fitting KONI adjustables

[Judderi]

i have a set of KONI adjustables on my white golf that i want to transfere onto my new black golf and vice versa. I have changed normal springs and shocks before but not adjustables. Is it any harder? Will i need special tools? Do you need to compress the springs on adjustables before taking them out? And do you recon i will be able to do it and have both cars up and running again in a weekend ?!?

P.S If i do manage it will i need to take the car to get it all alighned properly?

[davidhawkins_78]

You'll be able to do it in a day easy !!!

Just change the struts with the springs intact - no need to compress the springs at all !! Just pay attention when removing the rears to get the washers and bushes in the right order when you put them back. Also, you'll need a deep angled spanner or strut tool to remove the fronts - but if you've done it before you'll know all about it.

Adjustables are no different to normal stuff really - is your's damper or ride height adjustable (i'd assume damper or you'd be talking about coil overs, not adjustables).

If you're lowering the car it's always best to at least get the tracking checked - camber would be good too, but often rather expensive for a pucker laser geometry check.

[Judderi]

You can adjust both the height and the ride dampness. Guess this makes them coilovers. I forgot to mention that im also swapping the front and rear brakes at the same time. Maybee 2 days work!

[Judderi]

Just an update on this. Flipping Disaster! I set off removing the old struts and guess what the top bolt was seezed and threaded. So i had to cut the strut top cap off. Once i did this i still wasnt able to remove the top bolt so i now need a whole new shocker. Not the end of the world until i tried to remove the KONI'S. Exactly the same problem so i gave in and left the KONIS on the old car. So now i need to buy a new suspension for my new car and i wont be happy with anything but coilovers now ive had a taste of em. So much for paying off debts!

[davidhawkins_78]

Don't give up yet !!!

Have you tried heating the bolts up yet ??

[Judderi]

Yeah tried that. The trouble is the allan key in the centre that you have to hold while turning the bold is totaly stripped so there is nothing to hold onto. It just turns and turns. Plus cant get the koni's off without damaging them.

[davidhawkins_78]

Sounds nasty mate -  I hope I'm not rubbin salt in the wounds, but did u find them stripped??

The front Koni's shouldn't have an allen head if they're damper adjustable, I might be wrong  though, but that's where the 'adjusting' key is and it's a mole grip job with an angled ring spanner?

Either way if they're fooked then it's soul destroying trying to get them off as I'm sure you've found!  :'(

[Judderi]

Its the old standards that are allen key and no they wernt stripped but are now even though i tried my best not to and im not some monkey knuckled ape!  So after all the trouble getting one front off i moved onto the konis which are about a 10m socket and a ring spanner and the 10mil was only sticking up about 2 mill so there was nothing to hold onto! So i gave up and decided just to buy a whole new set. But bugger me there expensive!