Shock Absorber Replacement VW Passat 3B Variant

Hello fellow DIY enthusiasts.

My Passat 3B (Variant) now feels like a wet sponge when cornering after over 200,000 km. With more abrupt steering movements, there's even a certain feeling of unease. So, new shock absorbers are definitely needed; that much is clear.

Now, I'm having a little problem with the selection process.

So, I need two new VA (front axle) shock absorbers. However, if I were to buy a complete sports suspension instead (no coilover kits, no cheap "eBay" products, please don't mention section 10), it would only cost about €100 more. If the rear shock absorbers also fail in the foreseeable future (or if they are already almost dead and I just haven't noticed yet), I would even save money compared to buying individual OEM parts, I wouldn't have to get under the car again, and everything would be new at once.

What do you think about it? Has anyone ever faced a decision like this before?

Best regards!

Quote:

What do you think about it? Has anyone ever faced a decision like this before?

Well, that's a good question. It really depends on how and for how long you plan to use the vehicle. Personally, I would opt for Sachs shock absorbers in combination with standard springs. I would avoid lowering sports suspension due to the already limited ground clearance. Instead, I would focus more attention on the front axle. With 200,000 km (approximately 124,000 miles) on the clock, at least the rubber bushings of the control arms are likely worn out (soft or defective), which further exacerbates the bounciness.

Okay, this car still needs to run for at least another three years, and I don't want to deal with any major problems during that time. I'm very familiar with the issue of the axles; on one side, I already have the second set installed, and on the other side, I'm already on the third set.

Today on the radio, I heard the Volkswagen advertisement: "New shock absorbers for your old VW, starting from just €179 including installation." So, I immediately called my local VW dealer because that sounded like exactly what I needed.
HA 249 Euros, VA 384 Euros, wheel alignment approximately 64-100 Euros, depending on the effort involved. That almost automatically decided my choice. A difference of 550 Euros compared to the advertisement is not bad; probably those 179 Euros were for a Santana or something... I should have asked about that.

@Admins... please move this post to the appropriate forum; I posted it in the wrong place.

Best regards!

Hi,

I would recommend the following:

4 new shock absorbers (e.g., Bilstein B4, approximately €265 from autoteilebox.de, or B6 for higher performance, approximately €402 per set). Purchased online.
Then have a local mechanic install the entire system. Have them replace any worn parts, such as the buffer stops, and anything else I mentioned earlier.
Bilstein products are of top quality, especially the B6 models, which are excellent!

Good luck!

Okay... finally, I managed to tackle the problem.
A test revealed that the rear shock absorbers were also worn out, so everything had to be replaced after all. A sports suspension system with approximately 30mm of lowering was then installed.

During the subsequent alignment, the employee wanted to reset the toe and camber angles to standard values. My mild protest at least convinced him to use the values for the VW sport suspension, which seemed more appropriate to me. Does anyone know where these values can be found and how much they deviate from the standard settings?

Passat 3B Estate/Variant, four-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive.

Thank you and best regards!

When you're falling, there's nothing you can adjust; you can only try to steer.

I just received the opportunity to take a look at the ELS*.
The values between the standard suspension (1BA) and the sport suspension (1BE) are absolutely identical, except for the camber and total toe.

Fall:
Standard: -25 feet (plus or minus 25 feet).
Sports: -40' (+/-25')

Overall track:
Standard: +20' (5' -10')
Sports: +28' (5' -10')
(Although the values for "trace per wheel" are identical, and the target value in my measurement log corresponds to the standard setting rather than the sport setting -> is there an error in the ELS*?)

So, there must be something adjustable on the suspension. Or do Passat models with a sport suspension have different parts in the front?

After switching to a sports alignment, incidentally, only one value was outside the tolerance range (single track front right). If I knew whether that value had already been out of range before, we could have skipped the measurement altogether .

hi...

The lowering is not adjustable here. The slight difference comes from the alignment of the track and possible minimal differences during installation (control arms). I have a sports suspension and am quite satisfied, but you shouldn't buy the cheap ones, and in my opinion, it shouldn't be lowered more than 40mm unless you only use the car privately.

My mechanic, whom I trust the least, advised me that when I bought the Peugeot (which had been lowered by 30 mm for aerodynamic reasons), I should adjust the wheel alignment to match the standard values for the factory suspension. The tires would benefit from this due to reduced wear. Since the HDI is heavier on the front axle than the comparable gasoline version, he said that the handling in corners shouldn't worsen.

The standard tires on many Peugeot models, which are very soft depending on the model, often reach the end of their lifespan after only 20,000 km. In particular, the more powerful models (with the standard sport suspension) or current 207 and 308 models wear out the factory-installed tires at an accelerated rate.

My inexpensive 195-size tires, which I bought last year and had replaced with aftermarket rims, now have approximately 6.5mm of tread depth after two summers and a combined total of 38,500 km (approximately 23,900 miles). The wear pattern is perfectly even. I always change the wheels in pairs during each tire change, paying attention to the direction of rotation.

