[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

The Sachs equivalent to the rear shock dampers, in my car, seems to be 310 981. OE part number 6R0 513 025 A.

http://m.bestpartstore.co.uk/1224121

coolboy007 installed 310 980, which turned out to be shorter in length.

I had a chat with the customer support representative of Best Parts Store. They claimed that my car required the part no: 6RF 513 025 A and they didn't have the same. On inquiring with them about the compatibility of the one you mentioned ie 6R0 513 025 A, they said that 'the mechanical system shows that they are not (compatible)'. On further inquiring, they simply said they weren't willing to sell a wrong part

Now I'm wondering if I can install the 'original 2010 OE' struts. Will it damage the struts prematurely or should I change the springs too?

I just can't believe I bought a car which doesn't behave the same way it did in the original Team BHP review! At times I had a feeling whether GTO was exaggerating in that review- more so when my brother comments that the previous gen i20 had better handling

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

I had a chat with the customer support representative of Best Parts Store. They claimed that my car required the part no: 6RF 513 025 A and they didn't have the same. On inquiring with them about the compatibility of the one you mentioned ie 6R0 513 025 A, they said that 'the mechanical system shows that they are not (compatible)'. On further inquiring, they simply said they weren't willing to sell a wrong part

Now I'm wondering if I can install the 'original 2010 OE' struts. Will it damage the struts prematurely or should I change the springs too?

I just can't believe I bought a car which doesn't behave the same way it did in the original Team BHP review! At times I had a feeling whether GTO was exaggerating in that review- more so when my brother comments that the previous gen i20 had better handling

These guys are seemingly going by the VIN number and PR codes of your car. Going by that, any part other than the one factory installed in your car, or its (aftermarket) equivalent, would be incompatible, including the coil springs that were in the earlier cars.

Anyhow, going by coolboy007's experience with the front dampers, which are stiffer than OEM made in India shocks, you should be able to use these Sachs 310 981 shock dampers, or even the OEM 6R0 513 025 A dampers. These OEM dampers seem to be Monroe E1309 in the aftermarket, available internationally.

I really do not want to encourage you to get the coil springs, identical to the ones in earlier cars. The entire heavy-duty suspension setup (combination of coil springs, dampers, and stabilizer links), present in the older cars, is a bit stiffer and the passengers may not find it too comfortable, considering the pothole ridden roads we have.

[shravan2k2]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

I have changed the rear struts to TRW in my i20 . The bounciness has reduced to a great extent and the rear does not wallow that much when pushed into corners. Although the ride quality is not superb it has improved quite a lot at the rear . Will change the front one also after they reach end of life

Hi sagar. How are the struts performing on your i20. Was planning to get them installed on my i20 CRDi. Fed up of the thud noise. Is the thud noise gone or just reduced? Did you change only struts? Was thinking of getting stiffer springs from abroad or should I just install the struts?

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

The Sachs equivalent to the rear shock dampers, in my car, seems to be 310 981. OE part number 6R0 513 025 A

In 2012-2013 Vento with the Indian version of gabriel shock absorbers, only the front Sachs 314 717 would fit properly. The rear ones Sachs 310 980 are not for Vento and would create a loud thud on every tiny speed breaker. The front ones fit perfectly, have driven 1000 kms after upgrade and can give assurance that they fit just fine and perform very nicely.
If spareshub is not shipping, try finding any local shop. Tell them about my case and they would know that the front shock absorbers fit just fine, they do not have to worry about installation issues.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

At times I had a feeling whether GTO was exaggerating in that review- more so when my brother comments that the previous gen i20 had better handling

Yeah, VW and their genius minds changed to Indian spec suspension to save costs and in this process, totally destroyed the ride/handling balance. These made in India shocks are crap and drive like crap too, these things loose their damping within 25k kms but that is only noticeable if you drive hard.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

In 2012-2013 Vento with the Indian version of gabriel shock absorbers, only the front Sachs 314 717 would fit properly. The rear ones Sachs 310 980 are not for Vento and would create a loud thud on every tiny speed breaker. The front ones fit perfectly, have driven 1000 kms after upgrade and can give assurance that they fit just fine and perform very nicely.
If spareshub is not shipping, try finding any local shop. Tell them about my case and they would know that the front shock absorbers fit just fine, they do not have to worry about installation issues.

