MKITGO2

I am starting to get some loose/clunking in the front end and can see one upper ball joint on the passenger side that is flat. I am starting to plan replacing the Control arms etc... possibly in the spring, if I can make it that long - '04 CTT that is Not a Daily.

Just wondering what experience any of you could share with the brands of replacements out there. Looking at Rock Auto and a few others, some substantial price differences from manufacturers, but all specs imply the same basics. I'm familiar with brands like TRW, Delco, Moog and Delphi but not with Mevotech, URO, SKP.

Rock Auto has a Front end kit, including the tie rods from Mevotech and FCPEuro has a similar from TRW.. the latter being $180 more but has my interest with their lifetime warrant and replacement (need to read the fine print)

MK

CTTS520

I did the job you're describing and used the TRW parts from Pelican. TRW is listed as a Porsche OEM supplier by Pelican and were identical to the original Porsche parts I removed. The parts fit and function perfectly. Have no experience with the other brands you mentioned so will not comment. Also, read this thread. Your strut mounts are probably shot too and need replacement. I've replaced the LCAs, UCAs, sway bar links, and the strut mounts on mine and the front end is as tight and quiet as the new Cayenne loaners I've driven. Time and money well spent.

DIYDanCars

The lower control arms are designed to fail prematurely, they probably do this to increase profit margins . Porsche uses a hollow rear bushing on the lower controls arms and it's prone to tearing and wearing out prematurely. I don't know how many miles are on your car, but now is probably a good time to replace the strut mounts too -- mine were also failing after 74k miles. Since I wasn't happy with the longevity of the OEM parts, I decided to go with an aftermarket company. I went with Mevotech "Supreme" control arms as they claim to be "overbuilt". The engineer I spoke to said they increased the ball joint size (visually it's larger) and used a solid rear bushing to prevent premature failure. It's too early to tell if these will hold up overtime, but so far I have 2k miles on them and the car handles like a dream again! I replaced just about every single part on the front suspension and it was probably the single best upgrade I have done to the car in a long time. You can checkout my youtube video if you would like to see the differences between the factory and Mevotech control arms. Good luck!

PS: definitely do your due diligence on whatever brand you decided to use, this is definitely a job you don't want to do again.

MKITGO2

Thanks for the great feedback guys. This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. I'll take a closer look at both the TRW and Mevotech kits, and will definitely add the strut mounts to the list as well.

Have either of you done the Rear at all... does it suffer the same poor engineering?

DIYDan, how can I find your YouTube?

MK

DIYDanCars

DIYDanCars

I have not done a rear suspension refresh on m car, yet. So far the rear suspension seams to be holding up well.

deilenberger

Rumor has it - the control arms for the turbos are stronger, better bushings and last longer. Of course, since you have a CTT - that means nothing to you - but for other people contemplating this job..

MKITGO2

Interesting that it is tied to the Turbo.. I would have thought any difference would be based on Air Suspension or Standard Suspension. Good to know thought that I should be paying attention to model specific parts.

MK

DIYDanCars

I heard that rumor too, but think it was for the Turbo S control arms, and not the regular Turbo. My OEM turbo control arms (upper and lower) didn't even make it to 75k miles before needing replacement.

CTTS520

The previous owner of my Turbo S had th LCAs replaced at 75k by a dealership. The Turbo S does have different bushings but may not last any longer.

Corvetteboy6988

Yes, the Turbo S lower control arms are the "solid" ones, at least compared to the other models, and its really only the lower rear control arm bushing that I think is different, based on other members discussions.

I might give the Mevotech supreme arms a go then, if they are built tougher, and are for sure cheaper than the Turbo S lower arms, they should last longer.
I wonder if Mevotech makes a Turbo S specific lower arm, or if their supreme version covers all, that would make them promising then.

I just think the combination of heavy weight and capability of our Cayenne's, throw in the adjustability of the suspension on some S models and all Turbo's, like ours, puts a lot of stress on rubber bushings, especially the front end with has to deal with steering, and additional complexity vs the rear suspension.

nodoors

Use the aluminum arms from a 958 or 2008 Q7.

Corvetteboy6988

DiyDan, how have the Mevotech Supreme arms held up? How old and how many miles on yours, and any issues?
I see mention of the blue ball joint boots going bad, is it true?
I need to do front uppers and lowers, and am going to have the dealer order mevotech rather than the oe porsche ones (I have a 3rd party warranty, otherwise I would be doing this myself with your great instructional video).

Thanks

dr914

depends on whether you are going to keep your car. When we service Cayennes, we have to guarantee our work so always use original german brands (don't get me wrong, even many good german brands are made in china. When we sell parts we give customers a choice, many want to save money and use URO or other chinese brands as they are doing it themselves, and or not keeping the car for a long time. (and their labor is free if they have to redo it). On my own cayenne, I use trw for the steering parts you referenced, but URO for things like the ac blower motor, and or relays, that are easily replaceable if they fail

ProgRockJunkie

I bought a Chinese blower motor and had to replace it, You're right when you don't do your own work, it's not worth risking it. I don't. Paid for the part, the installation and the R&R. I have a great mechanic, fair rate, but still.