Audi 8l a3 quattro front strut removal help

[adambstar86]

Please can someone point me in the right direction on removing the front struts to replace standard springs with lowered ones, I'm confident enough to change the springs, just looking for a how to on removing the struts??

 

[azman]

hi, i recently did my front and rears,
for the front i removed the lower 17 or 18mm nut and had to persuade it to release the shocker with a bit of wd and a knocking stick.
to release the top there are 3 i believe 13mm nuts at the top of the inner wing under the bonnet.
to release the spring i used spring clamps and a buzz gun.
dont forget to undo the drop link first or its all too tight to release.

 

[adambstar86]

Sweet thanks, did you have to pop off the drop link bar? I'm assuming if a take off the first nut at top of the strut ( one with Allen key slot in middle) once the bottom bolt is out the strut should drop out ??

 

[adambstar86]

Did you do it on an a3 quattro, cuz I not think they have them 3 nuts, that set up is on the a4.

 

[azman]

i released the top drop link bolt, to remove the whole shocker, easwier to work with.
once shocker was remover i undid the centre nut (one with allen key head) with buzz gun.
to remove the strut i undid the 3 bolts in the inner wing. dont try removing the spring while the shock is on the car could cause problems.


mine was on a s3 quattro but i believe they are the same setup?
if you lift bonnet there should be 3 bolts around the top of the strut?
or do you meanlike this?
How to remove shock mount on a MK4 vw jetta Golf or GTI when changing your shocks DIY - YouTube

 

[adambstar86]

OK mate, thanks, I'll have bash this weekend, on the rears iv read you can just jack it up, compress the spring and it will come straight out

 

[azman]

rears were straight forward, jack it up, bit of brute force and ignorance. makes for a easy job.
how low you going?
are you going to fit rear tie bars to compensate for negative camber?
i did mine to 30mm and had to fit adjustable tie bars as the wheel were crazy camber.

 

[adambstar86]

I brought 30ml springs, but didn't think about changing anything else?? Assumed it would cope fine, but I guessing not, what else do I need to buy?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Noah's MkIV VW H&R Coilover Installation HOWTO

Its a coilover fitting tutorial but the principles are the same...

<tuffty/>

 

[azman]

it depends on your taste, i never took pics of before the tie bars , but at 30mm i couldnt imagine getting much mileage out of a set of tyres lol. i ended up getting something similar to these
FORGE MOTORSPORT ADJUSTABLE TIE BARS FITS AUDI A3 S3 TT | eBay

i too didntexpect to be buying any thing else, but after installing tie bars i also got it geometry aligned to be sure correct sitting.

 

[adambstar86]

Thanks for that, the top is exactly how mine is.. Just need the PRI tool now

 

[adambstar86]

OK I see, maybe I'll just put the springs in first, get it aligned and see what happens, not to fussed on tyre wear, but as long as everything is safe then happy days