Seriously!

OK, der Octavia is about 4.5 years and near 75, thousand miles old, and running on 1/2 worn Conti Winters on steel rims.

But after a couple of briskly driven runs on intimately known, bone dry, virtually empty country roads recently.

Her bes (more than) a trifle vague and squidgy.

New shocks needed for a start.

Kinda surprised I even noticed, not being into all this performance jargon and blather.

cheers

marcus

Might be worth getting a four wheel alignment check done if you haven't recently? I had mine checked and adjusted at about the same mileage as yours and it made a noticeable improvement to the handling.

Thanks!

I surmised tracking was OK simply because the tyres are still wearing evenly.(the last time i looked)

Mine was wearing the fronts evenly, with very slight sawtoothing on the rears, but when checked it was quite a bit out of alignment.

 

The VW specialist who checked mine said he checks/adjusts the alignment on his Golf about every 3 months, but admitted he wouldn't check it so often if he was paying someone else to do it!

If the dampers are bouncy then I'd recommend koni Yellow adjustables. They give a nice compliant ride over minor surface imperfections.

It's obviously worth having a good look at the various bushings as well and ensure they aren't too worn. The usual suspects are the strut top rubbers and the rear bush on the lower control arm. You can get an S3 spec bush for this quite cheaply that removes a lot of arm movement.

The other upgrade you might consider is some of the components from the vRS/golf GTI suspension. The sway bars are a direct swap. The rear is very easy to change, the front requires some skill.

At the end of all that get the alignment done

If the dampers are bouncy then I'd recommend koni Yellow adjustables. They give a nice compliant ride over minor surface imperfections.

It's obviously worth having a good look at the various bushings as well and ensure they aren't too worn. The usual suspects are the strut top rubbers and the rear bush on the lower control arm. You can get an S3 spec bush for this quite cheaply that removes a lot of arm movement.

The other upgrade you might consider is some of the components from the vRS/golf GTI suspension. The sway bars are a direct swap. The rear is very easy to change, the front requires some skill.

At the end of all that get the alignment done

Brad

 

Interesting comment re the shocks - I had Koni Yellows on the rear of my old Mk IV Golf estate but they were too hard, and so had to go "down" to Koni Reds which were more compliant and OK (and now done around 70-80k)- do you think that the Yellows are "softer" when fitted to the Octy because Koni don't seem to do the Red version (any more?) for the Octy? (Koni Reds were my very first thoughts over a year ago, but could not find them anywhere).

 

Also, (per my other posts on bush press tools), I just found out that the rear ("Standard") Suspension looks to be about 20mm lower ride height than the nominal 390mm wheel centre to arch distance, so looks like the springs have sagged unless I've got broken coils (will know tomorrow afternoon - MoT time  )

I honestly don't know as I've never used Reds. 

 

I've done yellows on my 2007 1.8tsi sedan about 40,000km back.  It's fitted with Eibach springs that are the spec for a vRS diesel wagon so the front springs are probably right and the rears are a higher spring rate & the back sits high (which i like).  I can measure if you like.

 

I initially set the fronts & rears on a quarter turn off soft.  The rear is perfect.  The front feels under-damped / oversprung so I've taken that to 1 turn & need to take it further but I'm a lazy git at times so can't be bothered taking 5 minutes to do it.

 

I've also done Koni Yellows on a 2012 Polo and it turned out great (owner has had a Lotus Elan & a Lotus Evora previously and appreciates nice suspension).

 

My comparison is with Bilsteins where I find the McPherson strust suffer from stiction and in general the valving for ripples / initial movement is quite harsh.

thanks guys, car in for a service today, it has been taken away by the (probably clutchless!) mechanic, who got done for speeding (in our car) the last time he had it away.

So so get a good unbiased workout.

cheers

marcus

Nick74,

As he "Whistles tunelessly", rear wheel apparently quite outta "line", noted during service works by Mulhollands at Randelstown.

So I "manned-up" and swallowed the £60.00 charge.( I will NOT ask the local indy "how much?")

A couple of bushing got an "amber" but will attend to them along with the shocks prior to her 2nd MOT in Sept 2015

Thanks again

Marcus

... You can get an S3 spec bush for this quite cheaply that removes a lot of arm movement.....

 

Brad

Just had the MoT roadworthiness test done - and no suspension/bush problems noted, so the "big plan" to change all the bushes is on hold for the moment as I do need some discs pad & tyres! However I was previously recommended to replace the track-control arm rear bushes by the guys who mapped the engine.

 

I think I will use the S3 parts if I can find out the P/Ns, but  so far I can't.

