Control Arm replacement upper/lower input
 

So I just replaced both the upper and lower control arms on my 2006 Porsche Cayenne S.

Should I keep the old control arms and buy new bushings for them to have as a spare or should I just get rid of them.

Thanks for your input.

I'm of the mindset that I don't throw parts away (unless they're complete junk and take up lots of space) - you never know when you might have a use for them..just my 2 cents.

Do you think you'll ever need to replace them again? Probably not, but if so, the control arms are not that expensive. I took mine to a metal recycler.

fix and sell to defray your cost of repair?

No, not really. I hauled them and other miscellaneous worn suspension parts to the landfill where they have a metal bin. Just doing my part to make sure they don't end up buried in the landfill.

good second choice! Well done.

I'm getting ready to do the same on my 06 Cayenne S, I will do both upper and lower and my car does not have the air suspension. Did you have to remove the entire strut or can you remove the upper/lower without doing so. It looks like I have access to the upper bolts for removal, what were the steps you followed, did you document the process? Thanks.

Hello Determined. It's been too long since I have worked on the Cayenne suspension to give you a definitive answer, but I am pretty sure removing the strut for both control arms is necessary. The good news is it is not difficult, especially if you have non air suspension. I can look closely at my wife's Cayenne this evening allowing me to jog my memory of the process. In addition, I documented the process of the strut assembly removal on Renntech.org. My username is 911nick.

Nick,

Thank you for your response and support, I’ll take a look at your post. I believe from looking at my struts (without air system) that I have good access to remove the upper arms without pulling to the entire strut out unless I’m missing something. Of course, I plan to remove the inner fender cover to have more room.

Best Regards,
Alex

I just looked at my Cayenne. I remember from experience that I could not completely remove one or both upper strut mount bolts without removing the strut first. However, the strut assembly is very simple to remove. Besides, you will have to remove the strut when you replace the lower control arm anyway. Undue one bolt that fastens to the lower control arm, and remove the four bolts on the underside of the top of the strut assembly. Nothing needs to be removed from inside the engine bay. The most difficult part of the job is removing the ball joints. Those suckers are big. I rent a Pitman puller for that. Lastly, I never felt the need to remove the inner fender liner. I had enough room to insert tools and such.

Thank you again Nick, once the weather improves I'll dive into this project.

Best Regards,
Alex