Why is my GTI sitting like this? PIC

Hello all

My GTI seems very low at the back, is this normal or are my back springs dodge? Pic is a bit rough, from my phone

Thanks

Matti

i have seen this problem before.  it turned out to be a stripper in the boot ! :wink:
 


is same both sides, could be  weak shockers . have you done the bounce test ?  ( on the car , not the stripper )

Shokers will not affect the ride height of the car - only springs do that.

Yes the rears may have sagged or have -40 springs and standard on the front.  Possible that you have two broken springs but imo unlikely.

Cheers

Rich

Car has coilovers, and no engine?

has it got diesel springs on the front?  :wink:
Bert

Thanks all.

Definately no stripper in the boot, checked. Definately got an engine in, checked!

It is a little more down on the driver's side but down at back on both sides. Anyone recommend some springs?

Matti

rear looks ok to me its the front that looks a tad high.

abfmk1 said

rear looks ok to me its the front that looks a tad high.

That's what I was thinking TBH

abfmk1 said

rear looks ok to me its the front that looks a tad high.

Thats what I was thinking also but still best to check all 4 spring as it may of had new front but wrong springs fitted

Check the inner shockers at the front by doing a bounce test. I had the same problem last year and I tracked it down to a leaking gas shock. I replaced the front shockers with oil ones and it solved the problem, Are the shocks gas or oil?

golf1 said

Check the inner shockers at the front by doing a bounce test. I had the same problem last year and I tracked it down to a leaking gas shock. I replaced the front shockers with oil ones and it solved the problem, Are the shocks gas or oil?

Shock absorbers have no affect on ride height.  Only springs do.

Agreed,spring control the height you know,shocker just take the bounce from the spring.
bert

have you checked the strut top mounts at the back

crazyquiff said

golf1 said

Check the inner shockers at the front by doing a bounce test. I had the same problem last year and I tracked it down to a leaking gas shock. I replaced the front shockers with oil ones and it solved the problem, Are the shocks gas or oil?

Shock absorbers have no affect on ride height.  Only springs do.

I thought that but I noticed that the GSF gas shock inserts push up slightly when fitted, so I changed to oil and the ride height came down a fraction, must be something to do with friction.

From experience;

The top mount has corroded and collapsed.

The spring has broken, often near the top or bottom and you can only see the broken coil when jacked up and spring extends (or the nice MOT man does it for you!)

or poss tired old original saggy springs on the rear and new pattern ones on the front?

I?m pretty sure there?s no corrosion on the top mounts. If you look at the pic of when I first got it (Sept 07), this is much less pronounced:

Bear in mind that it had sat unused for nearly 4 years, so I?m wondering if the back springs were a bit soggy anyway and as I?ve been driving it hard since getting it (and therefore putting more pressure on the back from acceleration) that has just got worse?

I've just put my Mk1 through an Mot and found out it had a broken rear spring.  Exactly the same scenario, the car had been laid up for a while and then given some vigorous driving from the off.  I'd jack the back of the car up high and inspect the springs properly.  I couldn't see mine was broken until the car was on an overhead ramp and then jacked up off that to take the weight off it.
From the 2 photos the front was the right height and if those spring s haven't been changed then the rears will have collapsed.  (Presuming that engine definitely is there!! )

Mine looks just like that on the road and it has new and uprated springs and shockers all round.  OH keeps threatening to put some lead under the bonnet!!

The problem is, it makes the handling a little 'quirky', particularly in the wet. With how it sits (depending on how you want to look at it - too high at the front, too low at the back or both), it doesn't grip too well when powering out of corners, feels way too light at the front end. Particularly noticeable coming through roundabouts in the wet, end up in a nice sideways slide, generally controllable with enough road and sometimes even fun, but shouldn?t really be happening at low speeds!

Oh, and it also makes it harder to see out of the rear view mirror! Combination of being tall and car down at back means I generally get to see a lot of number plates but not a lot of the occupants of the car behind!

Will get onto this in the next month or so, got most other things sorted now and want to get it nice for summer. Maybe have to pop into (onto) my local church for some of that lead for under the bonnet…

Thanks for all your input guys & gals

Matti

From what you say about the handling could well be a broken rear spring. Get a trolley jack under it and jack up each corner so the wheel drops down and you'll be able to see any break in the spring.

Cheers