NCT lowered suspension fail HELP!?!

Clutchkick

Well lads,i brought my 99 Golf GT TDI for the NCT,needless to say it failed and i got a bit of a list unfortunately.I went straight back to the mechanic and handed him in all the fails,he took the keys and told me to call back in an hour and he'd have rough price.

When i got back he had a bit of a dilemma.The car is lowerd so when the car is up on a ramp without the weight of the car pushing down the springs (only in the front apparently) don't fill the gaps in the struts.He said i'd need new springs but he said he didn't know if the "struts were for the car",now i don'k know what he meant by that,i dont know if he meant he didn't know if they were aftermarket (<-he seemed to mean that) or he didn't know if they were aftermarket but meant for another car.

The car is supposedly lowered by 60mm on Bilstein shocks and springs according to who i bought the car off a few months ago but with the alloys that are on it i can't really see anything other than the bright yellow springs so i'm not entirely sure.the machanic didn't seem to be too well up on on "suped up cars" going by his terminology and attitude,hence this thread.I'd imagine if they were aftermarket you'd know by the colurs but he didn't mension anything like that

Anyway,the dilemma is that i could get 2 new springs that only cost about €50 each but might not fix the problem or get 2 used full assemblys from a breakers yard so basically if the the springs work it'll all work out alot cheaper but if i try the springs and it doesn't work and i then have to get the full assemlys,it will work out an awful lot more expencive

Can someone please give me some advice?? because like alot of people,money isn't somthing i have much of at the moment.

OH YEAH!..if i have to put in a fully standard setup in the front the car's gonna look like it's doin wheelie,the mechanic said it would no bother but i realy cant see it passin the test like that!?!

Graham_B18C

You may get a few replies here
Thread Moved

Mar4ix

couldnt get what you mean, what exactly says nct fail report ? what fault it have on nct report ? Is it saying something about suspension ? I had lowered car on nct, never had any problems.

George Dalton

I came across this situation before. Unfortunately I can't remember what we did in the end. It is pretty normal with a lot of shock and lowering spring setups for the spring to be quite loose in the strut when the weight is off the wheel.

What exactly does it say on the report sheet? Any way you could scan it and post it here?

Onwardandupwar

If ur worried about the front of it my advise as a mechanic would be to get two secoud hand struts complete at least then u no what ur dealing with because right now u don't no what's on the car u could by two spring and they might not fit the shocks that r on the car now if there blizteen

Onwardandupwar

If ur worried about the front of it my advise as a mechanic would be to get two secoud hand struts complete at least then u no what ur dealing with because right now u don't no what's on the car u could by two spring and they might not fit the shocks that r on the car now if there blizteen

mickdw

Is there not a serious safety issue in the case where the springs become unseated when the suspension reaches top of travel?
Like if you go over a large bump, pressure comes off springs, surely spring could seat incorrectly when pressure returns - specially in the case where random springs appear to have been fitted to original strut.

Clutchkick

Oh Jesus sorry lads i gave up this thread coz no one was replien,thanks for the move.

unfortunately i dont have the report sheet,my mechanic said he left it in the glove compartment but like alot of mechanics he's a bit forgetful.

Right well,my mechanic has a 1.4 petrol golf out the back that he'd give me a lend of the 2 struts but he says that they wont do coz my car's diesel and needs stronger suspension for the extra weight of the engine,another mechanic there dissagred but then kinda agreed but still wasnt sure but i know from lookin at at aftermarket stuff online it seems to be all the same for mk4 golfs (you just pick vw,golf,mk4,order).so what do ye think would the struts from the 1.4 work?

unfortunately i now have a much bigger problem,theres been a prob with the turbo now with a while.At bout 4000rpm it goes in 2 limp mode,i said it 2 my mechanic and he said forget about it,i need a new air flow meter,worry bout gettn it through the nct first.

i took it out a few days ago and it had a good bit less power (there was still power from the turbo) and after a while it started to make a loud whistle at bout 3500 rpm.It was far from a typical turbo whistle instead of the pitch rising with the revs the started high and then got lower and omly lasts 2 or 3 seconds ,its sounded exactly the same as a jet engine stailing.i havnt been out over the weekend because i've no tax coz im waitin on a policy number fron Britton so i dont know if its still doin it.

Lads please tell me i need a mass air flow meter and not a new turbo!!!

altezza200

ok i think i understand what you meen, your car had cut springs, cheap way of lowering most cars, if you still want to keep the car low and pass the test repeatedly, you need to buy a springs and shocks set for around the 240 mark or coil overs, alot more cumfort and alot better for nct, 4 corners for 200 quid. a friend of mine paid 320 quid for stgandered springs and shocks for just the front of his passat. hope this helps.

Clutchkick

altezza200 wrote: »

ok i think i understand what you meen, your car had cut springs, cheap way of lowering most cars, if you still want to keep the car low and pass the test repeatedly, you need to buy a springs and shocks set for around the 240 mark or coil overs, alot more cumfort and alot better for nct, 4 corners for 200 quid. a friend of mine paid 320 quid for stgandered springs and shocks for just the front of his passat. hope this helps.

Ha,thats what i already have unfortunatly