Coil/spring snapped: upgrade excuse or hefty job to fix?

[mishy]

Well, i was just setting off at a delicate 10mph(to warm the car up properly) and i hear an almighty twang. stopped instantly to check it out as i thought i had rolled over a metal rod or something had whacked the car on the underside.
no clues lying around so i carried on gingerly and heard nothing much for a while. when doing sharp turns to parrell parking I haerd some nasty frmo the front end, anyhow i set about looking for a fault and found a half turn of spring sitting in the cup. appears to be the upper spring. i would post a pic cos its funny.

now then

1. how hard is it to replace a spring on a Leon?
2. does it have to be done in pairs?
3. should i just go for some slightly uprated ones(lowering the car a tad) and how much?
4. should i not use the car at all until its sorted?

I dont throw the car around much so performance isnt really my thing but if the stock spring is the roughly the same price as a uprated one i could consider it....

Its a 04 LC ' btw

 

[m0rk]

1. Not difficult, basic spannering skills required
2. Yes - the other side will be the same age
3. Up to you, though your OE dampers won't like it
4. Absolutely not at all.

 

[mishy]

cheers for that mork, still looks like a nightmare of job in the likely event various bolts are seized!

Are springs on the mk1 LC common with any other platforms(LCR,MK4 Golf)?

I hope a pair isnt going to cost too much without fitting..

 

[m0rk]

Check the for sale section... there's a set there now.

Seized bolts = WD40 & breaker bar

 

[mishy]

thanks for your help mork,

Appears 2wd mk4 golf springs will fit but have a higher/stiffer rating.
And that the LC springs are 10mm lower to start with so if i were to buy some 'leon -40mm' lowering springs LC will be lowered by 30mm(not 40mm).

hmmm interesting stuff.

 

[vwbassett]

If you havent done suspension before or arent aware of the precautions needed i wouldnt attempt this till your fully aware of them. The bolts surely cant be that bad though i would recommend penetrating fluid like plus gas and proper 6 sided sockets to reduce rounding, hammer them a tad if need be then use the required brute force 1/2" bar or impact gun. A lot of people find eibachs and oe dampers a good mix if your not going full kit. Dont forget as a minimum requirement of new front top mounts and bearings as they will be completely sh@gged!

 

[mishy]

siezed bolts always seem to make my '30min' jobs turn into hours, e.g. changing my wiper arms to Aero type last weekend...

Car Suspension is not something ive ever really looked into(unlike my 5" mountain bike!).
roughly what are the costs of top mounts and bearings likely to be? £20 per pair?

although i like working on my car this isnt planned and i need it worked on soonish. will take suspension upgrade advice tho!

 

[vwbassett]

Thats why an impact air gun or good mains/rechargable one are so usefull as the action is completely different to that of a bar the vibration really helps release them.

 

[Shaunyboy]

Heat is the answer, get a small blowtorch and heat the fooker up will come off a dream, just make sure you heat the nut and not the thread too much. As for the job simply loosen but dont take off the top nut while the car is on the ground as it might nor come off when the strut is off the car, some do some dont depends if it wants to piss you off, and a must is a decent set of spring compressors as you dont want it firing into your face, ive seen it happen and trsut me its not nice.