Found out tonight whilst looking for something else and coming across their website, that Andrew Page stock them, quite reasonably priced and we have one close by.

 

Progress!

 

Edit:- I think that my "best" tool buy when starting this job and getting a bit annoyed about things, was a tap and die set from Screwfix, good enough for cleaning up exposed lengths of thread so that things came apart a bit easier!

Edited 18 August, 201510 yr by rum4mo

If anybody reads post no 13 above would be grateful for opinions on the compressors.

If anybody reads post no 13 above would be grateful for opinions on the compressors.

 

Nuts at the bottom. You'd have a hell of a job turning them if you put them at the top under the wheel arch. I had the same problem of the threaded bar going up too far so I had to move the compressor further down the spring but then it was hard to get it compressed enough. I managed it somehow though.

They don't need compressing! I managed it without compressing it, you all need to man up lol

They don't need compressing! I managed it without compressing it, you all need to man up lol

 

Wish I'd had you around when I did mine then. It was a real bugger. No chance without compressing.

Just unbolt the ball joint, remove track rod end from the hub, use a rubber mallet to hit the hub down off the strut, then to refit just pull down as hard as you can on the wishbone and the strut will fit in easy

Thanks Lee and Updown

Little tip, if the ball joint starts to spin in the hub when you undo it, jack a trolley jack under it to keep pressure on it and it will undo

I've just removed my passenger side coilover to replace a top mount. I split the hub with a metal wedge, kept it open by putting a 7mm alen key socket in. Also he m14 spline bolt on the hub pretty much came out with just undoing the nut. When it got stuck a pair of mole grip in the head just to hold it still.

drivers side is a pain because the drives haft stops the hub coming down far enough to separate from the strut. its as East to just remove the whole unit as 1 and change the spring over. But beware the track rod end nut will put up a fight as the end threads are Burred over on assembly so file them before attempting to undo it.

drivers side is a pain because the drives haft stops the hub coming down far enough to separate from the strut. its as East to just remove the whole unit as 1 and change the spring over. But beware the track rod end nut will put up a fight as the end threads are Burred over on assembly so file them before attempting to undo it.

Well i managed drivers side without removing the hub, its easy with a little brute force

Been doing this today. I filed down the opposite flats of an 8mm Allen key and that successfully spread the hub and after lots of spraying with Plusgas then hitting the hub hard it came out without too much trouble.

 

Getting it back in is proving more difficult. These Sealey spring compressor's are very poorly designed. The claws hold well on the springs but when they're being unscrewed the claw jams on the screw bar and won't allow the spring to release. Also, it's difficult to get them in a position where the bar (and hex driver section) stay clear of the bottom of the strut (the bit where the spring locates).

 

Anyway, I didn't originally undo the lower balljoint from the lower suspension arm to get the strut out, but now there's not enough clearance to get the strut back in, so I am now trying to undo it. I have one of the bolts out, one has sheared off and the nut on the third was rounded off before I got to it. Looks like I'm going to have to cut vertically down on the end of the bolt and through the nut to get that one off. Hopefully, enough of the sheared off bolt came off for it not to hold onto the arm.

Edited 20 August, 201510 yr by phs12

Just looking at this photo of the balljoint, lock plate and bolts;

 

http://www.vwspares.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=176

 

It seemed to me that what I thought was a normal nut was turning as I turned the bolt. Are the nuts part of the lock plate and so shouldn't be turning? Actually, just realised they can't be as I got one complete nut and bolt off. Maybe they just come welded to the lock plate for that particular kit?

With the ball joint removed you won't need to worry about using compressors the nuts are captive to the plate but may well spin, one of mine did. Was able to get some pump grips on it to stop it spinning iirc

Done it on my 1.4TDI drivers side. You need to undo the anti roll bar drop link, drop the bottom ball joint out by removing the 3 bolts that hold it to the track control arm, unclamp the strut from the hub carrier (think its 2 bolts then spread the split hub body from around the strut to allow it to slide out). Undo the top strut mount then it should come out as a strut with spring in position. Think that the drivers side is easier as the driveshaft is longer and allows the track control arm to drop lower. You obviously need a spring compressor to compress the spring and allow the top plate to be removed - just be careful with the compressed spring.

