've heard. I still have mine waiting to be installed. I don't have any wheel ramps. :(

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267071

Yea, the bracket for the rs4 bar is a little larger to accomodate the larger rsb. You can buy the complete set from ECS Tuning. Mine came in a "kit" that included new bushings and brackets.

[Sly Raskal]

Yea, the bracket for the rs4 bar is a little larger to accomodate the larger rsb. You can buy the complete set from ECS Tuning. Mine came in a "kit" that included new bushings and brackets.

when I bought my rs4 sway last year it only came with the bushings and not the clips. i bought the clips from a local dealership. It was around this time there was a lot of discussion as to why people weren't using the RS4 clips and instead, forcing the sway/bushing on with the stock a4 clip. it was sometime after this that kits began shipping with the clips and bushings.

[Jer]

I also asked specifically about the brackets and was told that they were the same. I even sent pictures showing there weren't the same to this person who said that they weren't needed and you just reuse the brackets from the stock A4 brackets.

[speedydragon]

This is interesting. I'm getting set to replace my stock rear sway with a RS4 rear sway and wasn't aware of any other parts that needed to be replaced. I even asked and was told all I would need would be included. No mention was made of plastic end links that shouldn't be reused. Seems sellers of these should make mention of that if it is indeed the case.

Pure MotorSports sells the hotchkis swaybar kit with all the necessary replacement parts. They're an advertiser on AZ (Mike@PureMS). on their site, they also sell endlinks, so you may want to check that out.