I did inquire with spares hub if they can bring it to India. They said they will get back. Haven't received any updates.
Another option from Sachs which can be used for the normal suspension is this one http://m.bestpartstore.co.uk/786501

The Sachs 310 981, I understand, is for sport suspension.

With the OEM no 6R0/ 6RU 513 025 A, a lot of options come into play like Monroe's, Bilsteins B4 etc. Sport or normal suspension needs to be chosen.

I googled a lot and couldn't find any solid answers about using stiffer shocks with stock springs.

EDIT: Honestly, there are way too many options! With the same OEM no being used for different applications, I cannot confidently say anything about installing the above part. Just don't know where to ask. Been researching on this for the past 3 days!

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

In 2012-2013 Vento with the Indian version of gabriel shock absorbers, only the front Sachs 314 717 would fit properly. The rear ones Sachs 310 980 are not for Vento and would create a loud thud on every tiny speed breaker. The front ones fit perfectly, have driven 1000 kms after upgrade and can give assurance that they fit just fine and perform very nicely.

I was actually pointing out the Sachs equivalent to the rear OEM dampers in my car. They are not the ones you had installed. The last digit of the Sachs part number differs.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

I did inquire with spares hub if they can bring it to India. They said they will get back. Haven't received any updates.
Another option from Sachs which can be used for the normal suspension is this one http://m.bestpartstore.co.uk/786501

The Sachs 310 981, I understand, is for sport suspension.

With the OEM no 6R0/ 6RU 513 025 A, a lot of options come into play like Monroe's, Bilsteins B4 etc. Sport or normal suspension needs to be chosen.

I googled a lot and couldn't find any solid answers about using stiffer shocks with stock springs.

EDIT: Honestly, there are way too many options! With the same OEM no being used for different applications, I cannot confidently say anything about installing the above part. Just don't know where to ask. Been researching on this for the past 3 days!

Okay, we need to get back to basics here. Sport suspension is suspension with lowered ground clearance, way below the Euro-spec normal suspension, and stiff coil springs (optionally stabilizer bar links too). Let us not be confused by the Indian normal suspension, that actually has longer coil springs than Euro-spec normal suspension.

Now comes the Euro-spec heavy duty suspension into the picture, that is present in my car manufactured in 2010. This suspension has higher ground clearance (168 mm) than Euro-spec normal suspension, and way higher than sport suspension.

However, the sport suspension shock absorbers are factory installed in this heavy-duty suspension setup too, which had way higher ground clearance than sport suspension.

The normal suspension, sport suspension, and heavy duty suspension should be mutually exclusive, yet they are not going by the factory specs of the cars.

The rating of parts, for standard chassis (normal suspension) or sport chassis (sport suspension), seems to be based on the coil spring type. The basic issue here is the damping of the shocks should be able to handle coil spring rate. Based on the usage of stiffer shocks with "softer" coil springs, that seems to not be the issue. However, the other way around was certainly an issue as per my personal experience.

At the end of the day, if you want to try the dampers that are being discussed here, you should do that while knowing there may not be a 100% clear answer and you may have to take the plunge while keeping that into consideration.

P.S. Polo (Sedan) has at least 42 types of coil springs, and that is not a typo.

[pramodkumar]

One of the shocks in my cruze has started leaking oil, I am thinking of changing them in pairs, when I took it to the authorized service center, they said the entire suspension is shot and even the steering rack along with all engine and GB mounts are shot, they gave me an estimate of 1.5 lacs

Now when I spoke to a friend whose friend is an accountant at the Chevy A S S, he told me that due to lack of sales the showroom is focused at servicing and they kind of inflate bills and its normal for the customers to fight over the bill after which they get a 10-15% discount.

Besides a bit of body roll and a thak thak sound from the left the car is fine, after the change of tyres to Apollo alnac 4 g the sound has been reduced. Now I was very excited to read rave reviews on the TRW stuff, and I found them to be better than OE(lower arms) on my lancer, however hearing them fail prematurely has completely killed my mojo.

Below are the rough estimate of OE parts cost

Lower arms are 13k each
Front Struts are 7K each
Stabilizer link is 2500 each.

