I cant find this covered by any other posts, so...

I'm trying to remove the front shock on the VRS. I've made a home made splitter tool but when i'm lowering the wish bone to remove the front shock it only goes down low enough until the drive shaft rests on the front ARB. It looks like it will just rest there and not allow me to lower it enough to get the strut out??

Am i doing something wrong?

STOO

are you using spring compressors?? if not there's ya problem. you need to compress the springs to allow more travel, i tried without them and it was a no go! i had non to hand so used a couple of metal jubilee clips

Ahhhhh!!! The guide I'm using didn't do that! I'll get the spring compressors oot!

Cheers!

Stoo

are you using spring compressors?? if not there's ya problem. you need to compress the springs to allow more travel, i tried without them and it was a no go! i had non to hand so used a couple of metal jubilee clips

Wow, those must be strong jubilee clips

For my splitter tool, I used a 7mm allen key attached to a socket drive (I bought a set for when I changed my front pads).

I've still got no idea how to get this shock off...... i've compressed the springs and lowered the shock and gave the arm a tap with a hammer but the drive shaft still hits the FARB. It has move about 5mm tho haha

STOO

it was a couple of years ago when I did mine, but don't you want to keep the shock in place (just compress the spring), and then you should be able to drop the hub assembly off.

That said, that was for my TDI, so the vrs may well be different, so my input here may be pointless.

HAHAHA Well i've given in. Its laying there in bits!!

i would have though when i lowered the arm/hub assebly the whole lot would have dropped to the floor untill the disk hit the floor?? (that was the case when i last done this with my almera GTI.....

Time for a beer me thinks!!!!!

STOO

Wow, those must be strong jubilee clips

they worked a treat

i borrowed a hub splitter socket off bertee which made things a bit easier aswell. just hammer the hub downand spray plenty of wd40 on it

one side is really hard, you have to push right down on it, but 1 dshaft is longer than the other and causes problems, i was replacing mine with coilovers so i when i got really fooked off i used my angle grinder to persuade the mofo out....no joke!

one side is really hard, you have to push right down on it, but 1 dshaft is longer than the other and causes problems, i was replacing mine with coilovers so i when i got really fooked off i used my angle grinder to persuade the mofo out....no joke!

grinders rule we also had a bit of grinder action

just lossen the subframe bolts give you a bit extra

Edited 4 July, 201015 yr by TrevorB33

The drivers side is a pig.

The way I did it on my mates golf, my car & Si's motor was... Compress the spring as much as possible... Hit the strut UP as much as possible as the driveshaft stops the hub dropping anymore... When you have it up as much as possible you can roll the hub forward and the strut will pop out.

Expect much swearing and much aggravation, I even contemplated cutting my one with a grinder

Ok, so its the driver side. so should i just cut the strut with a grinder? I'm easy like! at this stage i'll do anything!

STOO

The problem with cutting the strut, and what I thought about which stopped me, is that you still have to get it out of the hub.

Even with the spreader tool the front strut is tight to get out and if you cut it it could make it more tricky.

The way I explained above is the way I would do it.

When I did my mates golf we had murders getting the drivers side out. He went to sort the pizza out that had arrived and I just kept dragging it and all of a sudden the hub rolled forward and out it popped.

Edited 4 July, 201015 yr by Bertee

So if i cut the strut, is it full of oil or gas?

STOO

So if i cut the strut, is it full of oil or gas?

STOO

No need to cut strut,just use spring compressors as others have said! this is what i do old strut will be full of oil & in some cases gas too!

probably too late now but i unfastened the three bolts under the wishbone (13mm socket) that hold the ball joint in place, pulling the hub assembly partially out of the wishbone gave me the extra 15 mm i needed to remove the strut. if my spring compressers hadnt bee so long i wouldnt have needed to do this. cant really see the point in a spring compresser that doesnt get shorter too! clearly you would need an alignment check after this but would probably want one after fittin your new suspension anyway.

Ok,

So i found the problem, I was trying to do the driver side first then once thats done i was going to do the passenger side.....that was the problem

I had to drop the other side off at the same time and this allowed the arb to drop more then allow the movement to get the shock out.

Ive got them all out now but i'm unsure if i need to strip the standard shock off for parts?? I have new top mounts and bearings but i'm unsure what else i need.

STOO