 

Have tried this page on Parts Base http://www.partsbase.org/audi/audi-a3-s3-sportback-qu-a3-eu-2005-40700-wishbone-wheel-bearing-housing-anti-roll-bar/ but that refers me to another drawing which I can't seem to find, to show the bush P/Ns (also looked at the JPK Vag Parts catalogue and done some searches, with no success) - so have you any idea what the P/Ns for the LHS and RHS bushes are?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

John

I did find this page on the UK Volkswagen Owners Club forum http://m.vagoc.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?t=7974

 

About 1/2 way down, it show the pics of the two complete consoles with the bushes fitted, but, nowhere there or anywhere else, can I find the VAG P/Ns for the two complete consoles with the solid (as opposed to void-type) bushes fitted - can anyone identify the P/Ns from the pics? ( I would ignore the P/N on the bushes themselves as that is probably only for the bush)

The 100 series drawings are under the "engine" heading.  You were at the front axle/steering which is the 4th row & has all the 400 series drawings.

 

To the best of my knowledge, the only S3 specific bush is the large console bush.  To tighten up the others you might need to go to aftermarket eurathene bushes?

 

I think VW only sell the bushes with the alloy bracket.  i believe these are the numbers.

lower control arm bushing Audi S3 and RS3:

1K0 199 231 N left
1K0 199 232 N right

 

The partno on the bush is 8j0407183 or 8z0407183 but I'm not sure if it's available seperately

The Febi 33973 bush can be bought aftermarket for about GBP10 each.

 

Worth watching

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJaZ4yLCTeg

Edited 25 March, 201511 yr by brad1.8T

 Brad

 

Many thanks - that confirms that I was looking in the wrong place on Parts Base, but I didn't know where I should be looking .

 

Should be straightforward from now on - but, as I said in the previous post, I have shelved the idea of changing ALL of the bushes apart from these ones for the moment as the MoT roadworthiness test didn't throw up problems with the rest of the.

 

Thanks again,

 

John

Brad

 

Now, done some searches on those P/Ns and they only throw up the bushes with voids, not the solid ones, so I think there must a couple of other numbers for the latter.

 

John

Done some more searches and found the "K" variants are the ones with 2 voids in the rubber - See this page : http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/566188-Golf-S3-3-2L-and-RS3-Control-Arm-Bushings - very informative and recommended reading!

 

Then I found that the Febi 38662 (left) and 38663 (right) are the equivalents for the "K" versions of the 2-void consoles with the bushes fitted..

 

Be very careful when searching for these consoles because the VAG P/Ns can be horrendously expensive - up to £45 Sterling EACH, and the equivalents in other currencies!

 

However, I then I found that the Febi 38662 (left) and 38663 (right) are the OEM equivalents for the "K" versions of the 2-void consoles - these are just under £20 each, delivered, in the UK from Amazon, e.g. as here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Febi-38662-Suspension-Arm-Bush/dp/B00FZGFJZ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1427383910&sr=1-1&keywords=Febi+38662

odd about the partnos for the bush only.  i got them straight off the part.

 

Even odder about the suffix for the bracket + bush combo.  I have a set of S3 arms & bushes sitting at home waiting fitment - no voids.

 

I think both K & N versions will be an improvement over the stock bush.

Done some more searches and found the "K" variants are the ones with 2 voids in the rubber - See this page : http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/566188-Golf-S3-3-2L-and-RS3-Control-Arm-Bushings - very informative and recommended reading!

 

Then I found that the Febi 38662 (left) and 38663 (right) are the equivalents for the "K" versions of the 2-void consoles with the bushes fitted..

 

Be very careful when searching for these consoles because the VAG P/Ns can be horrendously expensive - up to £45 Sterling EACH, and the equivalents in other currencies!

 

However, I then I found that the Febi 38662 (left) and 38663 (right) are the OEM equivalents for the "K" versions of the 2-void consoles - these are just under £20 each, delivered, in the UK from Amazon, e.g. as here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Febi-38662-Suspension-Arm-Bush/dp/B00FZGFJZ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1427383910&sr=1-1&keywords=Febi+38662

 

FINALLY found time to fit the bushes about 3 weeks ago - and they have certainly made a difference as the steering is a bit "tighter" and there is less wallowing over road undulations.

 

Issues:

- Needed a long breaker bar to loosen the 3 console-securing bolts (all with different head sizes IIRC!) to  get them both out and then to tighten them up when refitting ;

- Needed a big lever to force the consoles down far enough so that I could hammer them off the wishbones; 

- Used a bit of Girling Rubber Grease inside the rubber bushes before refitting the consoles (with a big hammer!) to the lower wishbones;

- Had a devil of a job lining up the 3 holes in each of the consoles with the fixed nuts in the subframe so that the bolts could be refitted - multiple screwdrivers, a lot of effort and quite a lot of "bad language".

 

Worth it though - drives much more comfortably!

 

Edited 20 July, 201510 yr by jeallen01