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New here... Bilstein Suspension Issue!


Lupo675
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Hi all,

Picked myself up a black, 2001 Lupo GTI a few weeks ago...Really enjoying it so far but it has a few issues I need to sort out, so was looking for some advice.

The door cards need some new clips to hold them in place.

I've looked around the forum and found a fair few people asking about them and where to get them. Lupoboz seemed to be the guy to talk to but his area in the Dealer section seemed inactive...he still around?

Also, the driver's door takes a few, forceful pulls from the outside to open it, so I assume it's the latch cable inside the door that has stretched and needs replacing, struggling to find an OEM part or pattern part anywhere... Any ideas?

And the last thing, the doors cracking/creaking as they get to each of the stop points when opening. Read about that on here too and its obviously the door latch problem. Looks the like the bolt holding the latch to the car is jumping. Seen a guy on ebay selling some brass sleeves for the bolt that apparently stop it happening.

Worth trying or someone got a better fix?

Sorry if this stuff has been covered loads already...All new to me.

Cheers,

Chris

Edited by Lupo675
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Clips can be had for pence from the dealer.

Not sure about the handle problem but am interested as my pass side is the same.

Yeah the brass sleeve should sort it or you can buy new door check straps for between 20-30 a side, again from the dealers.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well finally got those sleeves from germany...dont fit. Inner diameter is too small and the out diameter is too large. So DIY method it is.

Regarding the door handle, I had a mate fix it whilst he was doing cambelt and waterpump.

I was going to attempt it myself as I found a guide on a passat forum about how to fix it (take out door lock so that you can see the cable and mounting to handle, then simply pull the cable towards you to tighten it)..Will try dig out the link but you have to sign up to the forum to view it.

Anyway, on to a new problem which I'd appriciate some help with...

I had new suspension fitted last week because the car was running on **** JOM coilovers (two of which were leaking oil and after removing found out one of the dampers was not returning at all!!!!!).

Plus I wanted it raised slightly (I know...Dont judge me).

So anyway, had Bilstein B8 Dampers, Bilstein top mounts and Eibach Pro Kit springs fitted (by a reputable business, active on here I think too).

Picked up the car after it was all done, rear looked fairly high (higher than the 30(ish)mm that the springs are meant to lower the car by anyway).

Guy who fitted them told me that the rear would have to settle a bit before it got to its final resting height...Seemed fair enough to me.

Got it home, then noticed something odd when looking at the rear...The rear was higher on one side than the other (left higher than right).

And over the last few days, I've noticed the rear suspension creaking whilst driving and whilst wobbling car at standstill.

There also seems to be a strange noise at slow speed that is in time with the car rolling/rear wheel turning.

Questions:

  1. Reagarding the uneven rear height, what could it be? I checked the Eibach part number on invoice and they are correct for the car.
  2. I'm not sure what is causing the creaking...could it be bushes?
  3. Also not sure what is causing the rolling/rear wheel noise when moving? (I've checked tyres breifly for debris but they're OK)

Cheers!

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Car will naturally sit lower on one side due to fuel tank and drivers weight etc but shouldn't be THAT noticeable, if your unsure take it back to said reputable company - I've learnt in the past that although the company may be great there techs are not worth talking about, my best mate had weitech coilovers and the whiteline ARB fitted, took there staff 6 hours to fit and then 6 months later his brake line burst and nearly caused him to write the car off. They'd cable tied the line to the shock and it had rubbed through and caused him to loose all brakes when it finally split, they didn't want to know when we contacted them as we couldn't prove they had anything to do with (apart from being the only people to touch the suspension in the time it was on).

Creaking is quite common for me, think it's a combination of worn bushes and a harsh ride but someone mentioned the boot rubbers squeak sometimes and a quick WD40 on the rubbers should ease any problems.

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Jesus, bit of a horror story that!

I measured the distance from wheel arch edge to rim edge last night and it seems that the car may have settled down quite a bit in terms of height (I wrote that post yesterday without checking the car since the weekend). It now 55mm on the right hand side and 60mm on the left.

In terms of creaking I might look into replacing the rear bushes then. I'll try the WD40 first. Cheers!

Edited by Lupo675
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OK noticed something that seems to affect the uneven rear ride height massively... When I brim the tank, the right side drops a fair amount compared to left.

I can't believe that is correct as the car should surely be designed to distribute the petrol tank weight evenly...?

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Common issue. Sucks balls but raise that side of the suspension a bit if you got a full tank a lot, otherwise don't brim it haha

Suspension is none adjustable height wise (unless I got a larger spring) so I think not brimming it is the best option haha.

Still the bilstein/eibach combo is great...Handles so well!

Cheers for the help.

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