Front Suspension Top Mounts and Suspension Inserts

Hi,

I've now bought some (BOGE Sport) gas inserts and top mounts for my cabrio and I spent this morning taking apart the front suspenion but ran into a couple of problems, so ive put it all back together again so I can use the car.

The main problem I had was that I couldn't undo the cap that holds the insert into the strut. Its pretty rusty which is probably the main reason. Has anyone got any tips for undoing them? Is there a special tool?

 I also found that whichever garage changed the top mounts last left out the bush/spacer that goes inside the top mounts so I need a new one of these. Its a good job I decided to change the inserts at the same time as the top mounts as I would have needed new ones anyway because there is a large groove worn in the top of the insert due to a lack of spacer. I also need a new eccentric bolt on one side as someone in the past has just fitted a normal bolt!  :roll:

Also does anyone know if the coil springs with 2 green paint dots are correct for the Cabrio GTI? After finding 2 bodges on the suspension I want to check that there isnt a third!

Cheers,

Ross

Yes, there is a special tool for the job. (Saw one on ebay not long ago).

Seriously, I would find a VW specialist near you. We use Volksline in Canterbury, they are ace on Mk1's, and a lot cheaper then VAG, AND they are quite happy to fit parts even if they don't supply them.

When it comes to the front struts ANY disturbance WILL require that the camber is properly set up. The fact that one of your eccentric bolts was replaced with a normal bolt seems very dangerous to me….what was the handling and tyre wear like????

A guy near us has a USA Rabbit cabby, he quite blatantly told us how he lowered and uprated his front end, but replaced the eccentric with a bolt - and now complains that the car will not go where he points it, and its ruining his front tyres !!!!! He is a bit of a dumbo anyway !!!

For peace of mind, and for safety's sake, don't play around and mess with the front suspension unless you are a mechanic and have the proper tools.

A tip - get a bottom strut brace fitted when everything is put back together, before the camber is set up. Just a cheap one (about ?10 from 'Big Boyz Toyz' makes all the difference to the handling - stops the front mountings of the lower arms splaying out as you go over bumps etc, and makes the whole car feel more precise. I know it's a non standard mod, but really is worth doing.

Just my penny's worth……

vwgolfmk1.co.uk

You can get that big "Nut" thing off if you have a vice and a good monkey wrench. Soak it with plenty of release oil or something first though.

The strut top kits should come with a new spacer (I think) as old ones are often mis-shaped due to over tightening…

I didn't get the top mount kit from GSF just the top mount itself as the kit wasn't Febi but the mount on its own was. The kit also had differrent bumpstops to the original ones on my cabrio.
I'm off to VW in a min to order new spacers, washers and eccentric bolts, bumpstops etc.

I am planning to get the camber set up again after i've sorted all the bits out. Taking the suspension apart has been a doddle really apart from the rusty nut I cant undo. I invested in coil spring compressors and they are dead easy to use. i'll try the monkey wrench technigue when I next have a go at the job and if that fails I'll take the strut to my local garage for them to have a go. Hopefully they will have the tool.

I try not to take my car to any garages unless I really have to. I've seen so many bodges done and found too many on my car. For example, when I bought the car I found the brake pads had been fitted incorrectly. That does't mean all garages are bad, I'd just rather do the job myself and get it done properly, if I get stuck I ask for advice and have jet to go wrong. I

I know of a good VW specialist near me but they charge over the odds for the work they do but really take their time over the job. However I know of another VW specialists that did some work on my parents old Type 2 bus. The bus came back not able to do over 40 MPH. Turned out they had put a knot in the accelerator cable, and the air intake pipes had been fited the wrong way round so hot air was recirculating round the engine just getting hotter and hotter!

I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers,

Ross

VW do a kit frt suspension bolt kit which includes all the camber/ball joint bolts which works out cheaper than buying them seperately, part no is 171498101A. 2 green dots are the right ones for your car.

Thanks Littlekev, but too late for the kit! i've just ordered the bits I needed at lunchtime, I didnt need all bolts though so hopefully its still worked out cheaper. Thats worth knowing though. And thanks for checking the springs out.

Kev,

What's the retail on that bolt kit?

It is ?11.94 & vat, not a big saving i suppose.

Thats a big saving if it includes the Eccentric Screws. They cost over ?8 +VAT each!

It does include the screws but it only does the one side

Just wondering if the top mount spacer/bush is included in this kit??
 Had my top mounts changed today and have one spacer missing from the passenger side. If it isn`t in the kit is it still available from VW?

The spacer that sits in the top mount is available from VW. Its part No.

133 412 365

I'm pretty certain the spacer is included in the top mount kit from GSF.

Cheers,

Ross