Sorry to hear of your woes mate, nothing worse than forking out, then ending up with more problems than you started with.
I can understand (to a point) why if people want to deck their car they use coilovers to get 'the effect', but when I think of the hassle they can bring about in terms of corrosion (non stainless bodied units), set up, adjustment issues, ride quality (particularly on UK shabby roads), the coilover argument starts to evaporate for me for anyone who is not having them serviced (cleaned and checked), corner weighted (actually one of the reasons coilies were invented rather than to look 'scene'), and then used for a HEALTHY amount of track time each year. Even race teams get the set up of coilovers wrong, so the average garage is pretty much pi$$ing in the wind when it comes to optimized tuning of all of the alignment parameters. As the car sits lower, all the parameters change, and I bet there are scores of cars running sub-optimal set ups across the UK which may in some cases risk braking distances and overall safety.
Coilovers by the nature of what they are make them lower and harder than standard spring damper set ups, and cut price models from the Far East have meant that reliability and quality has nose dived in recent years as they drop below £700 (value engineering rather than economies of scale). I personally would rather just spend the money on balls out springs / dampers than on coilovers as I'm after a ride quality rather than 'the look'.
There is an enormous thread on SCN about the pros and cons of coilovers here (
LINK) which has started some interesting debate. At the end of the day it's peoples money and their choice, but I often wonder whether it is an informed choice led by qualitative research, or just a passion to be 'scene' as la VW latest 'down and out' fashion. Whatever you do, make sure you spend decent money having this kind of kit set up properly for your own safety as well as the safety of others.
