Coilovers for my Ibiza + might need partnumbers for numberplate lights (?)

[Caffienated]

The eurocarparts prices are axle sets, so yea, you need a box of front and a box of back. Won't necessarily be the same everywhere, check what you're buying! I went for the SKF units. Always bear in mind that not all copy parts are as well made as each other, and assuming you aren't being ripped off you get what you pay for. I wouldn't say euro car parts are the best or cheapest in the UK. They've p1ssed me off a lot since I bought those parts, and I don't shop there anymore.

Cheap coil-overs are more about the 'look' of the car than driving. You certainly won't get the car as low as you hoped with any lowering springs on standard length struts, but it'll be more poised when driving hard.

As for your economy... Dude! WTF! I need to be pulling 160kph everywhere to use that much fuel!

Good luck! And a final thought; maybe you should consider the 350 euros you paid for the car a bargain instead of judging every other expenditure by it? I know all about the 'money pit' cars can turn into, but in truth if you want to avoid the money pit scenario, the best approach is to buy cheaply and then throw it away as soon as you need to spend much money on, not begin improving it... Better suspension means you'll be tempted to drive harder, and therefore wear the car out faster...

 

[Mythbuster]

True lol, and yes, I do drive very very bad... and I do 150 sometimes .. It was a bargain. But ehm.. Yeah the price was per piece... Guessing I'll be having the UK car parts one though.

And better suspension in this case means going slower, both to make everyone see the car AND being carfeful not to scratch the bottom on those rediciously high speed bumps

Thing is, I don't want to throw it away when it's done Something wants me to keep it when it's dead, write it out of insurrance, get a cheap runaround, and store the Ibiza till I have money to get a new engine... Would seem pretty funny to still have my first car when I'm 50 lol

 

[Caffienated]

Front part is more complicated than rear, as it's got a bearing race. Rear part is just two bits of rubber each side. Front will always be more money, but 122euros? £105??? That's more than twice as much as it should be!

One per axle means you get both sides in one box...

I wouldn't buy from eurocarparts unless I had no choice after the way they've messed me about. They're not the cheapest and their parts aren't always the best either.

For UK suppliers Andrew Page are worth a look and so are http://vwgolfr32.co.uk/ and so are http://www.thetradepartsspecialists.co.uk/

Never tried mail ordering from Andrew Page or TPS though...

 

[Caffienated]

Whatever you do, don't go fitting springs that are far too short for your shocks and then tieing them down with wire or whatever...

Once you've assembled the strut unit with the lowering spring and released the spring compressor, if the spring won't easily stay between the plates at the top and bottom and shows any sign it might slip out, it's too short and could slip out while you're driving which could be very bad for your health. Some people I know like to give their springs a 'gentle tap' with a hammer to make sure they're properly seated.

If your springs are too short you should either try to return them for exchange or give up and buy shortened struts too...

Going the route of lowering springs is certainly not going to improve your ride quality any... but it shouldn't be too bad. Personally I like a firm ride!

 

[Mythbuster]

Lol tieing them down with wire I'm stupid, but I'm not THAT stupid... But err, 60-40mm lowered springs should fit right In the thread you told me about there were some people that had 40-40mm springs and that worked apparantly... They can't be THAT low... I think?... At the moment I don't mind about the ride quality, the roads I drive on regularly don't have much potholes anyway, and it'll just keep my dad from using my car to let the dog out and thus making it muddy again...

I'm gonna get the ECP mount bearings, since none of the Dutch websites have it any cheaper, or don't have a webshop, but the bolts are kind of hard to find at the moment

 

[M1KEH]

Lol tieing them down with wire I'm stupid, but I'm not THAT stupid... But err, 60-40mm lowered springs should fit right In the thread you told me about there were some people that had 40-40mm springs and that worked apparantly... They can't be THAT low... I think?... At the moment I don't mind about the ride quality.

I'm gonna get the ECP mount bearings, since none of the Dutch websites have it any cheaper, or don't have a webshop, but the bolts are kind of hard to find at the moment

Seriously, you work in a car garage. YOu can order parts in like top mounts easily. Don't order them online.

 

[Mythbuster]

True, but I'm not at work untill January unless I stop by tomorrow or at Christmas... And since it's extremely slippery with all the ice on the road at the moment I'm not realllllly looking forward to that (REALLY slippery... Like 3 cars smashed into our hedge today alone!)

And on top of that... I don't have the part numbers so I can't call my boss and ask him if he orders them for me. He told me to order them myself and then we would try to fit them at the shop once I have everything...

 

[M1KEH]

If your not at work until January surely you don't need to have the parts until January?

 

[Mythbuster]

I mean at work to work... I can... Ok you're right, I messed up there. I could but then again. It is EXTREMELY slippery over here so I can't even get there at the moment. I would want to order the parts, get them soon, and put everything in during the Christmas holidays. Now, if I can't find the parts I need I will try to go by tomorrow, but I'd rather order it online I know I'm lazy...

 

[M1KEH]

Do you not have any car parts shops in Holland?

