How to replace a ball joint on VW Jetta Golf mk4

Ball joint replacement on Volkswagen Jetta Golf mk4
In this Video I am showing you how to replace a ball joint on Volkswagen Jetta Golf MK4 (passenger side). That includes all the Jetta and Golf from 1998 right to 2005. I am trying to explain to you what I’m doing to change the ball joint and why I am doing what I’m doing to change the ball joint. This is a great ‘Do It Yourself (DIY)’ tutorial to save money by replacing the ball joint on your own. After changing the ball joint, you have to get a wheel alignment done on your vehicle. Otherwise your tires might wear and you your steering wheel won’t be centered driving down the road.
Torque specifications:
Ball joint stud to steering knuckle - 33 ft.-lbs
Ball joint to control arm - 15 ft.-lbs then turn an additional 90 degree
Stabilizer link to control arm - 33 ft.-lbs
Wheels - 89 ft.-lbs
Parts:
passenger side ball joint - amzn.to/2HeeMAe
driver side ball joint - amzn.to/2Ylqbny
Tools that I am using:
3/8 swivel ratchet - amzn.to/2E0IczN
socket set - amzn.to/2Hcscwj
3/8 impact swivel - amzn.to/2PWp6iQ
3/8 torque wrench - amzn.to/2VNTQbp
3/8 milwaukee impact gun - amzn.to/2Hbcxh0
pry bar - amzn.to/2E0rW1M
ball pein hammer, 16 oz - amzn.to/2HdmnyV
penetrating oil (liquid wrench) - amzn.to/2YggYMY
rubber disposable gloves - amzn.to/2VtuOPi
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Links may be affiliate links.
About Me:
In this channel I will show how to repair your vehicle or other vehicles yourself. I will also show you, teach you some trick what to look for at certain jobs and try to explain the best I can, on why I do it the way I do it. You will see links of the most of the tools and the parts, at good quality and reasonable cost, that I am using in the description of every video (It may be not the exact tool, but a tool that has the same function. So, it may be just a different brand). If any torque specs or other specs are mentioned in the video, they will also be found in the description. I am a self-employed mechanic myself, with a garage on my property. So here I am recording how I repair and trying to help you repair your customer vehicles and also how to fix your own vehicle and save many dollars. All the links in this description may be affiliate links. So, every video is intended to be a great ‘Do It Yourself (DIY)’ tutorial to save money. AutoTechWorld will take no responsibilities.
If you liked the video, please share, give it a thumbs up and subscribe, to see more great how to car repair tutorials.
Please leave a comment saying what you liked about the video or what you would of have done different. I’m always open to ideas, to better my business and do the job faster, for more income.
Thanks for watching!!!
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#AutoTechWorld #vwmk4 #balljoint

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

If you need any of the parts or tools, that I use in this video, you can find them here. Parts: - passenger side ball joint - amzn.to/2HeeMAe - driver side ball joint - amzn.to/2Ylqbny Tools that I am using: - 3/8 swivel ratchet - amzn.to/2E0IczN - socket set - amzn.to/2Hcscwj - 3/8 impact swivel - amzn.to/2PWp6iQ - 3/8 torque wrench - amzn.to/2VNTQbp - 3/8 milwaukee impact gun - amzn.to/2Hbcxh0 - pry bar - amzn.to/2E0rW1M - ball pein hammer, 16 oz - amzn.to/2HdmnyV - penetrating oil (liquid wrench) - amzn.to/2YggYMY - rubber disposable gloves - amzn.to/2VtuOPi *When you use any of these links, amazon knows that I've send you and they will pay me a commission which would help me a lot. For you though, nothing will change, it'll be just like any other day on amazon.

[@dsimondublin]

Already got it jacked up! Take the wheel off! So much more room to work. Check your tie rod ends and control arm bushing. If they're bad replace them all!

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

You're right. I should have taken off the tire as well.

[@xplicitmetal]

Thank you for posting this. Very clear and easy to follow. Saved me like $400 easy.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

@Mustaine4prez thank you very much. I'm trying my best and am happy have helped you save money. 👍

[@FGX318]

Thanks for helping ! Crystal clear explanations ! Hopefully my wife’s mk4´s ballpoint will change that easy ...

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

It probably will. Have fun changing it 👍

[@wanakapanda1549]

Thanks very much, simple and straight forward ⏩

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thank you 😉

[@sonny.v925]

Excellent video. Nice work, man.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thanks. I appreciate your comment. Should have take the tire off though.

[@joseruiz2359]

Thanks for the video. if you take out the tire will be easier.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

🙈 I know. I should of taken it off. Realized that later too, but I already said that I was going to replace the ball joint with the tire on. Stupid of me haha. Thanks for watching though 👍

[@secsc2]

Well done, sir.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thank you very much. Don't forget to subscribe. Helps me out allot 👍

[@buzzlightyear1191]

Thanks a lot and very well explained thanks

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thank you very much for watching. Hopefully it was helpful for you

[@suj1945]

Good work. Would have been even easier if you'd remove the wheel. Why did the new bolts come with washers?

