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Sun Aug 07, 2016 6:58 pm

Well i knew this wasn't going to be easy , but i wasn't expecting to be stumped.

There isn't a lot of tutorials out there on my model so igathered what i could and dove into it.

ive gone as far as i could, but could not make any sense of the ball joint removing tool i got from the auto store loaner program.

I'm wondering if that tool just does not work with the VW ball joints

please see photos.

i understand that the upper ball joint gets pressed from the top to the bottom. I cannot get the tool on the bottom because of the adjusting plate being in the way. Does this plate get removed separately? How?

the lower ball joints get pressed from the bottom up. Again because of the mounting plate i cannot get the tool to sit on the armh to press the joint up.

i must be looking at this wrong.

any help would be greatly appreciated. I hate to have to put everything back together again.

thank you

Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:47 am

For the uppers you can use a 2 arm puller to pop the adjustment plate off of the ball joint and then proceed to press the joint out the bottom of the arm with the kit you have.

The lower can be removed with the same 2 arm puller and goes up out of the arm.

A pickle fork and hammer may also work for the plate and lower joint.

Also be carful that you don't damage the boots on the new upper joint they are easy to pinch while installing.

Mon Aug 08, 2016 8:02 pm

Thanks for the advice.
Used the two arm puller for popping out the bottoms but didn't have the room to pull off the adjustment plate on the uppers. Bottom control arm(,??) was in the way
Ended up zip cutting the upper joints just above the plates.
Then used the press tool for removing the uppers and reinstalling all four.
Definitely a full day job and alot of brut force.
Not bad once you know what/how to do it.
Saved myself $500, so happy about that.🙂

Thanks again

Mon Aug 08, 2016 8:19 pm

p.s. any idea what the 24mm lock nuts should be torqued too? I reading 118ft/lbs some places and 52 ft/lbs other.

what about the 27mm axle bolt? 190 ft/lbs sound right?

thanks