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[Varche]

Had the alignment checked on the car today. Toe in out was spot on but rh front is spec but left front is 1 deg of negative camber. Local garage said need new shockers.

Went to vw dealer for something else and showed him the readings. He had his técnico have a look - took him over 30 minutes. His advice. Live with it or spend a large amount of money fixing it. He said he would send me a quote ( hasn’t arrived yet). Idly, I wonder if it is the complicated suspension worn out through age and all the damn potholes.

If it is just shock absorbers, how can that affect the camber?. The car doesn’t feel like a shocker is failed.

[Doctor Gollum]

It could be slightly bent or top mount failed.

Front struts on a Golf are hardly ground breaking either by design or fitting.

No different to the Omega or any other McPherson equipped car and it's only a pricey job because of all the parts that should be replaced in the process and the requirement to do both sides...

[Varche]

I did quite a bit of research last night. No adjustment on stock suspension for camber but you might get a tiny amount from the holes where top of strut mounts.

Could be some damaged suspension component but most likely a bent part of shock absorber. I watched an excellent how to video on changing front shocks. Definitely beyond my current capabilities. I was really impressed by their attention to detail. Cleaning bolt and nut heads before undoing and applying spray copper grease afterwards. Never seen that product but I still have my tub and tube from probably the seventies . I wish every mechanic paid that much attention to detail. Obviously everyone on here does!

In the summer , I will cast around for a garage to do the job. In the meantime I will do some research on which shocks to use. I won’t go OEM. Might go Bilstein B4 but don’t want a lumpy ride. What is on now are original fitment on 125k miles so are perhaps giving a lumpy ride ie jarring when you go over a sleeping policeman. I guess any would be an improvement …… Any recommendations?

[Doctor Gollum]

I did quite a bit of research last night. No adjustment on stock suspension for camber but you might get a tiny amount from the holes where top of strut mounts.

Could be some damaged suspension component but most likely a bent part of shock absorber. I watched an excellent how to video on changing front shocks. Definitely beyond my current capabilities. I was really impressed by their attention to detail. Cleaning bolt and nut heads before undoing and applying spray copper grease afterwards. Never seen that product but I still have my tub and tube from probably the seventies . I wish every mechanic paid that much attention to detail. Obviously everyone on here does!

In the summer , I will cast around for a garage to do the job. In the meantime I will do some research on which shocks to use. I won’t go OEM. Might go Bilstein B4 but don’t want a lumpy ride. What is on now are original fitment on 125k miles so are perhaps giving a lumpy ride ie jarring when you go over a sleeping policeman. I guess any would be an improvement …… Any recommendations?

OEM are almost certainly Bilstien on that...
Same struts as the Leon/Altea/Octavia.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Primary height setting on those is the springs, as the car ages the springs weaken, the suspension sags a bit, the static position of the wishbone sits a little higher and you get a bit more negative camber.

Just changing the shocks will yield poor results, springs are the primary 

I suspect the standard Golf shocks ae ZF (so Sachs/Boge) and the WSS setup would be Monroe

[Varche]

Yes springs will be worn. Yes I think the OEM shocks are sachs.

The negative camber is just one side so something bent or damaged on drivers side I suspect.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Yes springs will be worn. Yes I think the OEM shocks are sachs.

The negative camber is just one side so something bent or damaged on drivers side I suspect.

Measure the ride height both sides, I bet the drivers side is lower

There is pretty much nothing you can bend which will impact camber and not toe 

[cam.in.head]

unless the camber issue / damage happened a while back and toe has been subsequently reset .
does it drive fine ?  does it wear tyres ?   ( a certain amount of neg camber on drivers side compared to other side would actually help the car drive straight on our cambered roads )

[cam.in.head]

also .... 1 deg of neg camber doesnt sound too bad  anyway. what is the reccomended spec ( and what is the other side ? )

[Marks DTM Calib]

Spec for a Golf is circa 0.5

[Varche]

Few questions there. Sorry been out all day.

First ride height. Lh side is higher 67.8 cm to 67.2 cm rh ( kerbside).

Tyre wear. Yes inner edge trashed the tyre on the lh side which was only spotted at mot.  So to keep mobile I got two new tyres and through a restest.

Garage checked tracking and that is when the camber issue came up. I took a photo of the settings. Not sure if he needed to adjust toe in/out. I will go back and ask him.

Ditto will chase up the vw dealer who advised best live with it but will send you a quote . I suspect the reason it will be “ a. Lot” apart from being a main stealer is quote will be shocks, springs, mounts, bearings, new bolts maybe arms too. That was the way I have been leaning towards albeit via a trusted cheaper local garage.

Then I started  thinking maybe time to get shot and buy somthing else newer….. and put the thousand euros suspension is going to cost towards that.

Does it drive well? Well today I convinced myself it doesnt ie front left wheel feels like it is dragging on corners. Car doesnt pull left or right though in a straight line.
There is also a noise like a bearing thrum.

On the plus side having just shelled out on a cambelt and new water pump and also the periodic dsg oil and filter change, selling or trading in should be a shade easier.

[Varche]

Readings were

Left Hand.          Right Hand

+ 0.5                  + 0.6

1.2                       0.3

67.8 cm                67.2 cm.   ( ground to wheel arch)

[Doctor Gollum]

Camber, toe, height?

As for the dealer quoting for all those parts, only an idiot would replace factory original shocks on an older used car with some miles on it without replacing all those bits.

Springs can be subjective, but it's not a new, low mileage car.