Is changing shock and struts a DIY job?

[janitz]

Originally Posted by h_2_o

the sway bar bushing for a 2k is a tricky one exactly for the reasons you stated. I had the same problem on my 2k. About the best thing you can do on that one is call ID parts and tell them what you are doing, tell them you have a 2000 and they are crazy nice there they will walk you through it. be prepared to have your vin handy to help them out.

even taking the one i pulled to the stealership they still got it wrong.

oh yeah if you have a set of calipers and measure the od of the clip that holds them in i can compare it to mine and tell you which one to get as well.

The description at ID parts seems to indicate that the 23mm bushing and bracket would be compatible with the older cars.

23mm Sway Bar Bushing and Bracket Set (A4) - 1J0498314T - IDParts.com

[jbremount]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

I was looking at "Front" Sway bar bushings on the ECS tuning website and they list 21mm and 23mm diameter bushings. I have a 2000 VW Beetle 1.8 Does anyone know if I have a 21 or 23 mm front sway bar? I know the 1998 and 1999 came with 21mm sway bars and that in 2000 they did change to 23mm sway bars but some say they made both 21 and 23mm sway bars for that model year. I can't tell from looking at it. I hate to order the wrong part. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Wow, I never thought anyone would ask this! I think you can physically measure the sway bar. I seem to remember using an electronic digital caliber(http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-...per-47257.html) and setting it to metric. Mine was 23MM.

I have a 2000 New Beetle 1.8l turbo car that I bought for my daughter. I did a lot of work on the suspension...(new shocks/struts/etc). I originally replaced the sway bar bushing with these: http://www.mjmautohaus.com/catalog/p...roducts_id=993 or MJM Autohaus. I was not happy with the occasional noise of the sway bar hitting metal somewhere. I replaced them with these:Energy Suspension 15.5106 Front Sway Bar and Endlink Bushings - 23mm. I have swapped the two bushings back and forth and I like the Polyurethane sway bar bushing better. In my opinion, by my seat of the pants testing, the car is more stable in turns with the polyurethane bushings. The kit also came with polyurethane bushings for the sway bar link. I tried to install this but my sway bar link was so rusted and corroded that I could not easily get it apart and eventually stripped the nut. I ended up buying two new sway bar links that were being discontinued and at a reduced price sale. If you want brand new sway bar links and at a really good price!....Here...type in your vehicle specs/etc: RockAuto Parts Catalog. After taking mine off and seeing how worn and loose my sway bar links were, I would definitely recommend getting new sway bar links along with the bushings, especially for the cheap prices they are at RockAuto.

[DZLBUG]

Originally Posted by janitz

Also, if you do drop the subframe to allow the passenger side to come down far enough to remove the strut, those bolts you loosen are supposed to be replaced not reused.

Bentley says to replace the subframe bolts, but it's not necessary. They are not TTY. Alignment shops loosen them all the time without issue.

Sent from my DROID2

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by jbremount

Wow, I never thought anyone would ask this! I think you can physically measure the sway bar. I seem to remember using an electronic digital caliber(Digital Calipers - Save on these 6 Inch Digital Calipers) and setting it to metric. Mine was 23MM.

I have a 2000 New Beetle 1.8l turbo car that I bought for my daughter. I did a lot of work on the suspension...(new shocks/struts/etc). I originally replaced the sway bar bushing with these: MJM Autohaus or MJM Autohaus. I was not happy with the occasional noise of the sway bar hitting metal somewhere. I replaced them with these:Energy Suspension 15.5106 Front Sway Bar and Endlink Bushings - 23mm. I have swapped the two bushings back and forth and I like the Polyurethane sway bar bushing better. In my opinion, by my seat of the pants testing, the car is more stable in turns with the polyurethane bushings. The kit also came with polyurethane bushings for the sway bar link. I tried to install this but my sway bar link was so rusted and corroded that I could not easily get it apart and eventually stripped the nut. I ended up buying two new sway bar links that were being discontinued and at a reduced price sale. If you want brand new sway bar links and at a really good price!....Here...type in your vehicle specs/etc: RockAuto Parts Catalog. After taking mine off and seeing how worn and loose my sway bar links were, I would definitely recommend getting new sway bar links along with the bushings, especially for the cheap prices they are at RockAuto.

