Well I finally got my broken car to Houston and yep, you guessed it: the front lower control arm was mangled, not entirely unlike Knut's. Since mine is a high-milage car (120k+) and the damage appears to be metal fatigue, it appears you all have something to look forward to in your future. :-) I opted to let DMC try to repair the arm, rather than sacrifice my arm-and-leg for the price of a new one (although the option of a newly fabricated stainless part centainly has it's appeal). My concern is now with the arm on the opposite side, which ostensibly has the same age and stress as the one that just failed.... Gus Schlachter VIN #4695 Austin, TX P.S. Anybody from the Austin area going to the DMC Open House? I appear to need a ride.