That was fun .....

[dvhttn]

... NOT! Took most of the week putting in new suspension plus new arms and TREs at the front and new suspension at the rear. Bleddy pinch bolts bit me - had to take both uprights out and use heat, copious quantities of Plus Gas and a long breaker bar to get them out. Then the drivers side had a wheel bearing going so had to find a local (within cycling distance!) garage to replace this. Fitted solid TREs rather than the OEM rubber bused ones. Left all bushes loose, refitted wheels and measured height (after settling!) then removed wheels, jacked up the hub and tightened - hopefully this'll mean that the new arms (£115 ish kit) will last more than 2 minutes.

The rear was easy. Only issue was the rear shocks - they were in differently (as the actress said to the bishop alledgedly ....). The lower rear shock mount is assymetric (see ... http://www.myturbodiesel.com/images/b5/susp/strut-3.jpg ...) and myturbodiesel.com was the only place that mentioned the correct orientation. Mine was wrong on one side, which would have meant the shock was out of alignment slightly. Had to be a previous owner (or their garage) as I haven't touched them before today.

So, finally got Eibach Pros + Bilstein B4s (for a Sport) fitted. The first impression is how quiet the ride is now, even on smooth roads. And how much more direct the steering is with a much better ride. I guess comparing things to 200K OEM suspension and arms is always going to be favourable though ..... But even the wife noticed the difference so it must be good. A major improvement on what I had before.

Top tip - do it on a ramp! I have a large garage but lying on the floor under the car is not fun, especially with my old bones.....