Hi all,

 

I am new to the forum and new to owning a wonderful mk1 Octavia VRS well that's what I thought until I realised that the rear axle is actually bent and is toeing out on the passenger side causing it to corner horribly. My question is is there a way of adjusting this i.e shims? If not is there a guide available on how to replace the rear axle?

 

 

Does it look like past owners have jacked the car up in the middle of the rear axel? They should have a stick stating that it should be jacked up. Although, I imagine most have fallen off by now.

 

Not sure if this will be helpful to use as a guide:

 

I would have thought that if the axle is bent it may be weakend and should be replaced, I did read in a work shop manual that straightening or welding not allowed. Don't think there are shims but have you checked the bushes. If they are worn it might be why its out of alignment. Not sure if worn shocks mounting would cause it but might be worth a look. Would think the main problem would be removing the old one as being a MK1 its been on for a good few years. On the MK2 there are concentric bolts to adjust the rear alignment.

Alasdair

6 minutes ago, Alasdair1 said:

I would have thought that if the axle is bent it may be weakend and should be replaced, I did read in a work shop manual that straightening or welding not allowed. Don't think there are shims but have you checked the bushes. If they are worn it might be why its out of alignment. Not sure if worn shocks mounting would cause it but might be worth a look. Would think the main problem would be removing the old one as being a MK1 its been on for a good few years. On the MK2 there are concentric bolts to adjust the rear alignment.

Alasdair

Thank you for the reply I have decided I will be replacing it all for peace of mind. I will take before, during and after pictures to show the journey.

On 17/01/2025 at 16:41, Dean said:

Does it look like past owners have jacked the car up in the middle of the rear axel? They should have a stick stating that it should be jacked up. Although, I imagine most have fallen off by now.

 

Not sure if this will be helpful to use as a guide:

 

Thank you so much that information will definitely come in handy when I am attempting to replace it myself.

I would start spraying penetrating oil/wd40 every day for a good while before attempting it. It will give any seized/rusty bolts a chance to free off. I also use a bit of heat on really tight ones. I bought a mini Vortex blowtorch which I use with MAP gas (plumbers bottle). I have the larger one but the small one is ideal for targeting small areas. I also have a plumbers heat pad that I put behind to protect plastic/wiring/brake lines etc. Not sure if there are any bolts that go into rear chassis. They can be tricky to get wd40 to the nuts welded inside.

3 minutes ago, Alasdair1 said:

I would start spraying penetrating oil/wd40 every day for a good while before attempting it. It will give any seized/rusty bolts a chance to free off. I also use a bit of heat on really tight ones. I bought a mini Vortex blowtorch which I use with MAP gas (plumbers bottle). I have the larger one but the small one is ideal for targeting small areas. I also have a plumbers heat pad that I put behind to protect plastic/wiring/brake lines etc. Not sure if there are any bolts that go into rear chassis. They can be tricky to get wd40 to the nuts welded inside.

Thank you for the advice it is very much appreciated anything that could possibly help is a great idea.

I do the folowing before I attempt anything under the car especially suspension etc. I have been using RP90 penetrating oil from toolatation and AC90 which is the euqivalent of wd40. For stubborn rusty bolts I spray with AC90 and leave for about 1/2 hour then use RP90 and let it soak in for 12-24hrs then repeat process over a day or two.

A bit of heat and a spray of RP90 when still hot works very well especially when trying to replace flexi brake hoses with a seized union. I'm a great believer of take it slow and its less likely to break. All my cars are old so no stranger to 1/3 turn to loosen 1/4 turn back then more AC90 and repeat till it comes out.

Alasdair