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Strut top mount replacement

Hey guys, Picked up a '92 Mk3 Golf 1.8 GL a couple of years ago and back then in my infantile naievety, took it to my local main VW dealer for a service. Among a list of things that "needed doing" which was as long as my arm, was listed "Strut Top Mount replacement". They quoted me what seemed a hell of a lot of cash for the work although as I don't really know what's involved it was difficult for me to judge whether their quoted price was a rip-off! In the end, I was told by a local back-street mechanic that this was unnecessary as the Golf was designed so that it just sits on top of the struts and that if you jack the car up off the ground they will appear lose and can be moved around a bit. Following his advice I decided not to bother getting the work done and saved my cash. Anyway, now (3 years later) the back end has started to make an occasional knocking sound, usually when turning at low speed and sometimes when driving on bumpy surfaces, speed bumps etc. It sounds to me almost as if the suspension is bottoming out when riding over bumps but I Don't tend to hear it at speed or on smooth surfaces. Not sure if this is a significant problem but anyway my question is, is this due to me not having had the strut top mounts replaced??? Also, how much work is involved in this job and can I do it easily myself with standard parts??? Do the struts have to be removed from the car to change their top mounts or can you access them from beneath the plastic caps in the boot/trunk??? Also are there any other parts that should be replaced at the same time???

Reply to
Stevo
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Just two comments. I would not leave a bad mount stay. I have replaced a couple as part of another job and it was not a big problem, but that was many years ago, who knows about today's cars.

I am glad to hear you have learned not to go to the dealer for service not covered by warrantee.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

A bad strut mount (actually a "strut bearing") will make a noise exactly as you describe, and they are not particularly durable on the A1 and A2 cars - not sure if a '92 1.8 used the A2 style or the A3 VR6 style. The best way to determine if they are bad (absent a noise) is to have an alignment done, if they kick the car back to you and say that they can't do it because of worn strut bearings, that's when you know they need to be replaced.

If the noise is really coming from the rear it is likely the struts themselves, but the good news is it's really no big deal to replace the rear struts (and the associated upper mount bushings etc. at the same time) - you don't even need a spring compressor, just hand tools and jackstands.

If the springs show signs of the coils hitting each other, you may indeed be bottoming out in which case you might want to consider a new set of springs. A full set of four sport springs is probably less than a pair of stock replacements, if you would like a little firmer ride. You'd probably want four new struts and to replace all the upper strut mounting stuff front and rear if you did that. I believe that you can also get a kit to convert the A2 strut bearings to the stronger A3 VR6 style. Of course, now we're talking real money, and doing the fronts does require a spring compressor and of course an alignment afterwards. You'd also need a cutaway socket for the top of the front struts unless you have access to air tools.

good luck,

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

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