Strut Tops and Bearings

[noone]

I'm interested in changing my Strut Tops and Bearings to an aftermarket alternative as the OEM ones seem to die pretty quickly.

How easy would it be to change these parts?

-Polo GTI- had found this site previously: teiledirekt.de

Few different brands listed there, any idea if one brand would be better than another?

[PeterHBne]

Yes - I've had two lots replaced under warranty in under 60K - they seem to be like underwear.....

[Guy_H]

They are a wear & tear part - everytime you turn th e steering wheel you are wearing them.

Peter, you did well to get warranty!

[vwthunder]

They are a wear & tear part - everytime you turn th e steering wheel you are wearing them.

But on a car which is only a few yars old
Is it only VW's that have this problem, I never hear about other cars changing control arm bushes, strut tops etc after 40,000km

I never remember my parents doing this on any of their cars, lancer, magna etc

[break]

But on a car which is only a few yars old
Is it only VW's that have this problem, I never hear about other cars changing control arm bushes, strut tops etc after 40,000km

I never remember my parents doing this on any of their cars, lancer, magna etc

The problem has always been that VW never intended to build a Polo GTI on the 9N3 platform. When the MKV Golf GTI sold well they quickly found a way to build and market a hot Polo by dropping the old MKIV GTI 1.8T in.

The result, was most of the Polo components were never engineered for the standard 150hp the 1.8T makes, let alone the 200hp+ most of us run.

[noone]

Fair call...

So, how complex is changing them going to be? Do I need to remove the springs / shocks or can I simply clamp the spring, undo the top of the strut and side this gear in?

As you can tell, I've not installed suspension before.

[vwthunder]

You will need to take the whole lot out, assemble it and put the whole lot back in

Bit of a pain

When we did my coilovers at 30,000km the bearings were stuffed, fell out and were rolling around everywhere lol
Managed to get it back together and it has held so far

[Blitzen]

I need to do mine too. I also now nee to do my engine mounts, but I just want the standard one put in... Anyone know where I can find some without paying though the ass??

[Bora Sport]

You will need to get a wheel alignment after you change the strut tops.