Re: Replacing Shocks on 200T

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

> I think there are two different discussions going on here.  From looking
> at the fax out of a Bentley, and from the Moog chasis catalog, it seems
> that there are two parts that can fail: the mounting bushing, and the
> strut bearing.
>
> The mounting bushing is what is easily accesed from under the plastic cap
> in the engine compartment.  The bearing looks as if it is under the plate
> itself, which cannot be gotten to from the engine compartment, and is
> "sandwiched" by the car's weight.  What is DEFINATELY bad on mine is the
> strut mount or bushing, whatever you want to call it.  I don't know how to
> test for a bad bearing.  The bushing looks easy enough to replace, but the
> bearing looks as if it will require the removal of the strut assembly to
> get to.  Yes?  No?

I apologize for any confusion caused by my choice of terminology: what I've
been talking about is the strut mount.  With a 4000, these are referred to
as "strut bearings," and since my experience with Audis has been more 4000
than 5000, my choice of words is understandable.

Anyway, the strut mount is easily replaced as described previously.  If you
need to replace the strut bearing, though, you will need to dismantle and/or
remove the strut from the car in order to get access to it.  I don't know of
any other way this can be done.  Sorry.

The only guaranteed way to determine whether it needs replacement is to look
at it closely ... if the plastic races are cracked or any balls missing, the
decision is easy, although when you reflect on their (relatively) cheap cost
and the amount of work necessary to get to them, it's pretty easy to justify
replacing them every time the struts are apart if only for the peace-of-mind
this will provide.


                /| | | |\  |   |\  | | |\  |  AudiDudi@delphi.com
               /-| | | | | | = | | | | | | |  Jeffrey Goggin
              /  | |_| |/  |   |/  |_| |/  |  Scottsdale, Arizona