Hi all,

I need to replace the front shock absorbers on my 2001 (51 plate) TDi Elegance Octy and am looking for a few words of wisdom!

Firstly i've had a look at Haynes & the job looks like i could easily do it myself - has anyone else done it & found anything thats completly stuck fast or just makes it too difficult?? - I'm all too familliar with Mr Haynes and the words "Ease"! :smash:

Haynes also mentions that the Camber is adjusted by the position of "The ball joint on the lower arm" on early models - Has anyone any idea whether mine counts as an early model? As you have to remove the mounting bracket as part of the opperation & i don't want to mess the camber up.

And lastly AVS parts offers either Gas or Oil filled shocks - is there much difference between gas & oil?

Any advice will be much apreciated

Firstly, unless you already have them, do not skimp on quality when buying spring compressors.

Second, your car is post-facelift, so shouldn't be an "early model". But I'd have the camber checked properly afterwards anyway.

Thirdly, damper choice.

There's no such thing as a "gas-filled" damper IMO. They all use oil as the damping medium. What do exist are gas-pressurised dampers. These work by delaying the boiling of the damper oil, by the principle that higher pressure increases the boiling point of a liquid. Most of the benefit from them (well in road driving anyway) tends to come from them having higher damping rates. So ask yourself "do I think my car was under-damped when I first got it?", and decide accordingly. Personally, I'd say that the Elegance TDi is a bit under-damped at times, but I know roads that make pretty much any car feel under-damped.

Thanks Ken - Much clearer now, think i'll go for the gas as it's always been a bit 'bouncy'!

Guess I should start drenching everything in WD40 for a couple of days while i wait for the parts to arrive.

Anyone else had any experience?

Sorry for hijacking this thread.

I want to install new shock absorbers for my skoda octavia I 1.9 TDI 2002 model. My mechanic told me to install bilstein comfort shocks with stock springs. Will this make the ride harsh when compare to stock absorbers? My stock dampers weakened a bit. Please recommend.

Ir you have a look at Haynes, it mentions a special VAG tool for helping to part the hub/clamp assembly. I did not use one, but I found that sone allen keys mounted in socket set (I forget the proper word - 1/2inch drive maybe?) worked nicely.

I also parted a ball joined for a bit more movement. I did not pretty much a year ago, but one of them has started leaking again :-( I had the standard OEM parts from Eurocar parts, iirc.

As mentioned i would advise getting castor/camber check as even the slightest movement can throw out the cars handling costing you on tyre wear ect

What are the diferences on the suspension betwen the 99 octy and the facelifted octy???..