changing shocks and speings, obsticals

[cg]

in a week or so i am going to be changing all the shocks and springs on my car. i have got an idea of what i am going to be doing but i was wondering if there is anything unexpected that i should keep an eye out for. i am going for bilstein shocks and keeping the standard springs as it is already the sport setup(quattro).
the one thing that concerned me was the rear spring. to remove it do i just put a jack under the hub, remove the ARB links and everything else then lower the jack and its done or is it more complicated than that?
thanks once again to the online resorce audi-sport i dont know what i would do without you lot

 

[Ess_Three]

You don't need to do anything like undo the ARB links at the rear...unbolt the damper with the car jacked up, and pull on the hub until the spring drops onto your garage floor. Easy.

One thing to watch, is make sure you disconnect the self-leveling sensor arm before you start hauling downwards on the hub or you'll risk breaking it - like I did. This was the rear, BTW.

The front is fairly straightforward...as long as you have the tools to get the spring top mounts off the damper rod (impact gun) and some way of spreading the hub to get the lower end of the damper out (cold chisel and big hammer)

 

[fingermouse]

Big Hammer !!!! yuou mean precise persuader lol

 

[Ess_Three]

Oh no...I really do mean a BIG hammer!

 

[Caesium]

Only an animal uses a big hammer on anything except a building site, use a balljoint splitter like the one below, hitting it with a hammer will just damage everything. If you're going to do the job, do it properly.
Or remove the entire unit and soak it in plusgas/WD40 and then tap it off, smashing it with a hammer will more than likely damage it.

 

[Caesium]

Or remove the pinch bolt and put it back in the other way, then put a washer in the pinch point, so when you do up the bolt it will push the joint apart. Hefty washer needed.

 

[s3ollie]

i think ess three was talking about getting the shock out from the hub carrier. I found a hammer was the only way too

 

[fingermouse]

those ball joint splitters normally end up splitting the rubber boot TBH.

some things require a set of hammers 2lb, 4lb, and feck off lb

 

[Caesium]

barbarians the lot of ya!!

 

[Ess_Three]

Come on Chris...
You explain to me how one of my vast selection of balljoint splitters can help open up the hub and allow me to extract the strut?

I think you'll find a balljoint splitter is ideal for getting the balljoints off...but precisely f*ck all use on the problem I mentioned.
You need a 1/2" to 3/4" wide cold chisel, and a BIG hammer.

Or, I believe there is a proper VAG slot-widener thingy...which of course, we all have in our toolboxes.

 

[cg]

cheers for the advice. i will let you know how it goes.

 

[fingermouse]

"Or, I believe there is a proper VAG slot-widener thingy...which of course, we all have in our toolboxes."

I think there is remember my mate saying he`d used one on his TT. But a cold chisel is what I have used on other cars.

 

[Caesium]

Ess, i'll admit I posted before I had read all of your post and tried to backtrack a bit... sorry dude!

 

[Dave_Bayern]

The VW hub spreader tool costs £10, theres absolutely no reason not to have one.

However, if you can't get one in time, then a 7mm Laser Allen key with the blue plastic handle is sufficient. Just grind down two edges so that it slides in and then pull the plue handle to twist the hub apart.

 

[Dave_Bayern]

Oh, and best online guide for such things ever.

http://www.nclh.org/car/coilover_howto/

 

[cg]

thanks a lot for that guide its made me feel a bit more confident. the shocks should arrive so i can do the work on monday or tuesday.