As mentioned before, adjusting things is not easy. When the car is lowered, the camber usually changes as well. If you can't or don't want to change the camber, then that becomes the default setting for the sports suspension.
At least Lemförder distinguishes between standard and sport suspension when it comes to the upper control arms. However, I can't look inside that particular part.

Thank you for your input. So, all that's really left for me to do is keep an eye on the tire wear.

Best regards!

Morning!
I believe that my shock absorbers, at least the front ones, are worn out after 155,000 km. In any case, the car (3BG) feels like an American truck; it "wobbles" after driving over bumps or dips in the road (in the longitudinal axis), and I feel a significant amount of head movement.
Or are the springs likely to be worn out?
The risk of accidents was/is significantly reduced, except for two family vacations in the past, and it mainly occurs on typical German roads.
How do I figure out what needs to be done?
ADAC told me: The test damper must be at a minimum temperature of 15°C.
Should I only replace the shock absorbers, or should I also replace the springs, considering that I plan to drive approximately 60,000 km with them?
I got two quotes () for approximately €960 each, including €240 for installation and dust protection, rubber buffers, and dampers without springs. The brands of the dampers were not specified. Is that okay if someone who is generally capable with mechanical work and would be using a rental workshop for the first time to install a suspension system?
Thank you in advance, haithamina.

For the BMW E36, you don't even need a strut spreader because the shocks are bolted on.

I replaced the front and rear shock absorbers on my Skoda myself at 210,000 km, in my driveway, using only a jack. It's doable, but a lift is recommended.

I believe that someone with experience in DIY and repairs should be able to handle this without any problems.



The only potential problem with the Passat might be that some screws could be difficult to remove. In that case, you'll need to use a flex drive and make sure to obtain the correct screws beforehand. I personally replace every screw in the suspension area whenever I open it. Many of the nuts are slightly oval-shaped, which makes them self-locking.


Regarding springs: Springs usually don't sag that much. Mine have 240,000 km on them and I haven't had any problems. Our T4 has 300,000 km, and in my previous Ibiza they had 210,000 km when I sold it - never had any issues with the spring stiffness. Personally, I would definitely replace the shock absorbers and check the following parts:

- Trailing arm bearing
- Ball joints
- Shock absorber mount.
- Tie rod ends.


Specifically, the front axle of the 3BG model has some joints that are prone to wear.

Hello,

Specifically for the Passat and similar models, there's a so-called "evil screw," which connects the upper control arms. This screw is always fully exposed to water during rainy driving conditions and is guaranteed to become corroded; it should definitely be replaced.

For me, the entire suspension (spring/damper) replacement took about 6 hours, of which 3 hours were spent on those two screws!!!!


I initially only installed lowering springs (KAW 45/35mm) on my shock absorbers, which had 170,000 km on them, because I thought they were still in good condition, and I didn't want to lower the car any further. However, it turned out that my shock absorbers were very worn, making the car practically undrivable.

"Now I have an AP coilover suspension system installed (supposedly a subsidiary of KW?), and the car feels very firm but still relatively comfortable on the road. It wasn't until I got the new shocks that I realized how bad the old ones were."


My recommendation would be to go for a complete suspension system, whether it's coilover suspension or simply a combination of matched springs and dampers.


Here's information about the parts, but it seems to be for a 3B model. The suspension on the 3BG looks slightly different, especially the strut mounts.

http://www.passatplus.de/arbeitshilfen/fahrwerk/federung/index.htm

It is generally a very informative website.


Here's a picture of the problematic screw (the one that was oiled).

http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/aktion/Attachment.html?attachmentId=444640


Here's a video of a shock absorber replacement with top-of-the-line equipment, but you don't actually need those "space-age" tools.

http://www.klann-online.de/Filme/KL-0250-40.htm





Best regards, Sven.

Hello and thank you for your input.
I'm not afraid of the head gasket job, except when I have to press in something like a rubber bushing.
But wait a minute! Don't I have to compress the spring to replace the shock absorber?
What, besides the shock absorbers, do you think definitely needs to be replaced? Dust covers, strut mounts, etc.? Which specific parts and screws are we talking about? I'd like to try doing it myself.
Does anyone know which brand of shock absorbers "Freundliche" is trying to sell?
haithamina

Hi there,
If you want to replace the shock absorbers yourself, first obtain a repair manual (for VW or something similar like "How it's done").
In the pictures, you can see what new screws and nuts you need (replace everything with new ones). Also, replace all rubber bushings and plastic parts.
I would also replace the strut mounts and the rubber bushings for the stabilizer bar at the front.
To compress the front springs, you'll need a spring compressor, such as one from Baldur. It cost me €85 in 2004. Additionally, for both the front and rear, depending on the strut design, you'll need inserts for the top nuts that allow the damper rod to be held in place. You can make these yourself using pipe sockets. The instructions will show you whether you need anything like this, and what it is.
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"vg" translates to "very good" in English.
Herbert.