K04-S4

The bushings and the ball joints are part of the arms. If you have multiple bushings and joints failing then it's likely time for a complete front suspension arms kit.

LR Audi

The control arm is constructed in a way that there are three integral parts. The arm shaft (or the arm itself), the ball joint (which is the outer end of the arm), and finally the bushing (which is the inner end of the arm). The only wear items are the ball joints and the bushings. The arm itself does not wear out but technically it can break, although extremely rare. If either your ball joint or your bushing has play then you should replace your control arms. The ball joints are not serviceable. Some people replace the bushings but you need a hydraulic press. Overall simply replacing the bushing is a waste of time since your ball joint is not new and you must remove the entire arm to replace the bushing. The best method is to simply replace the arms. Be sure to do both sides and have your vehicle professionally aligned right after.

I will be posting a guide for upper control arm replacement later on.

Batman

I was fixing an unrelated issue (a rattling brake dust cover) and got some photos of the control arms. Here's the worst I found...

This looks like it could be an issue too...


However, I did find these two Bentley Publisher videos to be very good...

https://wiki.bentleypublishers.com/x/BYAUBQ
https://wiki.bentleypublishers.com/x/AoAUBQ

They make it look so simple. But I'm sure it's not as easy as it seems!

I might even give this a go myself sometime this summer!

LR, have you had a chance to change your control arms? The weather hasn't been cooperating so far this summer.

LR Audi

I replaced my upper front/rear control arms with the Gruven adjustable control arms, and at the same time I replaced the tie rod ends. I may possibly do a write up at a later date. Maybe.