1 Bad shock or what?

[Indy11Forever]

2016 GTI SE PP w/ 85K.
I installed VWR springs in October and spacers in November. Recently the right rear has started rubbing when going over some bumps or dips. I pulled the wheel off and did not see anything that out of place. Could the shock have gone bad? Or what else could it be?

 

[El_bigote_AJ]

What is rubbing and where is it rubbing

 

[Daks]

What is rubbing and where is it rubbing

Had to.

Carry on - as you were.

 

[Indy11Forever]

What is rubbing and where is it rubbing

It sounds like the tire is hitting the fender liner. Nothing is loose and all of the screws are in place.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Any oil coming from the shock absorber?

 

[Indy11Forever]

Any oil coming from the shock absorber?

No.

 

[Javwohl]

What wheel and tire are you running? It might be the inner part of the tire is running on the fuel filler neck. Had this happen after swapping to 8.5 wide et45 and was running a 245/40/18 tire was minimal rubbing but just noticeable over bumps bought spacers and never had another problem.

 

[Indy11Forever]

What wheel and tire are you running? It might be the inner part of the tire is running on the fuel filler neck. Had this happen after swapping to 8.5 wide et45 and was running a 245/40/18 tire was minimal rubbing but just noticeable over bumps bought spacers and never had another problem.

Stock Austin wheels with Continental 225/40/18. And 15mm spacers.

 

[Javwohl]

Stock Austin wheels with Continental 225/40/18. And 15mm spacers.

Well there went my idea sorry I’m no help.

 

[snobrdrdan]

If they're the original shocks with 85k miles on them.....they're done & the lowering springs didn't do them any favors

 

[Indy11Forever]

If they're the original shocks with 85k miles on them.....they're done & the lowering springs didn't do them any favors

That's what I was thinking. But there's nothing leaking out of the shock. When shocks go bad do they always start leaking?

 

[ZERO815]

Not necessarily. Enough shock internals can go bad w/o leaking. However, let's assume the one shock has 0 damping, that doesn't mean the total stroke of the shock changes. The bump stop is still the limiting factor in compression. For sure the wear on the bump stop is higher with 0 damping.

Do you notice any rubbing marks on the inner fender? Is the bump stop still okay and in place?

 

[Indy11Forever]

Not necessarily. Enough shock internals can go bad w/o leaking. However, let's assume the one shock has 0 damping, that doesn't mean the total stroke of the shock changes. The bump stop is still the limiting factor in compression. For sure the wear on the bump stop is higher with 0 damping.

Do you notice any rubbing marks on the inner fender? Is the bump stop still okay and in place?

Yes, it does look like there are marks on the liner. I only notice the rubbing on a few bumps or dips on my daily commute.