Hi. My new to me 2016 1.4 TSI SE L Exec estate is very wallowy when I drive it. I’ve seen on posts in the group suggesting that a change to the Bilstein B6 shocks make a significant improvement. 
The immediate downside is that they appear to be circa £1300 to replace all 4. 
Can anyone advise if the originals can be serviced / rebuilt as obviously a much cheaper option if possible? I have seen on previous MOTs for the car that there were advisories for signs of misting on the shocks. 
 

Having had a Quick Look at the front shocks I’m guessing they are the original Škoda items - They are black and I note a part number of SK48ZFv99 on them. 
 

All suggestions appreciated! Thanks

How many miles has it done? The stock shocks are functional at best even from new. I believe they are sealed units so replacement is the only logical option. Are you on DCC? £1300 seems a bit steep. I think I paid about 650 for my last set. Shop around and get the fronts and rears from different places if you have to. Got mine from 2 different sellers on eBay and they actually came direct from the same source in Germany.

Hi Richie, the standard shocks on S3 suck from the factory - I had found almost no difference between my S3 Scout when it was new and my Octavia 3 Scout on 160k kms.
Only the DCC in Sport mode is not shaking that much.

 

Some members here say that Bilstein B6 improve this behavior and also make the ride a bit stiffer.

I would go the same way when my warranty expires.

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

How many miles has it done? The stock shocks are functional at best even from new. I believe they are sealed units so replacement is the only logical option. Are you on DCC? £1300 seems a bit steep. I think I paid about 650 for my last set. Shop around and get the fronts and rears from different places if you have to. Got mine from 2 different sellers on eBay and they actually came direct from the same source in Germany.

Thanks Marky.

 

Assuming they are original then they’ve bounced through 94,000 miles.

 

I have searched for other options and the price I listed was for the Bilstein B6’s DCC from different online sites which all show a discount from the RRP.

 

The other option which I’ve seen since the original post is for what look like they may be direct replacements for the original shocks ie not updated, as follows-

 

Fronts - Monroe C2516S £128.59 each

Rears - Monroe C1521S £149.72 each

 

which is certainly more reasonable to swallow assuming they should be good for the rest of the life of the car. 🤔

 

 

1 hour ago, fr1nklyn said:

Hi Richie, the standard shocks on S3 suck from the factory - I had found almost no difference between my S3 Scout when it was new and my Octavia 3 Scout on 160k kms.
Only the DCC in Sport mode is not shaking that much.

 

Some members here say that Bilstein B6 improve this behavior and also make the ride a bit stiffer.

I would go the same way when my warranty expires.

Thanks for your input 👍

 

I think assuming that they originals are not serviceable then it’ll prob be a case of going down the B6 route, although as I will be loading the estate rear regularly I may look to get the whole set up assessed by a ‘suspension expert’ first to see what they think of the wear and tear across all components first and then go from there. Cheers 

Oh I didn't realise it was DCC. That's the reason the cost is so high. In theory the B6 is serviceable. It should also last longer. 

Maybe look at tuning the suspension first?

As a check cycle through modes to see if the ride changes. If it does then they should have some life left.

Then check all the bushes are good.

Next I'd be looking to swap the rear roll bar.

If that's not enough then you have the choice (or both) of new shocks or lowering springs.

Both will help control the roll. But within that you have shock selection and lowering height.

16 minutes ago, MarkyG82 said:

Oh I didn't realise it was DCC. That's the reason the cost is so high. In theory the B6 is serviceable. It should also last longer. 

Maybe look at tuning the suspension first?

As a check cycle through modes to see if the ride changes. If it does then they should have some life left.

Then check all the bushes are good.

Next I'd be looking to swap the rear roll bar.

If that's not enough then you have the choice (or both) of new shocks or lowering springs.

Both will help control the roll. But within that you have shock selection and lowering height.

Sorry, my bad, I should’ve said that in my OP. There is a little firming in the sport mode but certainly not enough to stop it feeling like I’m on a cross channel ferry in stormy weather alas. 
 

Are you suggesting just replacing the rear roll bar or are there after market items that will improve things further?

 

I’m thinking after 94k miles it’s probably going to be tired in various areas so agree prob worth me getting it assessed by someone with better skills than me just bouncing on the corners. 😀 Cheers

From experience replacing for new won't solve the boat feel. You need uprated items for that.

I have a whiteline rear roll bar. I'd recommend new drop links when doing the bar.

 

Getting it all assessed is a good shout. Just make sure you tell them your plan. Don't let them talk you into fitting OEM parts. Apart from shocks. Stock DCC should be good enough if you don't want to spend too much. There's a coding hack that changes the ride setting to a slider too. It has the benefit of making the hardest setting harder and the softest softer.

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

From experience replacing for new won't solve the boat feel. You need uprated items for that.

I have a whiteline rear roll bar. I'd recommend new drop links when doing the bar.

 

Getting it all assessed is a good shout. Just make sure you tell them your plan. Don't let them talk you into fitting OEM parts. Apart from shocks. Stock DCC should be good enough if you don't want to spend too much. There's a coding hack that changes the ride setting to a slider too. It has the benefit of making the hardest setting harder and the softest softer.

Thanks again Marky 👍

 

I just googled the changes for the slider mod and have to say it read like a foreign language to me.

 

Sounds like it would be a nice option if someone provided the service in the UK but the thread I read seemed to suggest it wasn’t available.

 

Have a great Christmas 🎅 

There is a company in Poland, Nagengast that will refurbish DCC shocks.  They have a website showing their work. The cost last time I enquired was EUR 145 per shock, 

5 hours ago, coppertop said:

There is a company in Poland, Nagengast that will refurbish DCC shocks.  They have a website showing their work. The cost last time I enquired was EUR 145 per shock, 

Thank you for the heads up 👍

On 22/12/2024 at 23:51, RichieRichie said:

Thanks again Marky 👍

 

I just googled the changes for the slider mod and have to say it read like a foreign language to me.

 

Sounds like it would be a nice option if someone provided the service in the UK but the thread I read seemed to suggest it wasn’t available.

 

Have a great Christmas 🎅 

 

Should be easy enough for anyone with vcds or obdeleven. Pretty sure it's been done by some on here.