I had troubles with my car making a horrid squeaking noise from the rear right. Once the wheel was removed and under further inspection I found this..........






Not exactly sitting flush with the collar!

I then bought 2 collars off Ebay so I went about fitting it earlier. As I got the rear coilover off the collar broke, so it was an accident waiting to happen.......




I fitted my new collar and can you believe the spring is still not sitting flush.......







Yet the other one is fine.......







What is happening here, really cant understand and is my car safe to drive like this?

Thanks greatly in advance for any help/replies.

 

Hi, get a new spring. that one is knackered , and as for driving it like it don't be stupid !!! You will kill yourself or hurt some one if that pops off .


Also check your rear arm bushes as TOP to BOTTOM it don't look inline .

 

Looks like the spring has totally lost its erm, spring. I wouldn't be driving that car any more until it's sorted properly.

 

Thanks greatly for the fast replies guys!!

Wonder how or where I can source new springs from as they are coilovers? What if I bought some cheap lowering springs and took the collars all the way down thus them holding in the new springs.....Or would this not work and is it a case of me buying a new coilover set for my car?

 

Is this on a Passat? You posted up last week about it? If it is a kit from the cheaper end of the market, they aren't made to last. If it were me I would junk the lot and fit new better quality coilovers, or a shock and spring set.

 

Do yourself a favour and replace the rear shocks and springs , they look so old . you may want to check the fronts too .


Speak to these guys in Basildon ,so not far from you


http://www.gazshocks.com/contact-us

 

Imo looks like someone has heated up a std Spring to 'shorten' it then added the adjusters.
One of our local garage mechanics used to put vauxhall pigtail springs in a vice. Them tighten the vice X number of turns then heat the centre coil until the spring fell out the vice same for the other side and Bobs yer Uncle.

Dave

 

Thats the one Richie

I worked out that these have been on the car for 4 years and covered over 40k. They were fitted by the previous owner.

The rears seemed easy enough to fit after putting in the new collars......Not got a clue about the fronts but I guess it will be a bit more involved!

 

Bin the lot mate. Look for a breakers yard and put standard back on. It looks like the standard spring has been shortened then the adjuster put on full height to compensate. Looks very unsafe

 

Just been looking at lowering springs on Ebay as have some shocks in my shed but not springs. Some ad's say they will fit a Passat B5 (97-2000) but not a B5.5 (2000-2005).....Then other ad's are saying they will fit a B5 and a B5.5.....Mine is a B5.5 2001.

Cheapest I have found so far is Ł108 for 4 new Apex 35mm lowering springs.

The others I found were between Ł80-90 but stated only for a B5 and a name of spring I have never heard of!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Passat-...item35dfc8cf02


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1610621991...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

This is the one that states it will not fit a B5.5......Yet the above link for the Apex says it will fit from 97-05......Cant understand how one make of spring will fit a Passat from 97-05 and the other from 97-00?

 

What sort of cheap ass shite is that on the car ?

Bloody dangerous.

 

I worked with a lad who did this for his corsa too. Council mods.

 

I have just bought these (FK Coilovers) from Venom online.....Ł165 so cheap ones but all I can afford at the moment and must be better than I already have!!





Delivery should be by Wednesday so will use the wifes car till then. I know how to fit the rears after messing about with mine but dont have a clue on the fronts.....In all my 22 years of driving I have never changed or done anything to the suspension on cars, always took them to a garage to have fitted......But this time I want to give it a go myself.....I can but try!!

 

Fitting Suspension and brakes are straight forward nuts and bolts jobs, cheap coilovers have there place, show cars, anything that dose low miles, but in a daily they won't last long 40k miles they have definitely done there time lol

 

Very true, but i guess Ł165 every 40k isn't too bad. Thats probs 2.5-3 years for most people.

 

Yes, nothing that sees the public roads.

 

Thanks for the replies guys!

What would be the difference in say expensive coilovers and cheap ones? I have always had sports springs and shocks put on my previous cars, first car ever to own with coilovers in 22 years and 91 cars!

I had to go for a cheap set as the Dr signed me off work last week due to a horrid medical condition and being self employed means no sick pay.

 

get some coilover covers too - to stop them rusting/corroding - this wil then ruin the threads and you wont be able to adjust the lowering on them. covers can be found on ebay.
i've had them fk ones and they aint a bad product, german manufactured so will have a TUV certificate (quality).

 

Those inserts u got on there, one of the kiddies at work bought some for his civic. While he was fitting them I said that don't look safe all the weight of the car and spring sitting on that piece of aluminium :-( he didn't seem to care though

 

Exactly what I was thinking!