Hi are these an MOT failure if they're perished with bits broken off? I need to replace them but I'm booked in for a test Friday and don't think I can get any and do the job in time.

 

Any recommendations as to the best ones to order please?

Think there's a how to on this on the octavia technical page

One of mine has perished & my mot guy said it may be a advisory but not a fail,ive ordered some off a ebay seller,i paid around £20 for 2 bump stops & shock absorber covers.As NinjaVRS says there is a guide in the technical section,easy job to do. 

Fantastic walk thru on the technical page. Thanks guys. :clap:

Thanks for that. As far as the MOT goes, they are only cosmetic, so wil get advisory at most.

 

Mike

Mike thank god for guys like yourself who take the time to do these walkthroughs for us numptys  , 

Edited 19 September, 20169 yr by maverick54

Thanks for that. As far as the MOT goes, they are only cosmetic, so wil get advisory at most.

 

Mike

There is now a failure on a suspension component being deteriorated so depends on how fussy the tester is.

Cosmetic isn't the correct term to be used here guys as they are a functional component but are not necessarily safety related.

i got powerflex poly bushes when i fitted new shocks and springs. they were 29quid i think including the covers - the covers have split very quickly though. the bushes wont perish tho - fit and forget.

I have a set of bump stops & covers for sale in the part section if anybody wants a bargain. 

Has anybody had problems undoing the 21mm bolt at bottom of the shock absorber?

I have manage to undo N/S and replace the bump stop but it took lot of work to undo bolt.

Still having problem undo O/S bolt any ideas?

I did the job on my car today. Soak the bolt in wd40 and allow to soak for 15mts. I had jacked up the car on the sill with a trolly jack. Put an axel stand underneath just as an extra precaution then used a scissor jack under the bottom of the shocker just to jack it up a little and prevent any bouncing.

 

I then used a 21mm combination spanner (round end) on the bolt and gave it a couple of good whacks with a lump hammer. It worked perfect with no problems at all. Top bolts were a doddle and I didn't remove the wheel arch lining.

an alternative method would be undo the 18mm bolt on the spring tray and with a trolley jack below slowly drop the spring, as this will give you better access to the 21mm shock bolt to enable the use of socket and longer breaker bar.

Yes as Mike says jacking up the suspension arm will compress the spring and allow you to get a socket and extension bar through the spring.

Getting into a position to use a breaker bar on it is difficult if you only have the car jacked up, as you will have limited access. If up in the air on a ramp its a different matter.

 

Using a socket and extension bar on the bolt could be handy if you have the use of a good impact wrench.

I've got this job to do, possibly tomorrow, though I'm going to change the shock absorbers too while I have them off.

 

Note that you are meant to tighten the lower bolt with the car in the 'unladen position' according to Skoda: This means with the hub raised to the same level it sits when the wheel is on the ground and car empty. It is because the eye bush will otherwise be under a permanent turning force (since the angle changes with suspension travel), so may potentially reduce it's service life.

 

Until I do it myself I don't know how practical it is though - whether you can actually get a socket on the bolt when the hub is jacked up to this degree.

I changed the bump stop without taking the shock completely off the car. I just undid the top mount and used a bungee cord to keep the shock compressed whilst I undid the top mount from the shock.

I began this at the weekend but had to put it off. I was counting on using a 21mm socket, but I couldn't find a way to fit an extension bar through the spring, however much I raised it. The lower arm got in the way of my spring compressors, and I didn't want to disturb the 18mm hub to arm nut & bolt without new ones on hand as they look fairly cruddy.

 

Are you all just removing the 21mm shock bolt with a spanner + lump hammer - and torquing it back up as FT as you can? It's meant to be 130NM+90degrees IIRC, that sounds like a lot for a combination spanner!

 

I could get some new 18mm bolts and drop the arm to remove the spring - though I'm not sure how much movement the inboard bushes will tolerate, they've done 80K miles but I have no desire to make this into a bigger job!

 

130NM+90 degrees or 2.5 good whacks with a big hammer