hi all,

 

i have a 2001 octavia mk1 estate that is starting to feel a bit like i'm driving round a sack of flour. does anyone have experience doing any (ideally not too costly) mods that will improve its feel a bit? i've been doing a bit of reading and a lot of people have been talking about polybushes, it looks like you can spend between a sensible amount and a king's ransom for them, why are they supposed to be so good?

 

I had to have the NSR coil spring replaced a couple of years ago, and i feel like the rear shocks might need replacing as their gaters are all split off and when i sit on the boot sill the car really dips. can that be down to failed shocks?

 

any guidance / experience much appreciated, thanks!

 

**edit** forgot to mention, i have a slight quiet squeaking noise from the front suspension which seems to happen when i open and close the doors, if anyone knows what that might be, tell me! as well as this there is sometimes a knock from the steering (new development) when steering hard to the left 

 

 

Edited 23 September, 20196 yr by hebdenwill
forgot to add some info

I bought a set of A3 Joomla coilovers for my mk1 but never got to fit them.

 

The coilovers were less than a year old when I bought them but have been sat around for some years so are cosmetically challenged .

 

Yours for the cost of shipping if you're interested.

That's a very kind offer StickyMicky! I might have to take you up on that, are you sure that's ok??

 

I have to ask though, by A3 do you mean they're coilovers for an Audi A3? if so would they fit ok / provide good ride support? (for all i know it's probably a really popular mod) 

 

what sort of ride are they supposed to give? i haven't been able to find any reference to joomla online or i'd have found out myself!

 

sorry for all the questions, i don't want to sound ungrateful or anything i just like to have a good idea of what i'm paying the garage to do haha

Sorry, a senior moment.  They are JOM coilovers - http://www.jomcoilovers.co.uk/ -  - and I bought them for my 2003 facelift Octavia mk1 1.9tdi.   The mk1 is long gone and is now daily transport for our grandson so not likely to want any "go faster" parts ...

 

The seller was also on Briskoda, somewhere just north-west of Glasgow, and he had retrieved them from an A3 after only 8 months or so of use.

 

They will fit a standard mk1 but not the VRS.

 

Oh, and yes, the offer is genuine.  I think other forum members will speak for me if you need a reference

 

15 hours ago, hebdenwill said:

when i sit on the boot sill the car really dips. can that be down to failed shocks?

NO!! The springs control the deflection from mass (and road irregularities). The dampers control the rate of movement, but not the distance moved due to mass.

Had a hatchback mk1. RARB made a massive difference to handling and was relatively cheap and easy to fit. Had the whiteline adjustable one.

 

ok, thanks guys (and sorry for taking ages to get back it's been a busy week!) 

 

Thank you StickyMicky, I'm very tempted by your kind offer - I'm taking it in for its MOT tomorrow so will get them to put it on ramps and will get some advice on what might need / be worth spending the money on doing. I'll see what they say and get in touch with you - one concern I have is that I don't want the car to be lowered, at least not by much at all

 

Thanks KenONeill, I was never sure of what did what underneath ! The plastic gaiters on the shocks have all come off and are showing shiny metal, does this necessarily mean they need changing? If I was to change them does anyone know a decent brand for a bit more firmness than stock? or would brand new stock ones be a bit firmer anyway since they were, well, new?

 

bspman, thanks mate, I'll definitely look into that! do these cars not come fitted with a RARB as standard? what do they do exactly? 

 

 

Thanks again folks!

2 hours ago, hebdenwill said:

I don't want the car to be lowered

 

You may not want these JOMs then; they lower the car by default (I can't recall the exact amount) but that's the reason I never went ahead and fitted them to mine.

12 hours ago, hebdenwill said:

The plastic gaiters on the shocks have all come off and are showing shiny metal, does this necessarily mean they need changing?

First NP.

 

Regarding the quote, it depends a bit on the MoT tester whether or not the car will fail, but the rear damper gaiters are available separately.

On 29/09/2019 at 20:12, hebdenwill said:

bspman, thanks mate, I'll definitely look into that! do these cars not come fitted with a RARB as standard? what do they do exactly? 

 

 

Rear anti-roll bars aren't fitted as standard on the mk1 and reduce the amount the car body rolls as you turn.

Impact being that it handles corners a LOT better. have a quick look on the forums about them. A lot of people do them as a first change.

 

 

 

ok thanks chaps, all very handy information and help

 

as it happens it's just passed its MOT, needing only a CV joint. Sadly though being parked on the flat means it has an inch of water in the passenger footwells!!

 

i'll be getting the scuttle off tomorrow and having a go at the drain holes, i've done them in the past and it seemed to stop water getting in

15 hours ago, bspman said:

Rear anti-roll bars aren't fitted as standard on the mk1

Yes one is; you may know it better as a "torsion beam".

5 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Yes one is; you may know it better as a "torsion beam".

 

I stand corrected. that's pretty much what the RARB is bolted onto I guess.

2 hours ago, bspman said:

 

I stand corrected. that's pretty much what the RARB is bolted onto I guess.

Indeed; I'm not saying the beam is stiff enough (for everyone), just that it bends in roll (hence the name torsion beam).