Then they don't have the bump-stops properly
I am sorry, but any suspension component that is a "spring" in literally *ANY* stock "Murican" automobile has a feature that when the spring bustifies... the suspension is still sound but is severely wonky as far as stance.
This should include torsion bar suspension in the old Valiants and should your A8, since it has to abide by US regulations in regard to basic safety. ANY spring can self-destruct and therefore the regulations exist to keep these things from making the vehicle's axle, etc from failing to do the basic work, though badly compromised on "quality" of work.
Now, if indeed, a failing ball-joint has been ignored, it would have had Severe Problems with steering drifting, sudden (drastic) shifts in direction when driving over things like Rail Road tracks and many sounds when driving at slow speed. This ball-joint failure would have caused a nosed dive into the concrete. Though, I doubt your persnickety senses would not have missed the horrible tracking the steering would have done.
So, in summary, the US has regulations regarding spring that all stock vehicles must adhere to when sold in the US from Dealerships locate inside the US. It is true that while your car would have looked like a "pimped out" A8 with hydraulics, it would have still been drivable if the Torsion bar spring had sheared or "let go". Unless the Ball Joint (or both) had failed, to which the suspension has been completely compromised, you would have been able to safely, but uncomfortably, drive to your $100/hr Audi Service Center.
Yes, this rant about "scaring" people into authorizing work to be done is a common trait in "higher end" vehicle manufacturer, but also has been seen across the board. Its a pet peeve of mine, though I guess I have a lot of Pet Peeves.
Including this sequence of hex numbers:
Zero 9 Eff 9 One 1 Zero 2 Nine D Seven 4 Eee 3 Five B Dee 8 Four 1 Five 6 Cee 5 Six 3 Five 6 Eight 8 Cee 0