 

Just to clarify (see bold above), as well as removing the three bolts that fasten the ball-joint to the suspension arm, are you guys saying I also need to actually remove the ball-joint from the wheel bearing assembly/hub using a ball-joint separator before the hub will drop down?

Nope, undo the three bolts, slide the ball joint metal plate out from the wishbone and then the hub will drop down

Just looking at this photo of the balljoint, lock plate and bolts;

 

http://www.vwspares.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=176

 

It seemed to me that what I thought was a normal nut was turning as I turned the bolt. Are the nuts part of the lock plate and so shouldn't be turning? Actually, just realised they can't be as I got one complete nut and bolt off. Maybe they just come welded to the lock plate for that particular kit?

 

The nuts are captive on the plate but some aftermarket ball joints come with separate nuts and bolts and don't use the captive nut/plate thing, so if it's ever had one of those fitted they would be that type. Of course, the captive ones can sometimes part company with the plate too.

Nope, undo the three bolts, slide the ball joint metal plate out from the wishbone and then the hub will drop down

 

But the drive shaft won't let it come down enough on the driver's side without compressing the spring. He'd have to remove the drive shaft from the hub too.

Nope, undo the three bolts, slide the ball joint metal plate out from the wishbone and then the hub will drop down

 

Phew! Thanks Updown.

But the drive shaft won't let it come down enough on the driver's side without compressing the spring. He'd have to remove the drive shaft from the hub too.

 

Thanks TMB. We have compressed the spring.

But the drive shaft won't let it come down enough on the driver's side without compressing the spring. He'd have to remove the drive shaft from the hub too.

Ofc it will! I've done it before, on the drivers side!

Ofc it will! I've done it before, on the drivers side!

 

Let's agree to differ then. I'm not the arguing type.

Done this now. Will post a further report tomorrow (tired now). Thanks again to everyone who helped 

Just scan reading this and very confused...

If you want to remove the drivers side shocker and spring but leave the hub in place that is fine.

You do not need to compress the spring and strut before removing.

You will need a multi spline to remove the bolt at the bottom of the strut that goes through the hub, then a tool is handy to open the hub up. As mentiond already I have a ground down 8mm Allen key that works perfectly.

With the bolt removed and hub open a little you need a big heavy bar to press down on the bottom arm, it's tight due to the driveshaft but enough to kick to one side and angle the shocker out of place.

Remove the three 13mm bolts from the strut top and away you go.

Rang 5 local Skoda/VW/Seat dealers for new bolts and locking plate. None had the locking plate, one of them had just one bolt. Unbelievable for parts that are common on so many different cars (Polo/Ibiza/Fabia etc). Rang a Seat dealer a bit further away and they had both.

 

Before going to collect the parts, I tried holding the one remaining nut that had come adrift of the locking plate with an Imperial spanner. Couldn’t hold it. Tried a small pair of mole grips on the flats of the nut. That held it, and I thought I managed to move the bolt, but it then sheared off. I assume as they are stretch bolts (although I don’t really know what that means other than they’re for single use) they’re made of a soft material that breaks easily. Anyway, turns out that the nuts that are welded to the locking plate are not Hex; they are eight sided. No wonder the socket I tried the day before wouldn’t hold it.

 

With the locking plate removed, I was able to maneuver the ball joint flange out of the lower arm. I was then able to get the strut in by pushing it high up against the upper mounting point and swiveling the hub to get part of the bottom of the strut in, then swiveling it back for the rest of the strut to fall in (this is all with the hub spreader still in the hub).

 

The top of the strut was now too low down to get the bolts in at the top, so I used a length of 4x2 and the jack to lift it until it would reach, then used some rods to line up the holes in the top mount with those in the bodywork to enable me to get the bolts in.

 

The rest of it was fairly straight forward. I was in a rush to finish before dinner though, and couldn’t quickly work out how the grey plastic piece fixes back, so I’ll look at that next time the wheel is off.

 

This video from the strut manufacturer KYB was very useful btw;

 

https://www.facebook.com/KYBSuspension/posts/10151846587917410?stream_ref=5