TRW spares(without the shocks) for the whole front end(including tie rods and steering ball joint) is around 15k online, these are MRP rates and not MSP. I can get a discount on the above rates if I purchase TRW spares from local brick and mortar shops here in Trivandrum. Just wanted to know how are other suspension components from TRW?

I am looking at atleast 30k Kms life out of them(reasonable ask?) or shall I go for OE stuff. Problem is A S S wont just replace what I ask them to replace. There is only one A S S in Trivandrum and it shows in their attitude that they have absolutely no competition.

Please suggest.

Pramod

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

One of the shocks in my cruze has started leaking oil, I am thinking of changing them in pairs, when I took it to the authorized service center, they said the entire suspension is shot and even the steering rack along with all engine and GB mounts are shot, they gave me an estimate of 1.5 lacs

Now when I spoke to a friend whose friend is an accountant at the Chevy A S S, he told me that due to lack of sales the showroom is focused at servicing and they kind of inflate bills and its normal for the customers to fight over the bill after which they get a 10-15% discount.

Besides a bit of body roll and a thak thak sound from the left the car is fine, after the change of tyres to Apollo alnac 4 g the sound has been reduced. Now I was very excited to read rave reviews on the TRW stuff, and I found them to be better than OE(lower arms) on my lancer, however hearing them fail prematurely has completely killed my mojo.

Below are the rough estimate of OE parts cost

Lower arms are 13k each
Front Struts are 7K each
Stabilizer link is 2500 each.

TRW spares(without the shocks) for the whole front end(including tie rods and steering ball joint) is around 15k online, these are MRP rates and not MSP. I can get a discount on the above rates if I purchase TRW spares from local brick and mortar shops here in Trivandrum. Just wanted to know how are other suspension components from TRW?

I am looking at atleast 30k Kms life out of them(reasonable ask?) or shall I go for OE stuff. Problem is A S S wont just replace what I ask them to replace. There is only one A S S in Trivandrum and it shows in their attitude that they have absolutely no competition.

Please suggest.

Pramod

If your car is out of warranty, I suggest you to flee from that service centre! Your friend actually put it in a nice way! Honestly, it's an unfair practice!

Get your car checked from a FNG to know the real status of your car!
If you want results and life, he's another post I got from another thread in the forum: Bilsteins B6

Originally Posted by anb

I have used B6 in my Cruze for more than 50000 km (till I sold the car). These shocks are very reliable and performed well even after 50 K km. Both ride quality and handling are considerably improved after installing B6. Much lesser body movements , flatter ride on uneven roads at high speeds and very good handling made the car a bliss to drive

You can be warned that the ride will become firmer than stock! They come at a price- around 60-70k. Can be considered if you don't mind spending big.

I believe there are plenty of after market options in the US.

I guess the right place to ask about Cruze is the Cruze thread. I'm pretty sure there are members who have tried things differently!

Have a great day!

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

If your car is out of warranty, I suggest you to flee from that service centre! Your friend actually put it in a nice way! Honestly, it's an unfair practice!

Get your car checked from a FNG to know the real status of your car!
If you want results and life, he's another post I got from another thread in the forum: Bilsteins B6!

I have a FNG, where I got my rear pads replaced for 300 rs, I provided them with the pads, the service center screwed my EGR valve thread by inserting a wrong bolt into it, which was corrected by the FNG for 2k. I am contemplating getting used suspension parts from the Bombay junkyard as I have considered getting B6, in fact I have asked a lot of people about it including the local petes, their quote was 90k, which is bit out of reach as of now, the price quoted for 2 lower arms and 2 shocks was 5k(combined at the junkyard), I have to wait till oct-now 2017 for raising funds for the mods. Presently I wanted to replace the 2 aging shocks and 2 lower arms, rest all I wanted to procure new from A S S and give it to FNG, but the thought of getting used stuff is killing me. if I can get at least 20-30k from TRW stuff its work spending extra 5k over old used parts.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

You can be warned that the ride will become firmer than stock! They come at a price- around 60-70k. Can be considered if you don't mind spending big.

I believe there are plenty of after market options in the US.