 

[Mythbuster]

We do, but they're all a million miles apart. I really hate Holland for this. The closest place where I can even get parts would be the scrapyards, which is a really small one and even that is 9 miles away... Closest real car accesories shop would be about 20 miles... And they don't have ANY parts there, only body maintenance... wax cleaning stuff, paint, not even speakers or radios... The parts they have are very overpriced. I checked when my dad needed something for his car...

Btw, what is the actual name for those bolts anyone know? "Bolts that attach strut to hub cap" isn't all that precise lol...

 

[Caffienated]

Bolts are standard VAG items. I can give you part numbers and length/thread next week if you still need the info then. If your local dealers are any good, they should really have these sorts of things off the shelf. http://vwgolfr32.co.uk/ can certainly sort them out for you if you ask nicely. They might (or might not) be a cheaper option for the topmounts too. Last time I dealt with them it was a case of email and request parts telling them what your car was (include chassis number if possible) and they email back pretty quickly (remember they're a business and may be clsoed at evenings and weekends!) giving you a price and asking if you want them. Pretty sure they still take paypal, so euros to gbp shouldn't be a problem.

Lowering springs come in two main flavours: those meant to be used on standard shocks and those to be used on shortened units. My Koni's are shorter than standard struts, one of the reasons I chose a kit of shocks and springs after deciding I wasn't spending enough money to afford coil-overs I wanted to live with every day was to make sure it all worked without trouble. The other reason was that Koni say that STrT's are the same rate as SSK's on the minimum setting, and a broken 120000mile-old set of SSK's on minimum was what was coming out of the car, and both my brother and myself had always been very happy with them. Apparently the test track driver liked them too...

As for wiring springs down... you'd be surprised how many people try it. It's just as bad as cutting springs short or even (shudder) using lowering blocks....

Hopefully you'll be lucky and your springs will fit!

The parts guys I've linked here basically supply original bagged VAG parts by mail order, and often cheaper than a main dealer (depends what it is I think)

 

[Caffienated]

Btw, what is the actual name for those bolts anyone know? "Bolts that attach strut to hub cap" isn't all that precise lol...

That's hub carrier, not hub cap...

M1keh's right actually.

You have to be able to get a better deal on the parts ordering them through work than ordering them personally online.

*wishes worked in a garage

 

[Mythbuster]

Nevarmind on the hub cap... *sigh* xD

I guess I will order the springs tonight then. Going to see if I can reach work tomorrow I guess, but I'll have a look to find the bolts online too, just in case I can't...

EDIT: Right. Ordered the springs at HT so should be alright. Just hoping the roads will clear up. Right now I'm hearing an engine revving VERY high outside, probably stuck on the ice in our street, pretty epic how 3 cars just slid into our neighbours driveway and into our hedge, 2 of which were vans! Luckily parked my car in the inside of a turn so noone will hit it.

 

[Mythbuster]

Ok I've found a pretty useful website with part numbers(I think?)...
http://autopartmaster.com/en/?actio...01999%20%CF%E5%F0%E5%E4%ED%FF%FF%20%EE%F1%FC,

Can anyone tell me which of these are the actual bolts used to attach struts to hub carriers? I'm guessing 36 and 37?... And I'm guessing 29 is the front top mount bearing?...

As for the rear... http://autopartmaster.com/en/?actio...Ibiza%201999%20%C7%E0%E4%ED%FF%FF%20%EE%F1%FC
Am I right in saying the parts I need of that are 20 and 21 as for the bolts... And 11 for the top mount bearing? That's all right? Are these numbers on the right actually Seat part numbers or not?

I would wait till Monday for you Caffienated but I gotta go to school all week, and my Christmas holiday would be almost over when I recieve them if I'd order them next weekend...

 

[M1KEH]

Yep you'll need 4 of 36 and 4 of 37.

43 and 30 are the top mount parts you need to replace.

11 is the top mount for the rear yes.

 

[Caffienated]

yups.

 

[Mythbuster]

So that means the front and rear bolts are the exact same? (4 of 36 and 4 of 37?)?.. They don't look the same on the pictures? Or do you need 2 bolts per shock? If so, am I also correct on the rear bolts then or do they not need replacing? (20 / 21)...?

 

[M1KEH]

Nope there are just 2 bolts (36) and 2 nuts (37) Per side on the front. You will need 2 of 20 and 2 of 21 for the rear too.

 

[Mythbuster]

Ok thanks guys! Gonna go to work to order it all when my dad's back... (He's the one with winter tires lol, and he won't let me drive his car alone *sigh*). Thanks a lot for all the help!

EDIT: Kekeke.. We have the bolts at work lol... Said I should go to Stealers to order the bearing stuff... But when I told him the other Dutch website quoted 122 euros, he said well I think that's what the Seat dealer would make you pay too then... So he said I would be better off ordering them at the Euro Car Parts website. Easier too, with all the snow and ice, since I would have to drive to the Seat dealer myself to order and collect them.

Car crashed into a reflector wooden pole in our street today too... Pretty funny, woman got out, looked at the completely smashed front end, reversed and drove away, not even checking for leaking fluids. Now there's a pile of parts and a puddle of I think radiator fluid next to the pole