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thank you very much. Yes, it would of been a lot easier if I'd removed the wheel. I guess laziness fights back sometimes. To your question, if you look at how the bolts that where on the vehicle are made, you can actually see that they have an attached washer, whereas the new ones don't and that is why they come with washers. You saw what I mean?

[@suj1945]

@@AutoTechWorld_DIY ah I get you, cool.

[@JoelTheRox]

I managed to do it. Yay! The only thing is my steeringwheel is out of alignment. It's leaning towards 2 O clock - if that makes sense. Can I fix this myself, or do i take it to the mechanic...? Thanks again!

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Nice! Emm... you'd probably have to take it to the shop to get an alignment done. Unless you have an alignment machine yourself. I had the same thing when I replaced the ball joint. Steering wheel was off, but otherwise it seemed to drive straight. When you do the alignment you'll see that the measurements will be of. And if you won't do the alignment, your tires will wear much faster.

[@JoelTheRox]

@@AutoTechWorld_DIY Thanks man! Yeah just booked a time to align my wheels!

[@wolfgangkohler2508]

Nice Job. At 4:20 into the video the ball joint break lose and I'm amazed that the shaft does not spin inside the ball and you are still able to spin that nut off. No idea why the Jackasses put a place on top of the stud where you can insert an allan wrench to keep shaft from spinning when there is no room to get it in there. Now I'm of German descent, but working on my 2004 Golf TDI has me shaking my head at the Idiots who designed it. So many things on that car are very flimsy such as trunk opening mechanism, Battery Box, rear seat fold down latch and of course the engine oil dipstick.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

I'm born in Germany and now live in Canada. But, yeah there is some stuff I absolutley hate on these German cars. The latch on my hatch took 2 or 3 zip ties to keep it together. And then you forgot about the oil pan. The lowest part of the car. I replaced a few of them already. Thanks for watching and God bless you

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

About the ball joint nut, it was barely on anymore by the time I broke it loose. And I guess if it would spin, you would now be able to grab it with a good plier.

[@wolfgangkohler2508]

@@AutoTechWorld_DIY I put a set of vice grips on there and it still spun. Will have to cut it off. You were mentioning the oil pan. What is the issue with them ? drain bolt ?

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

@@wolfgangkohler2508 The oil pans are just so low to the ground, they always bust. If you have all nice roads it may not be an issue. But if you do lots of gravel, you never know. It can shatter at any time. I installed a 1/4 inch aluminium skid plate after the first break.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

@@wolfgangkohler2508 you need a good knipex plier. They are the best. This is the set I have. amzn.to/3uSrLRj Made in Germany

[@gieco32]

Great fucking video man! Excuse my language, but every other video wanted me to tear down half of my car

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thank you very much. Glad it helped. Don't forget to help me by subscribing 😉

[@unclebandice5205]

Champion 👍

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Haha thank you. Would of been a lot smarter of me to take the tire off though to do the job 🙈

[@JoaoFerreira-dc1gt]

I would have removed the wheel in the first place! But great video!

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

And should have done the same thing. But oh well. Thanks for the nice words. God bless you.

[@brodybestluck]

Awesome video! I subbed

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thank you very much!!!

[@vampir335]

Do you have any how to install for those foglights?

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

No I don't. But they did look pretty good while working

[@Martin-dg8xy]

A couple of small punches, helps line things up!

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

😂

[@robbyhall7702]

Got LUCKY! Usually the ball joint shaft will spin with the nut after breaking it loose. At that point this video will be useless.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Your right. You can try to heat up the nut. But very careful not to damage the axle boot. Or Jack the car up right under the ball joint. That will jam it into the knuckle and hopefully stop it from spinning with the nut.

[@robbyhall7702]

@@AutoTechWorld_DIY "You're"... If you do that how is the nut going to come off the top? The best way to do this job is by removing the axle nut and setting the axle aside... only takes 2 min more. But in your case it worked so that's proof is not impossible.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Sorry, I'm just a mechanic 🙈. If you have it that far off, where it is jammed up against the axle, it usually spins fairly easy. Then you can jack up the vehicle on a different place, and push down the control arm and then take the nut off all the way. And if it still spins, you can pry down the control arm and hold the exposed stud below the knuckle with a plier and then take the nut off. I barely ever have any luck holding the ball joint stud with an allen key. They always seem to strip or round out.

