Afternoon all,

I'm fairly certain my vRS needs at least one front strut replacing. It wanders around a bit at motorway speed and the near side "nods" quite a bit when cornering. There is also oil in both the top mounts.

Can anyone suggest some good replacement struts and/or springs? My insurance company will not touch any type of modifications, so it need to be standard ride height, non-adjustable stuff really, just good quality replacement parts.

There is also a creak which sounds to be coming from around the gearbox area, most noticeable when going over speed bumps. Other threads are suggesting arb bushes, but it sounds further back than that?

If I were to get pre-assembled struts and springs, is it just a case of jacking it up and bolting them on? Don't fancy messing around with spring compressors as those things scare the **** out of me!

Thanks in advance!

Nath.

In my experience (and I tried Euro Car Parts and Allparts) you will have to go to TPS or a dealer and get genuine. Aftermarket shocks do not have the mounting point on the back for the vRS anti roll bar drop links.

Unless of course you want to spend out for upgrades parts.

The creaking really is most likely to be anti roll bar bushes, but could be from elsewhere.

Spring compressors are as easy as all heck man. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DRAPER-2-PIECE-COIL-SPRING-COMPRESSOR-SET-68615-/280756547966?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item415e64f17e Shop around. You can find these for just over £20 posted if you look hard enough.

And don't know where the oil is coming from, the standard shocks are Bilstein gas struts. I can only assume it is out of the shocker top mount bearings. I'd replace these as well as a matter of course personally, and the bump stops.

Cheers mate,

I think I might be inclined to shell out for upgraded parts, but I just can't have anything lowered as I guess that will class as modified? As for the creaking, I'm deaf as a post so I think I got it wrong, or I have 2 creaks. But my daughter says its definitely coming from the near side rear, almost as if it's in the boot! Kids, they have their uses!

Nath.

Have you asked your insurance company how much it would be with upgraded suspension? Its cheaper to get coil overs that OEM suspension lol

Usually insurance company's will allow suspension mods, its performance and visual mods they don't like

They will not insure me, full stop! If I fit almost any mod, they cancel my insurance so it has to stay standard. And Ive paid upfront for the year, so I'm stuck for now.

Damn that's crap there isn't much out there for the Vrs, think only rear shocks are easy to find. Might be worth phoneing a couple of skoda dealers of tps up and seeing if they offer a forum discount. Mine does Dm Keith York. And see how much it'll cost

They will not insure me, full stop! If I fit almost any mod, they cancel my insurance so it has to stay standard. And Ive paid upfront for the year, so I'm stuck for now.

Actually when you cancel insurance, you are entitled to a refund of however many full months there are left, less an admin fee, by law. You shouldn't end up more than 1 months insurance, plus £20 out of pocket when you do this.

There's always the Koni STR-T kit, but many complain it is stiff. Or there's Koni FSD, which I've yet to see complaints about, other than the vast cost. And they don't do a kit for Estate versions in either range (I tried this too - fail!), should you happen to have one. Finding suspension for vRS estates is a real PITA! Hopefully, you're not "big boot" handicapped!

Hiya, no I don't have the estate. And I'd like to keep it fairly compliant, so I may have to go down the main dealer route. What is tps by the way?

As for the insurance, I forgot to mention, the vrs is my second car and we've only had the one for many years now, so I have no ncb on the vrs. But my current insurer mirrors my 13 years ncb from my other car with them, to the vrs, so that's the only affordable option. So I really am stuck for the time being.

Nath.

Trade part supplies. They carry stock for vag for supply to their dealer network and independent garages

Ah right! Thanks for that.

Jesus these things are a ball ache to get standard suspension for! As demonufo said, there seems to be nothing other than Skoda parts available unless you want to go uprated, which I don't.

Jesus these things are a ball ache to get standard suspension for! As demonufo said, there seems to be nothing other than Skoda parts available unless you want to go uprated, which I don't.

Yup lol thats why i have unlimited suspension mods on my policy. Don't have to worry when i upgrade stuff and when they do need doing i can put some coilovers on lol

Yep, if my current insurers weren't mirroring my ncb across to the Octy, I'd be off somewhere else in a second. I've even emailed them to see what they class as "modified". If it's just lowered or adjustable, then I have some breathing space. Standard new springs on some fixed Koni's maybe.

We'll see what they say.

Nath.

Are you planning to do the work yourself? If you're getting a garage to do the work they will be able to get the genuine VAG parts at trade prices anyway so I'd just shop around garages until you find one which is cheapest for parts plus fitting.

I was in a similar situation as you, my topmounts started to disintegrate and I'd had advisories on the 2008 and 2009 MOTs that one of my front dampers was weeping oil so bit the bullet and went for coilovers as they were only £50-£100 dearer than getting replacement Skoda suspension. I was with Equity Red Star through A-Plan (brokers) who had no issues with it I just had to tell them how much lower it was. Not much help I know but something to think about if you get the chance to change insurers next time round.

I'm kind of in two minds about doing the work myself/with a mate. If I was buying a complete pre-built strut I'd do it myself, but as I said earlier spring compressors scare me to death! lol Rears I'd do, no messing.

Just go off the phone with D M Keith, and they can do front struts for £78 each, which is not too bad I suppose. Those, with remaining springs and shocks from ECP, might just be doable. The car passed it's MOT only a week since, with no advisorys, so they can't be that bad and there is no visible oil (apart from in the cup on the top mount) but the front left definitley bobs about.

Now to find out where the hell that creaking at the rear is coming from. Wonder if the garage immersed it in WD40 to mask the noise to sell it.

Nath

Creak from the rear could be a rear beam bush gone on one side, or possibly rear bump stop is knackered

Mine was a broken rear spring at the bottom, wd40 stopped the noise lol

The springs look OK, but I'll leather it in WD40 just in case! And any ideas how I check for the rear beam bush? Its it a pig/expensive to replace?

Any other ideas why both top mounts would have oil in them, other than the bearing leaking?

It's just aswell I love driving this car, as I really was not expecting to have to put money into it just yet!

Oh, and I suppose another question would be, if there is oil in the top mounts, should this have been noticed and advised during an MOT?

On mine the oil was actually leaking from the damper - only slightly though. I think they would have failed it if it was really heavily leaking or if the damper was seized.

Rear beam bush is a bit tricky to check as if I remember rightly the brackets that hold the rear beam assembly to the chassis obscure the bushes so you can't really visually inspect them. If the rear beam moves forwards or backwards or up or down noticeably at the joint (where the brackets are) then its a safe bet they are shot. Bowders did a good guide to fitting them a couple of years back, if I remember rightly they are a right pig to get in and out.

EDIT - here it is

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/215352-changing-mk1-octy-rear-beam-bushes/page__p__2537416__hl__rear%20beam%20bushes__fromsearch__1#entry2537416