Broken suspension spring

[Mikeso51]

I need to replace a broken front suspension spring. To be safe I will replace both sides. The genuine VW parts are around £120 each. Are any of the much cheaper brands such as Kilen and Napa any good? Are there other makes I should consider?

Advice from anyone with direct experience appreciated. BTW car is 2016 Blue GT.

TIA

Mike

[CarbonChaos]

It really depends on a couple of factors, all coil springs eventually give up as you have found out.
1 . Are you planning to keep the car long term ? If yes then OEM is always best
2 . Are you looking for a budget friendly solution ? If yes then most aftermarket springs will do the job.

I have personally fitted a lot of aftermarket springs (in the garage trade) I can’t say any are good or bad , the only thing I’ve seen is the coating on aftermarket springs is less durable ie they look terrible after a year or so.

[Mikeso51]

Thanks CarbonChaos, that’s helpful.

I have just ordered a pair of SACHS springs. Not the cheapest of the aftermarket bunch, but still half the VW price, and SACHS seem to be an oem supplier of suspension components to VAG.

[RUM4MO]

Kilen springs, are I think, made by Lesjofors in Sweden, they are a good spring maker, but, I've just discovered that the paint covering the springs is very thin and only provides minimal protection from rusting! That was something that I had not considered until I looked under my wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL 6MT the other day, so I've covered the rear springs with Waxoyl as doing that is better than doing nothing, I'll probably need to do the same to the new front ones as well.

Sachs, I'm not convinced that Sachs are currently selling springs, although ECP will provide you with springs in Sachs packaging, if you discover that the springs that you buy do not have "Sachs type" part numbers on the boxes, they will probably just be reboxed Lesjofors springs and the p/n will be just a few numbers, and a date or batch production on the box, the "few numbers" will be the same as Lesjofors also use in their applications listing online.

Next possible problem, if planning on going ahead with buying Sachs springs from ECP, first of all check on the Lesjofors website application listing to make absolutely sure that Lesjofors actually do provide an exactly correct spring for your model of Polo.

I've been there done that, and ended up with the wrong rear springs - it was Lesjofors that I had bought via AutoDoc and I had done my homework on the Lesjofors website and didn't quite absorb all the comments written on their application listing, ie "includes GT" and "3 door" - so now the Polo sits level as it is now 15mm or so lower than original, which is okay as normally there is only my wife or me or both of us in that car. Out of interest, I ordered up Sachs correct for that car, rear springs from my local ECP, it was reboxed Lesjofors springs that I was sold by them, exactly the same part numbers as the Lesjofors from AutoDoc.

Other than buying VW Group correct colour coded springs, I think that there is only Suplex - spelling might not be exactly right.

From experience, I do know that it is not very easy to buy exactly the correct road springs from the aftermarket. I once messed up badly on my older daughter's 2009 SEAT Ibiza - again Sachs from ECP - it ended up looking like an off roader!

Beware, trying to do what should be easy, is not as easy as it should be, especially when your car is not the base model.

Edit:- one other thing, never ever think that if a certain parts manufacture is a supplier of some parts to a car manufacturer, that they are also a factory supplier for the parts that you are buying - dampers probably yes, but springs - I'd doubt that.

[Mikeso51]

Thanks RUM4MO

Interesting and very pertinent comments. After what I thought was very careful checking it seems that the SACHS springs I ordered are not correct for my car. I asked the supplier to double check, and he came back today to say that they are not compatible, and despite being a SACHS stockist, says he can’t offer an alternative. This despite all the advertised part numbers apparently being correct. Since they are in the post to me I will now have the hassle of returning them for refund. I am now going to pass the problem on to my small but very competent local garage, who are confident that they can get the right spec. springs. And their fitted price is half the price quoted by the VW specialist.

[ciclo]

The springs noticeably alter the vehicle's handling. All compatible springs from other non-OEM brands will work correctly, but the feel won't be the same as with the original springs.

Currently, I wouldn't hesitate to buy genuine VW springs. You pay more than for compatible brands, but you get two things: better quality (paint, durability) and the original handling.

If you're on a tight budget, buy them from the manufacturer that supplies VW (IMHO).