[@801R32]

Hey man. Trying to to both sides ball joints on my 04 Golf R32. The top nut connecting the ball joint to the knuckle is beyond seized. Any recommendations?(already tried some bolt breaking spray)

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Do you get it loose at all, or is the ball joint spinning with the nut? It may help if pry your control arm up and jam the ball joint into the knuckle. Or maybe use a Jack under the ball joint. If it's still not working, heat up your nuts till there red and then take them off. Just don't get the boots on the CV-axle hot or you'll burn a hole into them. Let me know how your making out. These are the things I would try. If you do so, do it at your own risk. I just don't want to be blamed if something goes wrong 😉

[@801R32]

AutoTechWorld Not loose at all. Ball joint wasn’t spinning, was just rotating my whole hub. Tried heating it up and tried jacking it up. Unfortunately neither worked and I’ve stripped the nut. Any more thoughts? Should i just grind it off? Sucks it’s in such a tight spot or I would’ve cut it off already

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

@@801R32 seems like you are in a very uncomfortable situation 🤯 . I'm afraid that cutting it of is your only option than. Especially once that nut is round🤔. If you can get your hands on a sawzall and a metal blade, it should be doable don't you think? I could see getting a grinder in there being tough, but a sawzall 🤷‍♂️? Just be careful that your not slicing and dicing other components. Let me know how that is working for you or if you find another way to do it. I just had a Ford Flex in 2 days ago, it had the same problem, I couldn't get the ball joint stud to stop spinning. So I got the nut really hot (and I mean VERY hot) with a propane torch and grabbed the top of the stud with a good self biting plier. You will need a really good plier though. I have knipex pliers that come from, or are made in Germany. They got very strong teeth and the more you turn, the more they bite into the metal. This is the exact set that I've got: amzn.to/2LM7ZPF Or you could just get a single plier (a bit cheaper): amzn.to/3ecudXh These are affiliate links. I'll get a little commission when you use these links, but for you it's all normal.

[@801R32]

AutoTechWorld thanks for the reply. I ended up cutting it with a sawzall with no damage to anything else luckily. Tomorrow I do the other side. Hopefully no cutting required 🤞

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

That's good 👌. So you also got three other side out good?

[@Italianstalionfitness23]

What ab if the ball joint stud spins with the nut

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Try to hold it with a vice grip or a knipex plier. But do not hold it over the nut, so you don't wreck the threads and make it worse. If you can't put a plier under the nut, try to put a Jack right under the ball joint, so you put all the weight on it and thus jam the ball joint stud in the knuckle. That might work.

[@salemsouth]

can you do outer tie rods on a 2003 golf?

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Thanks for subscribing! I did a video where I replace the inner tie rod. In there I also take of and reinstall the outer tie rod. So you could just watch that I guess. Plus I'm giving every subscriber a chance to receive a free gift (specialty tool). So you might want to watch it and I would really appreciate if you'd share it with someone who cares.

[@salemsouth]

@@AutoTechWorld_DIY i plan to try this balljoint replacement tomorrow, i don't have a lift and more rusty than the car you worked on, but i hope it works!

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

@@salemsouth Oh I'm sure you'll be fine. Just take the tire of when you do it. Will be a lot easier. It was pretty dumb of me doing out with the tire still installed 🙈

[@salemsouth]

@@AutoTechWorld_DIY I forgot to comment , i both sides this way worked

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Hey that awesome. 👍

[@luisg1653]

Wow that might work. I just did the driver side and had to replace an axle too. My passenger side doesn't need an axle so I might try this. You would have more room without the tire though. Thanks for posting.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Yeah I realized that too. Should of taken it off.

[@luisg1653]

I used your advice today on the passenger side. It went so much smoother than my driver side did yesterday. The move with putting leverage on the arm to work the nut on the ball joint helped a lot. Thanks!

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

@@luisg1653 happy to help out other people.

[@slocavky]

I've heard 3 different sizes for the top nut. Heard 19, 18, or 13. 😠

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

I'm not sure if you mean just in my video you heard them all 3 or across other videos you've seen. It is 19mm. Just go by the numbers I'm saying right here 1:56. And then the little bolts that connect the control arm to the knuckle, they are 13mm. I hope that clears it up?

[@FoggamingMc]

How much would this cost at a shop?

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

It depends where you go. The books show one hour to do the job. Than the shop would also do an alignment as well. But here is what I would charge: - 50$ to replace the ball joint - 60$ to do a front end alignment - 44.75$ or 96.25$ depending on what brand of ball joint That is all Canadian dollar and I would say I am very cheap. If you're taking it to a dealer it might be double the price for labor. So it's worthwhile doing it yourself. Especially if you buy all the tools, you can than use them for other repairs as well

[@FoggamingMc]

AutoTechWorld thanks a lot i really appreciate u taking the time to give me such a detailed answer

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

@@FoggamingMc Your welcome. So you'll tackle the job yourself?

[@Sean_03_636]

Why so many videos show people how to change parts while using a car lift? Nobody has a car lift at home. They have a trolly Jack and a couple axle stands at best.

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Easier to film and the idea is the same. Except instead of standing under, you have to roll under. Valid point your raising though 👍

[@justwatchingffs371]

Lol that exposed caliper pin is an eyesore 😂

[@AutoTechWorld_DIY]

Put some tape over it so you won't see it Haha. Thanks for watching