Fabia: How to fit a Jabba 23mm Anti Roll Bar

[Tom_vRS]

I bought the bar second hand and it looked a little tatty, so I had a scour on www.yell.com for local powder coaters. I got the bar shot blasted and recoated in "semi-gloss black" for the princely sum of £25.

Firstly - sorry all the photos were taken after fitting.

I booked the morning off to get Jabba to fit the ARB and 312mm brakes, but unfortunately they had a mechanic off sick, so instead of wasting the morning I had a go at fitting it myself. You'll need to lay on the floor, and I found the hardboard spare wheel cover great for laying on... Admire the "action" shots... and yes I am single

HOW TO FIT IT IN 10 STEPS...

1) Jack the car up, preferrably with a trolly or bottle jack. I only had access to the Skoda jack, so after 5mins of dismantling the boot I jacked up the car at the proper point (indicated on the sill with an indentation, ensuring the jack sat over the lip as it should.

2) Support the car on an axle stand. Note, this should NOT be put on the rear beam or it will cause damage to the beam and the car will not be as stable as it should be. Also be careful not to squash brake lines etc.

I only felt it necessary to jack the one side up as it gave enough clearance to get under the car.

3) Its clear where the ARB goes, simply unbolt the lower damper mount with a 16mm socket and 16mm spanner, offer up the ARB (orientated the right way around ), and put the bolt back in and tighten finger tight.

4) Do the same on the other side...

5) Now you need to shape the clips to the rear beam. I was luck in that they had already been fitted to a vRS before... However, it just needs a bit of patience, and you are aiming for a kind of diamond shape. I wanted the nut to be easily accessible behind the beam. Get the shape as good as you can without swearing.

6) Slide the bush onto the bar, and offer up the "V" shaped metal bit that protects the bush. Put the clip over the beam to support the ARB, and fiddle about with the nuts and bolts, taking care to ensure the bolt sits in the groove in the clip, and the washer is on the right way around. Position the clip quite close to the bend in the bar. Tighten up the clip with the one nut (13mm). You will notice the clip shaping itself quite tight against the beam. When happy, put on the securing nut. Use 2 13mm spanners to tighten the nuts against each other.

7) Do the same with the second clip at the other end of the bar...

8) Tighten up the lower damper securing nuts.

9) Jack the car up, remove the axle stand, remove the jack, pack it away etc, admiring your handy work.

10) Go for a drive. I guarantee the first bend taken at "spirited" pace will leave you with a smile on your face!

I am a bit of a numpty, but feel fairly competant doing such simple tasks - give it a go, but don't stretch yourself beyond your abilities.

NB - you may find the bar quite heavy, and may benefit from an extra pair of hands to support the bar.

[VRStu]

Deffo looks better in black, might have to get mine painted.

Nice guide mate.

[CzechPlease]

Let me know if this is a dumb question...but I always thought that it was necessary to fit ARBs with the suspension fully loaded, ie on ramps, not jackstands, as otherwise the bar has weird pre-loading issues. This is from my former life as a Scoob driver...is it different on the rear of the Fab and other FWD cars?

[Tech1e]

Let me know if this is a dumb question...but I always thought that it was necessary to fit ARBs with the suspension fully loaded, ie on ramps, not jackstands, as otherwise the bar has weird pre-loading issues. This is from my former life as a Scoob driver...is it different on the rear of the Fab and other FWD cars?

On this type yes it is possible, good point.

All you would need to do it slacken off the 16mm bolts and re tighten with the car on a flat.

[Neo_VR]

Let me know if this is a dumb question...but I always thought that it was necessary to fit ARBs with the suspension fully loaded, ie on ramps, not jackstands, as otherwise the bar has weird pre-loading issues. This is from my former life as a Scoob driver...is it different on the rear of the Fab and other FWD cars?

It can be an issue on cars with independent suspension.. but as long as the rear beam is straight.. its no problem

good guide by tomtom... and if he can fit it..... anyone can :thumbup:

[Tech1e]

but as long as the rear beam is straight.. its no problem

:

But is the beam straight if the car is jacked up on one side, answer is NO.

Very small twist but it will be there.

Diference is with front ARB's though is they are fully pivoted, as is the Neuspeed rear one on the Octavia.

[fabman]

great guide but i bet i would draw blood on my knuckles if i did it myself, have to wait for one to come up for sale i guess.....

[WW_VRS]

Thanks for the guide & it looks ace in black. Hmm wondering now about the colour of the front strut - I need to paint it -

When Stu fitted mine we jacked up both sides, the only problem with the rear ARB is that it DOES hit the suspension, which is rather annoying as it causes noises SWMBO notices

[VRStu]

I wonder if this is where it's knocking -

Perhaps there may be a little bit of adjustment in it.

[Tech1e]

Bit of rubber tubing in between the bar and the spring cup would sort it I would have thought.

[Tom_vRS]

I did think about the slight twist, but figured it would be so slight it is negligible... The hole in the bar where it bolts to the suspension is very snug, so no room for play. As for the clips, there is a little give in the bush, and a shiny bush against a clean rear beam will soon move to where it wants to move... the clips solely hold the bar off of the floor, they dont do anything structurally etc...

