Hey guys, trying to renew the front shock absorbers and top mounts and bearings. I've got everything apart and i've spread the hub material with a cylindrical punch (i can see the gap between the strut and the hub, open up)

But for the love of God, i cant get the damn thing to slide down and off of the shock absorber. Has anyone got any tips or idea's?

Cheers In Advance.

Hey guys, trying to renew the front shock absorbers and top mounts and bearings. I've got everything apart and i've spread the hub material with a cylindrical punch (i can see the gap between the strut and the hub, open up)

But for the love of God, i cant get the damn thing to slide down and off of the shock absorber. Has anyone got any tips or idea's?

Cheers In Advance.

you need to compress springs to eneable the shocker enough space to slide out. it's a pig according to guy who lowered mine.

well worth the £80 it cost me to get springs fitted

Should come off if basically same susp. as my 2008 1.9. Might have been easier in situ as the hub is quite heavy and will naturally slide downwards when using VAG special tool 321321(7lb. hammer)

I placed the scissor jack between the hub and the underside of the old shock and forced it off eventually, i just cant get the spring compressors ive got to fit onto the spring without fowling the arch, as the bolts stick upwards into the arch. And there is no fixed nut on the other end to be able to switch it over and use the other way. So now i cant compress the new build to get the hub to slide back in :(

Edited 6 October, 201015 yr by Browny_37

Just rip all the strut assembly of and split it on the floor, as some octys are a bas***d to do, cos if you look you will find its either the drive shaft fouling on the subframe or the anti roll bar causing you the grief, by the time youv'e done strugling it would have been quicker to rip all the strut and hub of completely. Phil.

I got it apart eventually, the bearings in the strut top had fallen to pieces. Got the spring onto the new shock, got it bolted in the top of the car and the CV joint come apart.

So I ended up dropping everything eventually to find out i've been supplied with what i presume are 55mm shocks, rather than the 50mm shocks.

I wasn't pleased at all, luckily i'd got new strut tops to go in though.

Hub spreader.

Slots in the back, twist 90 degrees and it opens the hub up and it drops off.

How do you know if you have 50 or 55mm struts? Il be waiting for the measure them comment but if thats the answer then how do you measure them.

bump anyone answer this strut size question above please lads

Measure them with a vernier caliper or similar.

Ok cheers il dig mine out and have a check what size they are.

Its basically the diameter of the shock body, the new ones i was supplied with were bigger than the opening in the hub.

You can also find out what size they are with the first 3 characters of the part no, I think 1KO is the 50mm shocks.

I let the garage that fitted my timing belt put the new bearings and shocks in at the same time for me.

Its made a difference to repetitive bumpy surfaces where the car tended to jolt upwards and not settle quick enough between bumps.