Voila (986S) Suspension

[Rav]

Friends, my local mot tester hinted that I had a broken front coil spring last MOT, almost a year ago and told me to get it fixed. Nearly a year later, it coming up for MOT time again! Where does that time go?

I better get this done. Man maths told me that this was a great time to go for M030 ride height H&R lowering springs. The estimate from my local indie (LAP 911 in Highworth) was £2500 inc parts and labour for this. Gulp! That's around 50% of the cars value as it stands. 

The good lady suggested just doing the fronts and the indie quoted £1700 for this. Its still all a bit too steep for me. So i have decided to do the fronts myself, with your help and advice! 

I have got some quotes from Matthew at Type 911 and the parts he recommends are: 

Front Shock  £155.00 each
Front Top Mount + Bearing  £50.00 each
Front Bump Stop +  Boot kit £24.00

Rear Shocks  £170.00 each
Rear Top Mount £45.00 each
Rear Bump Stop + Boot kit £30.00

M030 Spring set £150.00

All plus VAT & Delivery

Wow, parts have got expensive! Guys, is this what i need? I understand that the front shocks can swell at the bottoms and hence need to be replaced. If i do the front and not the back will i regret it? I don't drive the car on track or even that hard really. Will this be ok for road use? 

Any advice or links are much appreciated. A picture of my car in better days....

 

 

[Nobbie]

A lot depends on how the old suspension comes off. Drop links are often seized and may need to be replaced, same with inboard end of coffin arms. Need to check the condition of the ARB and it bushes. Good luck.

[½cwt]

Afraid to say you are in for more part than you are budgeting.  As @Nobbie says, you will be lucky on a car the age of Viola if even one drop link come out without having to resort to surgery.

With some work you can get the parts costs down a bit.  If you shop for high discount days on the Autodoc app you can get the well reviewed Koni Special Active shocks for around £160 incl VAT front and £225 incl VAT rear, Bilstein B4 are rather more but are not the M030 shock, whereas the Konis work with both X029 standard and M030 sport set ups.  If you need coffin arms, tuning forks or toe links consider Spyder Performance, also their top mounts too.  If you need rear eccentric bolts, go to Porsche, they are cheapest, and the correct hardened steel.

Look for Sachs top mounts on eBay (£60 to £75 a pair incl VAT) if you can, these are the OE fitment, and TRW drop links (again OE), about £30 incl VAT from Autodoc, (beware buy cheap buy twice for drop links, ask me how I know... ).

I know budget is sensitive, however whilst you have it all apart, consider new outer steering arms (you may well split the rubber boot when you split the ball joint anyway, again TRW are the OE supplier.

[the baron]

@Rav this is a commendable project, which will absorb more time than I think you have, and probably blow your estimated budget quickly.

You will need to budget for some tools, such as the compression clamps for the springs, maybe something to heat up those stubborn bolts plus a whole load of suspension bits that will need replacing plus a full geo at the end (£150).

maybe do a section at a time, attack the front first as this has got the broken spring.

[½cwt]

9 hours ago, the baron said:

@Rav this is a commendable project, which will absorb more time than I think you have, and probably blow your estimated budget quickly.

You will need to budget for some tools, such as the compression clamps for the springs, maybe something to heat up those stubborn bolts plus a whole load of suspension bits that will need replacing plus a full geo at the end (£150).

maybe do a section at a time, attack the front first as this has got the broken spring.

Good point Steve. I spent a total of about £1350 (springs, dampers, all arms, bump stops, eccentric bolts, bump stops and top mounts) 3 years ago on mine including tools I didn't already have which included a better impact wrench, lever type ball joint splitter, a magnetic induction heater (to heat and help free seized drop link bolts), but a blow torch would do, and a reciprocating saw with a good Bosch Sabre blade (to cut rear eccentric bolts on coffin arm and toe link) as a standard blad hardly touched the hardened steel . Prices of most bits have gone up since them.  It took me a total of 4½ weekends in two stints to do both ends.

Getting the top nut off the damper piston can take some time it is is reluctant to move.  There are other small things like will the brake disc retaining screw come out without needing to be drilled out (Make sure you have an impact driver (not impact wench) and a PH3 tip for it, PH2 can slip and burr them out too easily, these along with the 3 disc stone guard bolts and the abs loom clip can be annoying (all small M6 bolts into the alloy casting so can seize too) if they shear.

When done it is rewarding, when doing it can be very frustrating.  It isn't for the casual 'I do my own brake discs and pads' type.  I don't want to put you off doing it even if you are a keen DIYer, but be prepared.  To some that extra £1200 in labour may be worth it...

[Menoporsche]

17 hours ago, Rav said:

The estimate from my local indie (LAP 911 in Highworth) was £2500 inc parts and labour for this. Gulp! That's around 50% of the cars value as it stands. 

This is the brutal but inescapable reality as to why many of these cars get scrapped  

[½cwt]

25 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

This is the brutal but inescapable reality as to why many of these cars get scrapped  

But if you do it they survive, and it is an unfortunate cost of ownership, particularly if the previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 owners have had the life out of those parts and you pick up the tab.  It is also why they are cheap because of these embedded costs.

[Everywhen]

I did this job in August.

It is pricey and It’s hard work at times, mainly due to seized fasteners, but very rewarding and the result is truly amazing, the car will be transformed, no matter how good you think it might drive now.

[½cwt]

@Rav Paul at Torque Boxsters has just dropped me a note. PM him, @TROOPER88, he can help you out to do this more cost effectively than you have been quoted so far.

Edited November 5, 2023 by ½cwt

[Rav]

Thanks 1/2cwt. I have spoken with Paul. He seems like a really decent guy. I have made some arrangements. 

[fizz]

With thanks to Chris i spent in the region of £1700 on parts and then got a friendly local mechanic friend of mine to fit it... He charged me about £550 for labour. That didnt include the extra £75 for fixing the thread in a couple of the calliper bolt holes. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1em2My_G3EvH2XMMrvrp3fjzF6qHUwCODZ0YXL6IZ-TA/edit?usp=sharing

There's a link to the parts and prices there or there abouts that i got. 

[bally4563]

Shame I’m not your neighbour!!

[RedBarediver]

I had my front suspension done by Paul from Torque Boxster. Looking at the condition of the parts he removed I am sure glad I didn't try doing the job myself. I was also wondering if the car will be driving weird because only the front was done but not a bit of it. The rear still needs to be done but the work he did on the front completely transformed the car.

If you can do it yourself then great stuff but as others have said you will need the right tools etc etc etc. Paul did mine in a day so it is possible if you know what you're doing. If I had done it it would have taken me the best part of the whole summer and that's IF I managed to do it. I would suggest you bite the bullet and have it done. If you already have the spares then I'm sure someone will do it for the cost of labour - they don't make much on parts in any case.

Edited to add I'm a little late to the party I see you have had it done  😀 Good show! Now go and enjoy the car like it should be. Paul does a great job and I daresay you can drive it like you stole it now 👍

Edited November 13, 2023 by RedBarediver