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Pros and Cons of Sachs shock absorbers on Skoda Rapid DSG after 5k km

24th May 2024, 12:05 by Kanad Kalasur

Low-speed ride is stiff but in a good way, it takes bigger potholes & bumps with maturity i.e. it does not make a thud sound and even if you hit a big pothole, it doesn't make you feel as if your car will break, it just feels robust.

BHPian sachin_cs recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I was contemplating for a suspension mod for quite some time as my stock ones had already done 85k kms. I also saw BHPian Tuisha110BHP's review on Sachs and since then I wanted those. I got the contact of Germancart from Tuisha and discussed my mod plans with him. He suggested that I go for the Sachs setup as he owns two Rapids himself and based on his personal experience, Sachs was the best your VAG can get. The other options were Schaeffler, TRW, OEM, Meyle, Monroe, Alko Spain, etc. I decided to go for the best one out there- Sachs Front and Rear shocker. I placed an order in November 2023 but unfortunately due to Red Sea conflict my shipment could arrive only in February 2024. Since my car has seen a lot of abuse in those 85k kms, I decided to get the entire suspension overhauled. The following parts were ordered-

Sachs Front & Rear Shocker
Borsehung Germany rear Mounts
Meyle Front Mounts
Magnetti Marelli Suspension kit
Meyle Germany Lower Arm Bushes
Vika Link Rod
Magnetti Marelli Balance Rod bushing
Some child parts which I forgot

Total Cost~ ball park of 40k, if you want to replace steering rack then around 50k

A. Installation-

I scourged the Raipur FNG scene and I didn't find anyone worthy to do the job. Either they asked too much money or they were too shoddy. Finally, I requested my Skoda CRM to please get it done in the Showroom itself but she said it won't be possible because these parts are technically aftermarket however superior they may be to the OEMs. But she helped me get in touch with a Skoda mechanic and he agreed to do it on Sunday in some ABC workshop of his friend. Finally, the day arrived, I went there to get my dream suspension setup installed on my Car. It was a 4-5 hour job and it almost took my entire day considering I live 40kms away from the workshop.

You will need a hydraulic lift, a wheel gun, tools, and a bit of space for a suspension job. Regarding the quality of work, it was okayish to be honest, though the guy had worked at Skoda, he did a hasty job and he was not very careful with my car. He broke my wiper cowl, scratches on the bonnet, and even while loading/unloading parts from the boot, he accidentally banged my car with link rod. Overall a mediocre experience, I gave him an earful but that doesn't make any difference to the damages. Labour cost- 5k

Experience with Sachs: (I have done 5000kms on Sachs)

As informed by the guy from Germancart and Tuisha, the Sachs are on the stiffer side when compared to the stock gabriel shockers. So, naturally the low-speed ride quality is on the stiffer side. On the other hand, my gosh, the car literally flies. The high-speed ride quality has improved by leaps and bounds. I will explain how-

Expansion joints are not felt when you are driving fast, it just glides over them
Dips after flyover are taken with maturity, it just goes in the dip and gains back its composure. Other cars bounce over such dips, Rapid just sticks to the road
Body-roll... what does that even mean? Take a corner at 40 or 60 or 80, the car stays flat
Braking has improved a lot, the car just stops and there is minimal nose dive
Shockers take some time to open up, initially they were very stiff but after driving 2000 km, they have settled in nicely.
Because of stiff suspension, underbody hits have reduced
Low-speed ride is stiff but in a good way, it takes bigger potholes & bumps with maturity i.e. it does not make a thud sound and even if you hit a big pothole, it doesn't make you feel as if your car will break, it just feels robust
There's less sagging when the car is loaded with passengers and luggage
I took a test drive of Verna 1.5 Turbo, Slavia 1.5 DSG post-installation and they don't even come close to the confidence you get on the Rapid

Negatives:

If you regularly drive on bad roads then it might not suit you
At slow speeds you will feel the road a lot more, once you speed up things smoothen out but you can't always drive fast, especially in the city
Expensive, the stock shockers cost 10k and the Sachs costs 28k [F & R]. But I feel it's a one-time investment, so I went ahead with them.
The rear makes a thud sound at times when going over bumps, it feels like something is loose, I will get it checked soon.
You tend to drive fast because the speed is not felt

Experience with Germancart:

I got his contact from BHPian Tuisha and we both are not associated with him in any way. I had a great experience with him right from placing the order to delivery & post-delivery feedback. He was transparent throughout and kept updating me on the status of my shipment. He is a fellow VAG enthusiast who started this venture during the lockdown and you may find his insta id here. He mostly deals in parts of German cars.

Please find some pictures below-