Great to know that my sway bar is a 23mm (2000 VW Beetle 1.8)
I ordered new "Metal" endlinks and replacement bushings from PartsGeek.com They did have the least expensive prices for the parts that I needed. The metal endlinks were only 8 Dollars and change each and the bushings about 5 bucks a piece and the brackets also about 5 bucks a piece. I got new endlinks, bushings and brackets for under 40 bucks. Plus 8 dollars shipping. Not too bad. I would have preferred Poly bushings but I haven't seen them offered other than an entire kit which includes the endlink bushings which I really don't want to mess with. I am sure that the new endlinks and bushings will eliminate the banging up underneath my front end. I have to wait for struts another month or perhaps until spring since the weather is getting bad fast around here. Hottest summer in history and now the coolest September on record. We had more rain in the last week then all summer long. Crazy.

PS: I just checked RockAuto and you are right, they are even cheaper than Parts Geek. Their metal endlinks start at around $5.19. WOW, what a deal! I have to keep them in mind for future projects.

[h_2_o]

I didn't see it but are you going to replace your rear control arm bushings as well? if so get tt bushings and be happy about the upgrade. the stock ones are softer and provide a slightly smoother ride but are junk. Since you are going to be underneath it check those out and see if they need replaced.

edit: i realized my wording might be confusing. I mean the rear bushing in the front control arm.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by h_2_o

I didn't see it but are you going to replace your rear control arm bushings as well? if so get tt bushings and be happy about the upgrade. the stock ones are softer and provide a slightly smoother ride but are junk. Since you are going to be underneath it check those out and see if they need replaced.

edit: i realized my wording might be confusing. I mean the rear bushing in the front control arm.

Good Idea. I will check the control arm bushings when I install the sway bar bushings. They are probably in need of replacement as well. For now they may need to wait until I get a few more dollars saved up. All this little stuff adds up very quickly.

[jbremount]

Originally Posted by h_2_o

I didn't see it but are you going to replace your rear control arm bushings as well? if so get tt bushings and be happy about the upgrade. the stock ones are softer and provide a slightly smoother ride but are junk. Since you are going to be underneath it check those out and see if they need replaced.

edit: i realized my wording might be confusing. I mean the rear bushing in the front control arm.

Good advice on the control arms bushings!Since the store is local for me, I took my control arms to the store and had Audi TT control arm bushings installed on my old control arms.(https://www.mjmautohaus.com/catalog/...roducts_id=869) You can order them already installed but they are quite explensive.(MJM Autohaus). AFAIK, The old ones need to be pressed off and new ones on with a hydraulic press. MJM Autohaus speaks highly of the Audi TT control arms bushings.

[h_2_o]

on the control arms it is very very very unlikely that you would need to do the front bushings. Honestly i've never seen a front bushing that needed to be changed. So if you do yours look both over just in case, but it will most likely be the rears that need done. Remember not to use the standard ones go TT.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by jbremount

Good advice on the control arms bushings!Since the store is local for me, I took my control arms to the store and had Audi TT control arm bushings installed on my old control arms.(https://www.mjmautohaus.com/catalog/...roducts_id=869) You can order them already installed but they are quite explensive.(MJM Autohaus). AFAIK, The old ones need to be pressed off and new ones on with a hydraulic press. MJM Autohaus speaks highly of the Audi TT control arms bushings.

So I take it there is no way to put new bushings in your control arms yourself? If I get this kit where should I take it to have these bushings installed? Is there a cheap press that I can rent to do the job? How difficult is it to take the control arms off the car? Sorry for the questions but I have never done much on the suspension and just want to be sure I am now biting off more than I can chew.

