I was digging around at the back of the car, and found some moisture on both the rear shocks – not something to worry about if you’ve been driving the car on wet roads, which I hadn’t.
Yeah, both rear shocks were failing, and had begun to leak, time to replace them or risk an inevitable MOT failure.
Thankfully Olivia, is a Quattro, it actually makes doing this work a little easier IMHO.
On the two wheel drive version, the shocks go straight up vertically into their mounts, and their top mounts are a little more complex than a single bolt – and the spring is much longer, and fits in a different place, which is much closer to the shock that in the Quattro.
I like the Quattro version – the spring is well out of way, and there are two bolts – three if you include the drop links for the anti-roll bar. NIIICE… 🙂
Right: Figure out which shock is dead, and which one is the new one ?
First off – standard jack car up, wheel off, and then support the car with axle stand at the rear jacking point.
Once safely supported, remove that jack from car lifting duties, and use for support duties under the trailing arm of the suspension. (or a second trolly jack if you got one – but for the love of your sanity, and health, put the car on proper support like said mentioned axle stand – don’t just leave it supported on a jack!!)
I use a custom “engineered” block of wood on my trolley jack to fit the lifting arm into the jacking points on the car, and this has the additional benefit that I can use that block of wood under the trailing arm so that the metal lifting plate on the trolley jack isn’t in direct, and potentially damaging, contact with the trailing arm.
Suggest you do similar. 🙂
Now – raise the jack to compress the spring – only just a little bit – care is required here, you are putting upwards pressure on the car – indirectly through the spring – and whilst the car is pushing down onto the axle stand, you don’t want to apply so much upward force on the trailing arm that you use the energy in the spring compression to lift the car off that axle stand – or make it’s purchase on the stand otherwise “tenuous” and therefore unsafe.
Right: Car on axle stands (out of shot), and trailing arm supported by trolley jack. Look closely and you can see the block of wood under the trailing arm.
The rear shock is held in place by a bolt at either end, both of which should be replaced as a matter of course, as they are stretch bolts, and must be done up to a specified torque, and therefore will need replacing.
Right : Tada! One shock removed !
This shows a fairly clear mounting hole on the left, and in this picture you can see the tubes that go to and fro from the fuel tank (fill and breather etc…)
As with a lot of car maintenance, as well at other mechanical things – getting something out is only half, or is more normal, less than half, the story and/or the battle.
In my case, I am also replacing the anti-roll bar (ARB) drop-inks, as they are well and truly destroyed – I might as well, as I have to undo them from the trailing arm with the bottom bolt when I remove the damper.
Now onto the re-fitting.
Fitting the top first is the key as far as I am concerned, it holds the thing nicely in place (and to be fair, it’s the way the Audi workshop manual tells you to !)
Right: Attached new shock to rear body mounting point. Note – that bolt hasn’t been replaced yet, I was using the old bolt during this “test fit” and shooting opportunity!
The biggest challenge really comes when you re-fit the drop links.
All these components have rubber mounts, and as these are nice and new, they are rather stiff, not floppy and falling apart like the ones that have just been taken off, so getting things to fit *just-so* on refit, took a little bit of patience.
Le
ft: First stage in tightening the bottom bolt up – this goes in at 120NM – but, and this is crucial, you have to put the wheels back on the car, and put the weight of the car fully back on the suspension **BEFORE** fully tightening **ALL** the three bolts you’ve just put in.
(for reference: that’s the shock top mount, shock bottom mount, and in my case, the drop link top to ARB)
Finally done, and a shot of it all fitted back together again – before the wheel goes back on.
Rinse and repeat for side 2, then go and find yourself a cold amber one (or black, you choice of poison!) – you deserve it.
