Stoßdämpferwechsel Passat 3B Variant | Posts 16+

haithamina wrote:

Morning! I believe that my shock absorbers, at least the front ones, are worn out after 155,000 km. In any case, the 3BG floats like an American truck

.
"Mine does the same thing. And just recently, when it was significantly above 0 degrees Celsius, he underwent a complete positive personality change. Did you experience something similar?"
I'm replacing the two front shock absorbers, two springs, two dust boots, two bump stops, two strut mounts, and four upper control arms, along with all the associated bolts. The parts are already here. I'm still debating whether to put the control arms back on the shelf and instead install a complete steering rack assembly. The current mileage is 255,000 km. The rear shock absorbers and springs have been replaced before.
Here's a small picture of the new relaxed spring and the damper. You can clearly see from this how far you need to compress the spring to be able to install it.
A tool for loosening the long bolt is essential if you don't want to damage anything. This Klann 250-0040, also known as VAS 6085, is ideal because it can remove even the most stuck bolts and, in addition, can push out the steering stems from the wheel bearing housing once the bolt is removed. This tool definitely saves hours of fiddling.
It's not a problem at the rear. There are two screws on top and one at the bottom. That's all it takes to remove the shock absorber along with the strut mount. If you want to remove the springs as well, you'll need a lift so you have enough space underneath. Once both shock absorbers are removed or detached from the rear axle, you need to lower the rear axle. Then you can remove the springs. Ideally, you would use a transmission jack to raise the axle (once the new springs are installed) until you can screw in the shock absorber.

Hi,
Steffen, why the feathers? Are they prone to damage on that model?
hg
Herbert.

When the car is parked, it's clear that the body leans to the left, especially at the front. Right now, it feels like driving a full bathtub. The springs and shock absorbers are probably worn out. The original set of components is still in place at the front, which isn't surprising given the mileage. Also, when you push down on the front, it immediately bounces back up. Since this is my own car and I don't need permission from any customers, I'm going to replace everything completely. Hopefully, that will solve the problem. I want to keep using the Passat for a while; it wouldn't be worth selling it anyway.

Steffen W wrote:

haithamina wrote: In any case, the 3BG, as mentioned before, swims like a bunch of Americans . Mine does the same. And on those days recently when it was clearly above 0 degrees Celsius, he underwent a complete positive change in behavior. Was it the same for you?

Yes, so the temperatures today led to very normal driving behavior, at least for a Passat, which is a family car.
Okay, so I'll wait until a shock absorber test makes sense and then decide. I can go ahead and "soak" that troublesome bolt just in case. I've heard about that method before. And then there's the spring compressor...
However, I don't get the impression that the car is lower overall or on either side. So, the springs should still be in good condition. Does anyone know the measurement from the center of the wheel hub to the fender on a new car?
haithamina

For this model, Monroe offers complete front shock absorber assemblies (part numbers 5550020 and 5550021) with the spring, strut mount, and dust boots already pre-assembled. This eliminates the need for separate spring compression. However, these are only suitable for "standard suspension" applications. Those who find this acceptable will save time and effort.
The screws are also available there as a set under the number Febi 21503. This set includes the aforementioned long screw, as well as 2 screws for attaching the upper control arms to the shock absorber, and 3 nuts. Therefore, one set is needed per side.

Hello everyone,
I haven't changed anything yet because I still want to have the shock absorber test done at a temperature above 15°C.
"However, today I noticed that the car is lower on the left rear (driver's side) when it's empty compared to the right?! A spirit level confirms what my eye sees on a flat surface. I've never noticed this before. Could it be due to the empty tank, the spring, or the shock absorber?"
You're welcome, haithamina.

Hi, I'd like to manually check the feathers along their shafts to see if the first ring is broken; otherwise, it might be due to fatigue.

@teileklaus
I checked the tire and then also got on a stage. Everything seemed to be okay visually. Hmm, now what? Should I take the trip to Berlin, or not? Since nothing was wobbling, rattling, or swerving, I decided to go. Then, yesterday, I checked the last option: tire pressure.
The solution to the puzzle: it turns out that pumping it up with a bicycle pump isn't the answer. It was the very uneven air pressure that created the 0.6-inch height difference!
haithamina

Ajo... the air would be the first candidate.
I didn't expect something that simple.

Okay, the new front axle is installed. March brings everything new. None of those long screws wanted to come loose, even after weeks of spraying them with penetrating oil. The only thing that worked was a blowtorch. If those upper control arms hadn't already broken, that would have been the end of them.
The spring pre-tensioning was insane. The impact wrench used to operate the spring compressor finally gave out at the last moment. However, these are off-road suspension dampers and springs. No one is going to tell me that they install the springs on the multi-link rear axle with a €15 compressor from eBay.
The road handling is excellent. There's no swaying, and the suspension makes absolutely no noise anymore.
The car now has a very high ground clearance. However, this doesn't bother me because the exhaust of the auxiliary heater points downwards. A few extra centimeters of ground clearance make a big difference in snow. It might even settle down a bit more.

Hello Steffen,
What did you install now? I can't find your photo in the post from January 22nd anymore.
I would also like to have the front axle worked on, specifically the combination of springs and shock absorbers, and I'm leaning towards Sachs or Bilstein B4.
Can anyone share some information about these two suppliers? Independent workshops usually use Monroe products, while the official dealership supposedly doesn't know which shock absorbers they would install, only knows the prices, and can't see what they are actually getting.
haithamina

[Translating...]

Ich habe nichts gelöscht.Aber ich erinnere mich auch an das Bild mit der Feder.
Mit Sachs machst Du nichts verkehrt.Zu den Bilstein kann ich mir mangels Erfahrung kein Urteil erlauben.
Ich habe verbaut:
2xMonroe Reflex Dämpfer verstärkte Ausführung (es gibt bei Monroe verschiedene Dämpfertypen,aber mit den Reflex habe ich bisher nur gute Erfahrungen gemacht)
2x Federn Monroe verstärkte Ausführung
2x Domlager Febi (sind hier nur Gummipuffer)
1x Monroe Manschettenkit+Anschlagpuffer
1xLenkersatz Lemförder
bestehend aus 8 Lenkern,2 Stabipendeln,2 Spukos und allen Schrauben dazu
2xAxialgelenk Febi
2xLenkmanschette Spidan
Teilenummern bei Bedarf kein Problem.

[Translating...]

Quote:

Kann mir keiner erzählen,dass er an der Mehrlenkerachse die Federn mit einem 15 Euro Spanner aus der Bucht einbaut.

Geht schon, hab ich zumindest am 3B mit Standardfahrwerk hinbekommen. Allerdings hat sich ein Ring am Federspanner verabschiedet, wie hier zu sehen ist.


Bye
pax

[Translating...]

Hallo,
kann mir jemand etwas zum Unterschied Sachs Super Touring vs. Advantage bei einem Standardfahrwerk sagen? Die Preisdifferenz ist <10% und ich frage mich, welcher Dämpfer wohl besser passt, bei maßgeblich BAB-Nutzung.
Zudem: ist nach dem Wechsel Dämpfer/Feder eine Achsvermessung notwendig?
haithamina

[Translating...]

haithamina wrote:

Zudem: ist nach dem Wechsel Dämpfer/Feder eine Achsvermessung notwendig?

Nicht zwingend, aber empfehlenswert.

[Translating...]

@ Steffen W: Wie die Traglenker glänzen ARRRR!