Spring & Shock/Damper Installation Reference Guide

snobrdrdan said:

That wouldn't create the clunking.

I would've been careful going too tight with them though, the bolt holes/nuts on the mounts aren't that strong & can strip if overtightened. But they won't create any issues if they're "too tight"

See post #18 here:
http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26688&page=2

I would've used the OEM mounts instead

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Thanks for the help. I replied directly below that post #18. I had read good things about the 034 which is why I went for those, but I think I got my situation sorted out. A local guy that does a lot of installs for people told me his gut feeling was that it was the nut at the top of the strut so I decided to really just go for it this afternoon and it seems to have remedied the issue about 95%. I saw a method on another post of a guy that used a channel lock to hold a 21mm socket on the nut and then used a 7mm hex to tighten it all down(don't have to remove anything to work on it) and hit it pretty good and the problem was vastly improved. If I had a torque wrench I could probably remedy it once and for all but I'm happy to have it 95% until I can get to a torque wrench.

travicon, glad to hear you have it mostly sorted. I was going to say, I have personally had no issues whatsoever with my 034 strut mounts and have used them with several setups. Minimal sample size obviously, but so far no issues to report, unlike what I keep hearing about the ECS mounts making noises.

I was curious if the upper coils of your H&R springs are banging together...or do they have rubber isolaters?

travicon6694 said:

So I'm chasing some front end suspension clunk since doing my HR springs a week ago. After reading through this I'm now convinced my upper strut bolts are way too tight. Should I order new ones and replace these again? Or loosen the ones I currently have on there? My dad and I did the install and then went over everything again on Sunday and the car is still clunky over bumps/imperfections but not while turning. When we went over everything on Sunday it all seemed torqued down pretty well(we did the 2x4 method so there's not much that we touched in the first place) so I'm at a loss here. His done tons of jeep suspension jobs and I used to be very active on Mazda 3 forums and have done several myself but we are just stumped. Any other suggestions? We replaced the factory strut bearing with 034, replaced the pinch bolt/nuts, and replaced the upper strut mount bolts on both sides.

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did you torque all the bolts to spec?

jacincm said:

did you torque all the bolts to spec?

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We torqued everything to spec with the exception of the nuts at the top of the struts as we couldn't seem to find the correct spec.

travicon6694 said:

we went over everything on Sunday it all seemed torqued down pretty well

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You said this, so I didn't even double guess the strut nut LOL

Easy fix though

Of the top of my head, strut but is 60 n m right? That's what I spoke about earlier, it's hard to get a torque wrench in there without using the proper strut nut socket


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Hi!

Going to install my VWR springs soon.
Do you recommend to change the front upper strut mount to new ones? Or is it enough to change the strut bearings?

Thanks,
Fredrik

GTISwede said:

Hi!

Going to install my VWR springs soon.
Do you recommend to change the front upper strut mount to new ones? Or is it enough to change the strut bearings?

Thanks,
Fredrik

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It's up to you, I know that the higher durometer ones causes some noise for people. If it's relatively low mileage, you're good with the stock ones.

I would recommend changing the bolts I mentioned a page or two back as well as the strut bearings.

GTISwede said:

Hi!

Going to install my VWR springs soon.
Do you recommend to change the front upper strut mount to new ones? Or is it enough to change the strut bearings?

Thanks,
Fredrik

Click to expand...

Hi Fredrik,

Just use the guidance from page 1 of this thread and you will be fine. I've updated it slightly. Hopefully it's more clear.

Hammersticks said:

Hi Fredrik,

Just use the guidance from page 1 of this thread and you will be fine. I've updated it slightly. Hopefully it's more clear.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Is it necessary to change these parts, mentioned by jacincm:

STRUT MOUNT BOLT x6 Part Number: N-101-277-07
STRUT BOLT x2 Part Number: N-909-548-02
STRUT LOCK NUT x 4 Part Number: N-101-064-02
STABILIZER LINK BOLT,x2 Part Number: N-107-765-01
STABILIZER LINK LOCK NUTx2 Part Number: N-901-838-03
LOWER CNTRL ARM MOUNT BOLT x2 Part Number: N-106-405-01

GTISwede said:

Thanks!

Is it necessary to change these parts, mentioned by jacincm:

STRUT MOUNT BOLT x6 Part Number: N-101-277-07
STRUT BOLT x2 Part Number: N-909-548-02
STRUT LOCK NUT x 4 Part Number: N-101-064-02
STABILIZER LINK BOLT,x2 Part Number: N-107-765-01
STABILIZER LINK LOCK NUTx2 Part Number: N-901-838-03
LOWER CNTRL ARM MOUNT BOLT x2 Part Number: N-106-405-01

Click to expand...

So after my homie did his install, he created an installation guide as well based off the info he consolidated between here and VWVortex. These are the parts I ended up ordering for replacement:

- Hardware (front):
o Strut Mount Bolt N-101-277-07 (x6)
o Strut Bolt N-909-548-02 (x2)
o Strut Lock Nut N-101-064-02 (x2)

- Hardware (rear):
o Stabilizer Link Lock Nut N-901-838-03 (x2)
o Strut Lock Nut N-101-064-02 (x2)

- Front Upper Strut Bearings 5Q0-412-249-E (x2)

GTISwede said:

Thanks!



Is it necessary to change these parts, mentioned by jacincm:



STRUT MOUNT BOLT x6 Part Number: N-101-277-07

STRUT BOLT x2 Part Number: N-909-548-02

STRUT LOCK NUT x 4 Part Number: N-101-064-02

STABILIZER LINK BOLT,x2 Part Number: N-107-765-01

STABILIZER LINK LOCK NUTx2 Part Number: N-901-838-03

LOWER CNTRL ARM MOUNT BOLT x2 Part Number: N-106-405-01

Click to expand...

As outlined on page 1, this is overkill based on input from snobrdrdan who has done this job more than 100 times. I have also followed his guidance 5x on my car and haven't had any issues, at all. Again, if your car has high mileage or if you suspect damage then feel free to replace more. But things like buying 6 new strut mount bolts or anything for the rear for that matter shouldn't be necessary.

Ultimately buy what you feel comfortable with. You obviously aren't going to hurt anything by buying/installing more, and can give you the peace of mind. It's not like they cost hundreds of dollars. Having said that, I've outlined what I know is important to replace based on feedback from members who have a great deal of experience, as well as my own.

The other cost-conscious approach is to just order the minimal parts on page 1, then go back in and simply change out anything you think needs replacing later. It's not like the bolts are going to fail immediately unless you are applying WAY too much torque and break the bolt. Just follow the torque specs and you will be fine.

Hopefully this explains everything about what to replace when using the 2x4 method. Feel free to PM me if there are other questions or concerns.

Thanks.



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It's a 25-30k car performance car. Treat it as such. Spend the extra $50-75 for the bolts and bearings to minimize the risk. Will they fail? Most likely not. But IF they fail, the scenario you will be dealing with will be much much more expensive than the bolts you could have replaced earlier.

It's up to you.

Please, let's stop. I think I've outlined my position clearly which is not radically different from yours. This "what to replace" question has been asked and debated countless times.


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Hammersticks said:

Please, let's stop. I think I've outlined my position clearly which is not radically different from yours. This "what to replace" question has been asked and debated countless times.


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Click to expand...

My guy, you're the one who brought it up again... He asked a question specifically about the bolts if he were to replace them.

Telling people that they'll be fine without it is irresponsible from an engineering standpoint. 100s of cases being fine is okay. But all it takes is one failure for someone to get hurt.