well im about to install my bilsteins today after work at about 2ish.....

i was wondering if there was anythign i should know goinin in to this... it seems pretty str8 forward,
and if i did my springs these should be even easier, but i always like to ask people that have
been-there-done-that

what should i look out for? any tips that will save me time?

thanks in advance

 

The shocks are a cake walk. But when you do the struts you have to remove the springs.

 

Struts are pretty damn easy. Just expanding a bit on what Lizardbreath mentioned above, you will need to compress the springs.

I recommend you just call a few shops and pay to have them changed over for you. If its a high enough volume shop, they will have a good wall mount spring compressor. These make the job MUCH easier than the cheesy threaded rod types. While these are cheap, they are also very dangerous, and most people dont want to drop the 200$ or so on a clamshell considering how rarely they do struts. I doubt the shop would charge much more than 50$ or so to switch them over for you (It only takes ME 15-20 minutes to do this at a moderate pace, a good mechanic will do them quicker, a little over a half hour of labor is reasonable). I am lucky enough to have access to a high end spring compressor at work, but If I didnt, Id probably just pay to have the springs swapped on the struts.... Safer and Easier this way. Other than that, Id reccomend getting an alignment done, or at least an alignment check.

Jim

 

well i installed them yesterday with out checking this, i forgot i posted!

but i didnt compress any springs? i just unbolted and slid the struts down while the car was in the air....

all i did was put it on jackstands then jack up the control arm lightly so it didnt fall, droped the strut str8 down and put the new strut str8 up there, replaced the bolts and its ready to go. I was very impressed with how easy it came down, i thought they were goin to be a PITA for those fronts

im taking it easy on them for the first several miles but its a much smoother ride so far

 

thats correct, you can pull the strut straight off without moving a thing
except the tire, once the wheel is off its a 15 minute job tops assumming you have air or a power impact wrench
also this happens after the car has been supported on jack stands
leave your spring compressor put away

 

As you know now, you don't need a spring compressor. Just lift the car up by the frame rales so that the wheel drops down extending the strut and the spring. Use some rope or a couple blocks of wood to not let it drop too far or the spring can come loose. Then just unbolt the old strut and bolt up the new one. When your done, make sure you get an allignment check/adjustment. I'd also get a can of good penetrating lube.

As for tools: Make sure that you have the proper wrenches/sockets. They are all metric. IMS you need a 15mm, 18mm, 21mm and 24mm sockets/wrenches also a good 50-200 ft/lbs torque wrench. If you don't have an impact wrench, a good braker bar will do wonders. I did my girlfriends shocks/struts without any air tools. Take your time and its a piece of cake.

 

it definatly was a piece of cake alright, but i have air tools at my disposal, and that made it even easier