TorqFix

Removing and installing ball joints: Audi TT Mk1

Step-by-step removing and installing ball joints for the Audi TT Mk1: 24 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.

Pressing out and pressing in the rear suspension ball joints on the 8N platform code. Before starting, the vehicle data sticker tells you whether the 1KE or 1KF brake system is fitted, because it changes what has to come off. The car goes up on the lift, rear wheels off, and the top or bottom transverse link is removed. A gearbox jack with a block of wood takes the trailing arm, then the hexagon socket bolts and hexagon bolts come out, the brake caliper is hung up on wire and the disc removed. The joint is pulled out and the new one drawn in centrally with the spindle tools, spindle greased first. The finishing check matters: clearance between splash plate and brake disc must be right before the wheel goes back.

24 steps

🧭 Before you start

Identify the brake system, raise the car, remove the wheel and transverse link, support the trailing arm and clear caliper and disc. Pull the old joint, draw the new one in centrally, refit the disc, check the splash plate clearance and reinstall the caliper and link.

Fits: Audi TT Mk1 (8N)

  • Special tools named: V.A.G 1359/2

Don't miss

  • Check the data sticker for 1KE or 1KF brakes before starting.
  • Support the trailing arm with a jack and wooden block.
  • Hang the caliper on wire; never let it hang on the brake hose.
  • Grease the tool spindle and draw the new joint in centrally.
  • Check clearance between splash plate and brake disc after refitting the disc.

Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.

📋 Procedure

  1. Refer to vehicle data sticker to check whether 1KE or 1KF brake system is installed in vehicle.
  2. Lift vehicle on lifting platform.
  3. Remove rear wheels.
  4. Remove top or bottom transverse link .
  5. Position gearbox jack V.A.G 1359/2 underneath trailing arm, using a suitable block of wood (arrow).
AUDI? Steps differ between engine variants — check this job against your exact car before you commit to it. Check my car — free →
  1. Remove hexagon socket head bolts (2).
  2. Remove hexagon bolts (1).
  3. Detach brake caliper and tie up with wire.
  4. Remove brake disc.
  5. Lubricate spindle with universal grease G 052 735 A5.
  6. Attach tools as shown in illustration.
  7. Pull out ball joint by turning spindle.
  8. Attach tools as shown in illustration.
  9. Draw in the joint centrally by turning the spindle.
  10. Lubricate spindle with universal grease G 052 735 A5.
  11. Attach tools as shown in illustration.
  12. Pull out ball joint by turning spindle.
  13. Attach tools as shown in illustration.
  14. Pull in ball joint (1) by turning spindle.
  15. Install brake disc (if removed).
  16. Check that there is sufficient clearance between splash plate and brake disc.
  17. If necessary, ensure correct clearance.
  18. Install brake caliper (vehicles with 1 KF brake system only).
  19. Install top or bottom transverse link .

Other AUDI procedures

Who makes these pages, and how

TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.

The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.

Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.

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Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.