I guess the right place to ask about Cruze is the Cruze thread. I'm pretty sure there are members who have tried things differently!

Have a great day!

I have checked a lot of US websites, the cost would be around 1k USD to get them. I am thinking of getting it from US, but like I mentioned above I need time till oct next year, till then I am looking for a stop gap, just wanted to know if its a wise decision to get TRW or should I look at the used option.

Thanks for the answers.

Pramod

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

If I can get at least 20-30k from TRW stuff its work spending extra 5k over old used parts.


I have checked a lot of US websites, the cost would be around 1k USD to get them. I am thinking of getting it from US, but like I mentioned above I need time till oct next year, till then I am looking for a stop gap, just wanted to know if its a wise decision to get TRW or should I look at the used option.

Thanks for the answers.

Pramod

Suspension is the part linking the body with the wheels. These are parts which need to work well during emergency situations and are directly linked to safety. Personally, I wouldn't risk it with second hand parts as the real condition of the parts are unknown ( I honestly don't know the practice there in Mumbai)
TRW,I believe, has a warranty of 6 months. If it works out well, you may not want to spend a lot of money in October next year.
Regards

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

I did inquire with spares hub if they can bring it to India. They said they will get back. Haven't received any updates.

Just got a call from Spareshub. They said they are not allowed to sell the ones mentioned above as they are OEM and not after market.

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

Thanks for making it easier for me.

Pramod

Spareshub is giving 6 months warranty for TRW. I'm not sure if it's company warranty.

Besides, TRW has been bought by ZF, who also owns Sachs!

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Just got a call from Spareshub. They said they are not allowed to sell the ones mentioned above as they are OEM and not after market.

If this about Sachs 310 981, then that reason is not plausible. It is normal for OEM parts to be available in the aftermarket, directly from the part OEM (Sachs). Infact, that part number itself is an aftermarket part number.

Moreover, Sachs' sister brand, Lemforder, is the OEM for ball joints in these cars. The parts are available in the aftermarket too. Lemforder 33905 01 (009), 33906 01 (009). OEM 6R0 407 365 (A), 6R0 407 366 (A).

Spareshub sells these Lemforder ball joints.

[Detroit-Dude]

Folks came across this website which claims to have all after replacement parts. Any body made a purchase here. https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-shock_absorber-965997/

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Hi Rachit, i did change the front shock absorbers along with the strut mounts and the bearing that sits inside the mount as my car had done 60k kms. OEM parts from Lemforder are available on spareshub and all these mounts/bearings are made in germany and the service support of this site is very good, have a look or drop them a mail.

I sourced the shocks from Metro spares, Malviya Nagar and i think i got them for 8600-8900 for a pair, the part no is 314 717, spares hub did not have the part in stock then, the online site does throw in a 6 month warranty on Sachs shocks, so its a good option.


No need to do that buddy, just get the health of your lower control arm bushings and stabilizer link/link rod checked at VW workshop. Get the lemforder mounts, bearings from spares hub and get every thing changed at one go from outside, why pay labour and waste your time twice for it. Ping me if you need any help.

Thanks for the info buddy!!
This is good information for me to start sourcing stuff, so that I can get all stuff changed at one go when the time comes!!

Thank you

Rachit

[Detroit-Dude]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

In 2012-2013 Vento with the Indian version of gabriel shock absorbers, only the front Sachs 314 717 would fit properly. The rear ones Sachs 310 980 are not for Vento and would create a loud thud on every tiny speed breaker. The front ones fit perfectly, have driven 1000 kms after upgrade and can give assurance that they fit just fine and perform very nicely.

If spareshub is not shipping, try finding any local shop. Tell them about my case and they would know that the front shock absorbers fit just fine, they do not have to worry about installation issues.

Yeah, VW and their genius minds changed to Indian spec suspension to save costs and in this process, totally destroyed the ride/handling balance. These made in India shocks are crap and drive like crap too, these things loose their damping within 25k kms but that is only noticeable if you drive hard.

Hi coolboy! I have found the Sachs part number 312267 on https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-shock_absorber-1432360/. The site shows compatibility with all vento models. You have installed 314717 which sounds like a different part number. Any idea how these parts are different and if its ok to choose one over the other? I have TRW struts in the rear like yours.