having realised how simple a job it is to change the rear springs. What parts do i need?

I seem to remember seeing some diagrams on a web page that had an exploded diagram? where would be a good place to get the springs, all i would want is OEM equivalent.

I did have a thread with exploded diagrams of both front and rear suspension, but it's obviously been lost in the transfer to the new site. Mildly annoying!

This is the closest I came to finding it: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/140309-rear-suspension-renewal/page__p__1757241__hl__suspension%20rebuild__fromsearch__1entry1757241

Changing just the rear springs is very easy. Nut and bolt either side to release the bottom of the damper, then the spring drops out. Parts you may want to renew are the nuts and bolts from the damper lower mounting, the lower metal spring seats, and maybe the rubber upper spring mounts. None of them are really critical though.

When I did my rear shocks I changed my bump stops too, as the old one had fallen to pieces, so worth checking before u do the job, rather than having to take it apart to change them at a later date.

last time I did this, I jacked the car up and removed the wheel, used a scissor jack to support the hub, unbolted the damper bottom mount, lowered the scissor jack until the spring came free, fitted the new spring, making sure to set it right on the mountings, jacked it back up, rebolted the damper, refitted the wheel and dropped the car again. Simples!

"making sure to set it right on the mountings"

When you say this, what do you mean? what have i failed to notice in the dark as i fitted the new springs?

I removed the old springs, the two rubber pads and the corroded metal seats from the other end of the spring. I then fitted the new stuff. But i didn't notice/realise that the spring had to be orientated? does it?

Was there a moulded shape on the rubber at the closed end of the spring? If so, then the spring needs setting so that the cut end of the spring wire is against a flat in the shape moulding.