SPC Adjustable upper Control Arms Product Review

[iamshayan]

Hey guys,

Just been through hell and back with this set of adjustable upper control arms so I figured I'd make a post to forewarn you guys so you don't end up making the same mistakes I did.

I started my search for adjustable uppers spring of 2012, I looked at Stern, 034 and SPC. I opted to go with the SPC ones because they are 'fully rebuildable' and they were the cheapest option.

As usual, I'm kicking myself for going with the cheapest option now. Here is a picture of the "adjustment" links on the arms after 2 winters and 30,000km.



so now you're thinking, "oh this guys retarded and has never heard of winter before. what did he expect?"

Well, that's not why I'm upset. Actually, I expected them to be like that .

I'm upset because one of the arms' ball joints broke loose from the pinch bolt on the spindle while I was driving!
It ended up ovaling out the spindle and causing a massive amount of play in my wheel (from having no upper support from the control arm)
The massive amount of play let my axle separate thus leaving me stranded on the side of the road.

So now I have to replace

• 4 control arms
• 2 spindles
• 1 axle

and not to mention an alignment will be required. So sum up the total and I'm just a little over $1875 into the quest of even tire wear. Could have just bought 4 sets of tires for that money......


^ heres a video of what I'm talking about.


(marring on the spindle was caused by me and a 3/8th extension+hammer trying to beat the oval closed enough to drive somewhere.)



Here's where it gets juicy.

I contacted USP motorsports where I purchased the arms, They were very helpful and quite nice to deal with. However, they forwarded my claim to SPC and I'm now in direct contact with them. SPC is trying to blame installation error, they told me that it's highly unlikely that they will find anything wrong with the arms but if I want to pay for it, I can ship them there for inspection.

so this is where I need your opinion.

How in high hell can they blame installation error. I watched my mechanic install them, the pinch bolts were painful but ended up coming out finally, no drilling was done or anything unsafe of the sort. They were in the car for 2 years, I think if it was installation error it would have at least happened within the first 2 months.

What do you guys think happened here?

I'm not at all surprised at SPC's attempts to pass the blame on to someone else, but I'm so fucking sick of it.
If it was my company and someone came to me with an issue like this. I would at least cover the shipping.... wouldn't you?



beyond frustrated.

[Scotty@Advanced]

It could be installation error, it depends if the shop cleaned out the ball joint holes prior to installation. The only time I've seen the ball joints get loose like that is when there was quite a bit of dirt and corrosion in the bore which wasn't cleaned, and the pinch bolt was not tightened enough. The broken boot could be a result of the looseness in the bore.

Also it appears that the shop didn't use any anti-seize which is a must for winters and salted roads. For what it's worth I've installed a few dozen of those arms since 2010 and have run them in my personal cars (3 total) and have not had an issue.

However winters are much milder here.

[mauromj]

[iamshayan]

It could be installation error, it depends if the shop cleaned out the ball joint holes prior to installation. The only time I've seen the ball joints get loose like that is when there was quite a bit of dirt and corrosion in the bore which wasn't cleaned, and the pinch bolt was not tightened enough. The broken boot could be a result of the looseness in the bore.

Also it appears that the shop didn't use any anti-seize which is a must for winters and salted roads. For what it's worth I've installed a few dozen of those arms since 2010 and have run them in my personal cars (3 total) and have not had an issue.

However winters are much milder here.

Thanks for your reply but i'm quite confused by your post.

1st. what makes you think that anti-seize wasn't used? how can you tell from looking at it? you must be assuming. because I assure you it was used in plethora.

2nd. you say you've never had this issue before, yet you say that you've seen ball joints get loose like this. which is kind of contradicting....


But seriously.
How can dirt cause the hole to oval? also I feel the arms should be secure as long as the bolt is through, even with the nut off you shouldn't be able to move them, they have a recession on the tip.
(notmypic)

fwiw we used brake cleaner to clean the holes before inserting the arms.

http://advancedautomotion.com/shop/p...roducts_id/281
also, I respect you taking the time to post. And I thank your for your input, but I feel your opinion may be a tad bias -as you are a SPC distributor, of course you're going to side with them.

[JEENYUS]

I don't see how that could be installation error.

[Scotty@Advanced]

Thanks for your reply but i'm quite confused by your post.

1st. what makes you think that anti-seize wasn't used? how can you tell from looking at it? you must be assuming. because I assure you it was used in plethora.

2nd. you say you've never had this issue before, yet you say that you've seen ball joints get loose like this. which is kind of contradicting....
But seriously.
How can dirt cause the hole to oval? also I feel the arms should be secure as long as the bolt is through, even with the nut off you shouldn't be able to move them, they have a recession on the tip.

For starters I'm not siding with anyone..

You asked

What do you guys think happened here?

