ARB - how do you tell the size?

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oriental.lilly
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ARB - how do you tell the size?

Post by oriental.lilly »

hi, my girlfriend has a '52 1.4 FSI, not long after buying it there started a bad knocking noise from the front, when we got round to checking it, we discovered the rubber bushes have slipped out of the cups! :shock:

so now i need to get new cups/bushes

I have ETKA and it states that there is 3 different size roll bars, marked in yellow,green and white, and having been back under there i can honestly say i have no markings?

my friends A4 has an obvious green marking on his... though it doesn't appear to be the same with VW's?

cheers

Dan
RUM4MO
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Post by RUM4MO »

Right, when I replaced the ARB on my wife's 2002 52 Polo, the new one did not have any markings as it was a "revised" one. I think that you now need a new "revised" ARB from VW. Before just jumping completely to that conclusion, go onto www.briskoda.net and look at the Fabia forum. There is a thread on this - use search and you should find it along with pictures.
If your car still has the original ARB fitted - I would have thought with white paint "swips" on it, you will find that the plastic ARB stops have cracked and slid sideways - that is what you are seeing - these "cups" are now u/s as is the ARB! IMHO, this ends up not being a diy job due to the need to drop the lower crossmember to get the ARB out - and that means a full four wheel re-alignment. If I were you, I'd track down your local VAG indep specialist and get them to source all the bits - ARB + mounting rubbers + maybe pipe clamps, and while they are doing this job, get them to replace the TCA rear bushes - but replace the normal bushes for Seat Ibiza Cupra solid ones. After all this work has been done you can put your wallet away for quite a long time. BTW the TCA bushes will need replaced anyway by now and Ibiza Cupra ones is the smart way forward - trust me. I have had to pay for this work twice with my wife's car - didn't know about the TCA bushes problem when I had to back down and let the dealer fit the new ARB. It was only while whinging on briskoda about these crap cars that I discovered that more work would be needed sooner or later!!! From the reg number, the dealer will know what PR code the ARB is - so will be able to supply the correct diameter one and bushes etc for that resived new one.
Last edited by RUM4MO on Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:45 pm, edited 3 times in total.
oriental.lilly
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Post by oriental.lilly »

jesus, and there was me thinking it wa just a tenner for the bushes :(

i have the haynes manual and i figured on the sub frame dropping, which doesn't bother me too much, its the fact i have to buy a new ARB etc as well...

thanks anyway :wink:
RUM4MO
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Post by RUM4MO »

If you have had a look on briskoda, you will see that neither the consoles that the TCA mounts on, or the lower subframe, or the lower swivel assemblies are positively located by their mounting/fixing bolts. This means that you must get a full four wheel re-alignment - well the rear wheels are fixed, so it is the front wheels that need accurately aligned to the rears so that the car runs true - its not just tracking that is required to be set-up.

I'm assuming that if you grab the ARB, in its current state, it can be moved side to side? If this is so then the knocking noise will be the cranked ends of the ARB hitting the aluminium consoles that they should stay clear of if no side to side movement is possible (ie ARB still servicable).
smithysmoo
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Post by smithysmoo »

I've got to attack this problem can't really afford to take to garage so gonna do it myself. Thats the arb replacement.

Apparently you can fit a Fabia Vrs arb which is 21mm. So I was gonna do this. Any tips??

The bushes are worn I suspect but I'm guessing I can't do this myself so they will have to wait. Can you replace the front ones yourself. Not the control arm ones the other ones??
david burton
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Post by david burton »

remember that a stiffer front ARB will induce more understeer
smithysmoo
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Post by smithysmoo »

Can't be that noticable surely I mean the eibach one is 22mm and the fabia vrs is essentially the same car but with 130bhp. and different look.
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