Changing shocks/springs - easy DIY job?

[kerley]

Hello,

Is changing shocks and springs as simple as undoing a few nuts and bolts, i.e front shock top bolt and 2 bottom bolts, or am I massively underestimating the task?

I have a spring compressor.

[Mk2Adam]

which car is it on mate? becomes ALOT harder if it's older and has seized or rusted bolts

[kerley]

The nuts should be alright as I had springs fitted a few weeks back!

Decided to go the cheap route and just get -40mm fitted but have now found out to my cost that the shocks are not coping and although the car is rolling less it still doesn't handle as I expected. Shocks are just not controlling the spring.

I have now got a -60mm shock and spring kit on it's way (40 just didn't look low enough!) but was hoping to fit it myself to save paying a garage twice.

[Mk2Adam]

sorry mate, for some reason i had it in my head that this was in the DIY guide section, hence the question bout which car

to be honest i'd only attempt it if you've done something like it before or maybe quite hands on with things like that, not particularly hard or complicated but if you don't know what you're doing then can be a real pain, i'm sure the kind sirs of uk-p can give you advice if you have any problems though

if you've got a haynes manual, socket set, spring compressor, ball joint splitters and seperators, 2 hands and preferably a friend to help hold things then you should be okay

but obviously it'll be your own fault if you break your car

[kerley]

Do you have to seperate the ball joints, or can you get the strut out without doing that, the ball joint isn't part of the strut is it?

[Mk2Adam]

i havn't actually done a mk4 polo suspension before but the sets i have done you have to seperate the ball joints, maybe someone else can confirm?

[polo boi]

u dnt ned the ball joint seperators unless ur removin the balljoints, but u arnt in this case, im tryin 2 do the same thing man, only i dnt have the compressors an see tryin 2 get a hold of sum is a task alone, it shudnt b that hard of a job an yes it is just the bolts that u said, but on the front u also have that alan-key bit aswell which u have 2do while undoing the bolt, this is if u have the mk4 6n, i have 60mm lowering springs, shud be a perfect fit, lets hope the bolts come out easy

[SAM_MK4_19D]

It's easy so long as you spray all the nuts and bolts with WD40 before you start. Have a brew and a butty and it should make life 10 times easier. I fitted a 60mm kit in about 3 hours with my brother.

[kerley]

Thanks for the replies. I know the nuts will be easy to get off, as I said above they have all been off in the last few weeks when I had the springs changed.

As it has 40mm springs on it at the moment, with normal length shocks, I am hoping the springs may not even need to be compressed on removal.

[polo boi]

im still tryin 2 get my 60mm kits springs fitted, i cant get the coil spring compressors, an ill need anotha set of hands 2 help me do it if i were 2 do myself, im seriously considerin payin sum1 2do it.

[polo boi]

ok folks, how hard would it be do u think 2 undo the bottom bolts on the front struts? i dnt know wen they were last out or if they have ever been but i wanna get these springs in, i didnt think about them bein cesed or anything until a guy mentioned it 2 me, has any1 had any problems undoing the bolts??

[kerley]

Getting the spring compressors is the easy bit....

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sa ... CcountryGB

[polo boi]

u know when ur taken out the front strut out of the bottom arm, is there any easy way 2 take it out or does it come out easily itself?

[Biddle]

I'm about to be under taking this task in a couple of weeks. Will I be okay jacking the car up onto axel stands?