Cheers for the comments...

[devonutopia]

Easy enough to loosen off, wiggle a bit, and retighten.

I did prefer the "watch in curious style from Jabba's viewing window" fitting method, whilst two guys worked under my car.

Black is good. Mine's black - nice shade of underseal black too.

[Tom_vRS]

Easy enough to loosen off' date=' wiggle a bit, and retighten.

I did prefer the "watch in curious style from Jabba's viewing window" fitting method, whilst two guys worked under my car.

Black is good. Mine's black - nice shade of underseal black too.

[/quote']

Nice to see Jabba chose the same place to put the clips and the same orientation as me!

[Tom_vRS]

I wonder if this is where it's knocking -

Perhaps there may be a little bit of adjustment in it.

No adjustment available I'm afraid, but not heard a knocking yet. Maybe a bigger bush at the beam would be the answer? A bit of rubber tubing would dull any noise for sure, but would perhaps wear out quite quickly?

I'll keep an eye on the bar, see if the coating wears off in these locations...

[navarino]

Nice guide - very clear pictures. Quick question, are you on standard suspension? If so does the reduction in roll at the rear affect the sensation of lift on the front inside wheel as you turn in?

[Tom_vRS]

Nice guide - very clear pictures. Quick question, are you on standard suspension? If so does the reduction in roll at the rear affect the sensation of lift on the front inside wheel as you turn in?

I'm on Eibach springs so can't comment really. But it will make a slight difference yes.

[walkie]

Excellent guide Good photo's even though a couple look like a tragic accident

[navarino]

I'm on Eibach springs so can't comment really. But it will make a slight difference yes.

__________________

Cheers, might be irrelevant if Chris Knott give me an affordable quote on Walkies car and no one beats me to it!(if you are reading Walkie I've sent a pm:thumbup: )

[Tom_vRS]

Cheers, might be irrelevant if Chris Knott give me an affordable quote on Walkies car and no one beats me to it!(if you are reading Walkie I've sent a pm:thumbup: )

Good luck with it mate - its a good one.

[homeruk187]

I'm an office bod so unless it has a mouse i'm pretty much fooooked. How much woudl it cost for the bar and rough price for a mechanic to fit. I know its a difficult one but there are plenty of local garages in merseyside amd I know the ones taht dont rip you off.

My VRS is 7 days old and I know we have got good times ahead

[Glider]

@WW, My ARB don't knock either, even when bouncing over kerbs, maybe want to jack it up and check bolts. Can you defo see where it's rubbng.

[Mort]

Decided to put mine on today, as long as it gets a little warmer. Two questions though:

I don't have any lock nuts for the clips. Is it worth buying a couple before I put it on? and where do I put the lube that came with the bushes? just inside between bush and bar? or should it go between the bush and the metal 'V' as well?

Also, can this be done on portable ramps rather than jacking it up?

Cheers,

[WW_VRS]

Will check with Stu when next down on Tuesday, hopefully we can work out how to silence the blasted thing

[Glider]

Mort you don't need locknuts as they are a cam type nut that are supplied with the kit and it cant slip,

The lub is for the bush ( rubber bit) but worthwhile putting some on the lower suspension bolts when you have them out, and the threads on the clamps to stop every thing rusting.

[VRStu]

Following on from Tom's lead I had mine Shot Blasted, Zinc Primed and Powder Coated in Matt Black to match the beam.

Fitted it this morning (before the rain) and made a few observations.

I think it is critical to ensure that the car is on level ground and that the rear beam is supported in it's normal road going position. So this means that if you don't have access to a 2/4 post lift or pit and you will be jacking the car up you will need to support it on the rear beam using axle stands. This should not be in the middle of the beam but on the outer edges, I used an area near the spring cup. The car should be fully lowered onto the stands.

When done in this way the bar does in fact sit clear of the lower spring cup when fitted. I experimented by slightly jacking the front whilst the rear was supported as described above and found it does make a huge difference.

Tom - I would suggest that you loosen your lower shock absorber mounts and allow the bar to settle before re-tightening. Yours does look 'lop-sided' in the pictures.

As mine was secondhand I didn't have the supplied lubricant so I used a small amount of copper grease on the inside and some silicone spray on the outside.

I also had a slight problem with the silcone mounts opening up as the cut to allow fitting was in the flat part the fits to the beam. Every time I tried to tighten the strap it pushed them open. This was easily cured by putting a couple of cable ties on the outer edges of the silcone mounts to hold them together.

Unfortunately no pictures this time people but I have a sneaking suspicion that someone will want the other one that's in my garage refitted to his car shortly. :P

For those that don't yet have any I would highly recommend you get yourself down to Halfrauds and take advantage of the 3 for 2 offer on lubricant sprays thay have. The silicone is ideal for rubber stuff and the copper grease is ideal for all sorts of jobs including a light coating on those troublesome hub/wheel interfaces.