And I'm merely offering what I've seen. Me selling SPC arms doesn't mean I'm biased. I'm simply stating that it is possible for an install to be botched.

The couple of arms I've seen gone loose were stock arms, installed previously by the owners, or other shops. And in those cases, the pinch bolt was not tightened or there was corrosion/dirt in the ball joint bore.

If there was dirt or corrosion in the bore, then eventually it will work it's way loose causing excessive clearance between the ball joint and the knuckle. I didn't see any anti-seize residue on the bolt which is why I made that comment.

The bolt itself does not hold the ball joint in, there is a receiver groove that is machined into the ball joint, that prevents the ball joint coming out if the bolt is installed but it will still allow for some up and down movement of the ball joint. A tight clamp between the ball joint and the knuckle is what prevents the arms from moving up and down. Over time and side loads with the ball joint moving up and down is what enlarged the ball joint bore.

So unless the ball joint shaft on the arms was incorrectly machined, I'd bet that the root cause was related to the install.

But I digress, I would send them to SPC and see what they say it's worth a try.

[MikTip]

What grade was the pinch bolt the joint broke loose from?

Also what does the bolt look like where the ball joint broke loose from?

Should be missing a chunk where the ball joint pulled thru it....

Picture of bolt?

Did the boot break and then the ball joint came out?

Its nut was possibly over tightned which cause the pinch bolt to shear?

[iamshayan]

For starters I'm not siding with anyone..

You asked

And I'm merely offering what I've seen. Me selling SPC arms doesn't mean I'm biased. I'm simply stating that it is possible for an install to be botched.
But I digress, I would send them to SPC and see what they say it's worth a try.

Fair enough, thanks for the input!
I am going to send them back to spc but the cheapest shipping from Canada is $35... so i'm not overly excited to do so.
and given the tone & attitude used in their emails I don't have very high hopes for any positive outcome.

They emailed me a RMA# but provided me with no shipping address, dodged my basic questions and more or less just said ship them back to us on your dollar & we're not answering any questions till we get them.

What grade was the pinch bolt the joint broke loose from?

Also what does the bolt look like where the ball joint broke loose from?

Should be missing a chunk where the ball joint pulled thru it....

Picture of bolt?

Did the boot break and then the ball joint came out?

Its nut was possibly over tightned which cause the pinch bolt to shear?

OE bolt.
spindles are at the mechanics shop, I asked him to remove the control arms from them today.
Will post pictures when I get home.
Not sure in what order the boot ripped, Never noticed it being ripped before.

your idea about the chunk of bolt being missing is the most viable yet. I like that.

[ADCS]

Do you know how many times the pinch bolt/upper control arms had been removed from your car prior to this incident? Either in your position or by other owners.
I ask because aside from the marks made by you attempting to close the gap it looks like there is some deformation from somebody prying the spindle open. That is a no-no and may reduce the overall clamp load being applied to the ball joint. Reduced clamp load = ball joint working itself loose.

Have your mechanic measure the shaft of the ball joint. Length, diameter and the radius of the groove. Maybe it was machined out of spec ? Obviously you won't know what the true dimensions should be but at least you will have record of what the dimensions are in case SPC tries to tell you otherwise.

Check for wear marks on the shaft of the ball joint where the bolt rests.
Check for wear on the circumference of the bolt where it would be contacting the ball joints.
Post some photos of the bore in the spindle where the ball joints insert. How it looks may tell you how/why it became enlarged. Ideally before AND after the grease/debris is cleaned off them.

[MikTip]

I have SPC uppers...have had a couple small issues with them...

Their rubber boot retaining springs seems to have gotten damaged by rocks or something and they came loose on two and I safety wired the boots on with .060 safety wire...so far so good.

The adjuster/thread section lock nut has come loose twice...used blue lock tite on them...no loose since.

Other than that they are still going!

[Sanjman]

HI sorry to bring an old thread back to life, but what was the end result of this? Did SPC do anything? I'm interested in purchasing SPC arms but wasn't what to expect after this thread.

[iamshayan]

HI sorry to bring an old thread back to life, but what was the end result of this? Did SPC do anything? I'm interested in purchasing SPC arms but wasn't what to expect after this thread.

Sorry for my delayed response.

Spc held their ground firm and said the issue was my fault. Not going to admit it but not going to deny it as a possibility.

Overall I just didn't think it was worth my time, they weren't very easy to converse with, never returned my calls, kept me on hold and were mainly just being very blunt and not willing to work with me.

They gave me 2 options at the end of the day. 1. Buy new arms at retail price $ and they will cover shipping for me. Or 2. Pay $35 to have them ship my junk arms back.

Buyer beware. Not a company I would buy from again. Ultimately the decision is yours.

[2003_a4]

Just bought some from AWE and arrived today. Working on shaving spacers down, installing these and getting the car straightened out. I'll post a review soon after.