[h_2_o]

I did them myself they are actually pretty easy to do yourself, if you have a press or know someone with a press.

easy way to do it
remove control arm
with a metal blade in your scrollsaw cut the middle out of the bushing, now cut a slit to the edge of the metal ring pressed in, do not go further. use a punch to bend it in a little bit and that sucker will pop right how.

now take your new one and pressing on the outer ring on a press (some were able to do it on a bench vise but i would not recommend it) anyway press the new ones in.

or go look at pictures of someone doing it here
HOW TO change the lower control arm bushing - TDIClub Forums

[vwninjaz]

I found this site, cheaper even than ebay. Volkswagen Beetle Front End Bundle - Complete Strut Bundles by Complete Struts

I HATE EBAY. Also, monroe units are seriously overpriced.

[scarabY2k]

Originally Posted by vwninjaz

I found this site, cheaper even than ebay. Volkswagen Beetle Front End Bundle - Complete Strut Bundles by Complete Struts

I HATE EBAY. Also, monroe units are seriously overpriced.

So, does anyone know much about these units?

I need to do this job on my beetle.... nothing fancy- OEM replacement.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by scarabY2k

So, does anyone know much about these units?

I need to do this job on my beetle.... nothing fancy- OEM replacement.

I have tried to do some research on these shocks. There were some posts in the Honda and Toyota forums. They all had the same thing to say about the units and that is that they ride a lot harsher than the stock units. Some say the ride got a little better after a few miles but I am thinking they just got used to the stiffer ride.
They seem to be a reseller and "unity" makes the struts. I never heard of them either. The price is the cheapest around for 2 complete struts for $149.44 plus shipping which is crazy since for 56cents more the shipping would be free. So I am sure they did that pricepoint on purpose. I did send them an E-Mail about that and they said if I called them they would sell me the struts for $150.01 and ship them to me for free which was nice of them. But I am still not convinced. I don't want anything fancy but I do need something reliable and I just never heard of them or the manufacturer of the units. At least Monroe I have heard of and they aren't really overpriced just priced a bit more where it should be. I found them on Amazon for about 110.xx per Quickstrut. Which for two will be about 220 bucks so really it's only a 70 dollar difference between Completestruts and Monroe Quickstruts. I don't know but I always believe you get what you pay for so I am probably going to go with the Monroe Quickstrut just to be safe.

Amazon.com: Used and New: Monroe 171525 Front Suspension Strut and Coil Spring Assembly

Also Monroe has a $50.00 Rebate if you buy 2 of their struts. Good for purchase now until April 30, 2012. So that cuts down the final cost even further.

[scarabY2k]

Thanks Tom.

I agree- you get what you pay for.

That price on the Monroe quickstruts are pretty good actually. I just might go that route.

By the frequent post all over the org, only posting about the cheap struts, it smells like spam to me. Still, it was worth looking in to.

[warren]

another option is Strutmasters...i'm planning on giving these guys a call in the next day or two to see what strut they use for the front kit to go along with new rear SensaTrac shocks along with the stock rear springs...

after three years with the Neuspeed SofSport springs and Biltein Sports, I'm taking suspension on Iki back to stock, so...will let you know how this goes.

1998-2006 Volkswagen Beetle EZ Strut Front Suspension

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by warren

another option is Strutmasters...i'm planning on giving these guys a call in the next day or two to see what strut they use for the front kit to go along with new rear SensaTrac shocks along with the stock rear springs...

after three years with the Neuspeed SofSport springs and Biltein Sports, I'm taking suspension on Iki back to stock, so...will let you know how this goes.

1998-2006 Volkswagen Beetle EZ Strut Front Suspension

That is a pretty good price on the EZ Strut. Hmm, decissions, decissions...

Hey if you already have rear Monroe Sensatrac shocks why not get the matching Monroe Quick Strut that uses the Sensatrac strut?