Hottuning / Ta Technix Coilovers - Fitting problems?

[PH1L NI]

Can I please, please, please make a plea to anyone on here considering purshasing this crap to please don't!

I know it seems good that you can get coilovers + droplinks sent right to your door for under £300 but in reality it will end up costing you alot more.

I've have mine in for 2 months, yup only 2 and done a couple thousand miles in that time, the result? A harsh as **** ride with all the squeaky clattery bangy noises you can expect for cheap coilovers. I just got on with it satisfied my car was lowered until it started really getting scary with scrapping noises and even louder bangs.

I then decided, **** that I'm going back to my boucy, high comfortable suspension so I got them taken out and to say I was shocked and angry at the shite that I had allowed myself to put in my car was an understatement.

I will let the pictures of the top of my strut and my topmount (which used to be a round hole) do the talking. Bearing in mind these top mounts were tightend up as much as could be, they came loose over time - simply because the suspension is not designed for the car in any shape or form.

So please, consider what it is you are letting yourself in for when buying this crap and feel free to repost this on any other forum to deter anyone from buying this junk!

 

[Ultra_Joel88]

could you see that from the top?

 

[BHP Addict]

Probably not as I think that is the bottom your looking at (think)

That is terrible!!

Dont you get a 2 year g'tee with them? You discussed it with them? I would want the parts replaced!

 

[james.l]

Good to keep people informed about the useless junk that is available for Ibiza's and what can happen

 

[warren_cox]

I'm really sorry for you mate, it's awful when you've spent good money and you've suffered nothing more than compromise, inconvenience and safety related issues.

I've been 'quietly' campaigning about the (cheap) coilover obsession for some time (thread link), and it seems that given a little time some of the shortfalls in the value engineering are now starting to surface.

I know you can get isolated failures in any product, but this appears to be a fairly major failure. Well done for posting this up, it's only with evidence like this that the 'blinkered' will realise what they could be facing, and might choose to look for alternative solutions / pay more money.

Best of luck getting it all sorted, and more importantly glad you are OK.

 

[PH1L NI]

I'm really sorry for you mate, it's awful when you've spent good money and you've suffered nothing more than compromise, inconvenience and safety related issues.

I've been 'quietly' campaigning about the (cheap) coilover obsession for some time (thread link), and it seems that given a little time some of the shortfalls in the value engineering are now starting to surface.

I know you can get isolated failures in any product, but this appears to be a fairly major failure. Well done for posting this up, it's only with evidence like this that the 'blinkered' will realise what they could be facing, and might choose to look for alternative solutions / pay more money.

Best of luck getting it all sorted, and more importantly glad you are OK.

I read your thread, just after I got mine and I must say I have to agree with it. Funnily enough I was just discussing with my dad last night about the thread 'some guy' had posted on SCN a while ago stressing that you don't always NEED coilovers.

To answer some questions, I had no idea where the noise was coming from and had my wheels off more time than enough checking everything was kosher, when in reality it was the bonnet I needed to lift up and one I removed the wee cap on top of my strut, the amount of movement I could see was unreal!

 

[PH1L NI]

Probably not as I think that is the bottom your looking at (think)

That is terrible!!

Dont you get a 2 year g'tee with them? You discussed it with them? I would want the parts replaced!

I've sent an email in complaint today, and I await to be fobbed off.

 

[warren_cox]

Make sure you keep it all strictly professional, and if you get no real useful response, it may be worth pushing the 'I am going to contact a motoring magazine or industry body as I see this as a major issue, and you are leaving me with little or no option to do anything else...... blah blah blah'.

The other thing I would suggest, and this honestly isn't an ageist thing, but may stand in your favour. If you are sub 25, with aftermarket coilovers the company make 'take a view' that you are likely to have abused the product / they can fob you off.

It may be worth getting your old man to step in and say they were purchased as a Xmas / B'day present and he's horrified that the safety of his son has been compromised.

I don't mean this to sound belittling, and its not meant in a derogatory way, but having been younger and subject to corporate 'abuse of power' it sometimes carries even more weight if someone older handles the negotiation as for some @r$e about face reason companies often discount the voice of the young. Don't doubt you could handle it perfectly yourself, but the likely difference in response from the company to yourself or your dad may be chalk and cheese (if they are a typical company).

Again, best of luck, and keep at them. Out of curiosity, where were they fitted, as they can vouch for the job being done properly.

 

[antnee]

Before complaining, it would help if you had them on correctly which you didn't!

That metal triangular top hat isn't needed, you should have a bearing which sits between the spring and the topmount.

The banging and scraping you refer too, this may be other suspension components which are worn which are receiving more force/pressures due to the increased stiffness of the coilovers. The scraping may be the car bottoming out or tyres touching the arches, this is all to do with how its set up.


I have these coilovers on my Mk3, and haven't had any problems with them, yeah they are a bit stiff, but standard isn't particularly soft. I've been in cars with much harder suspension.



I would advise you to take them off, get new topmounts and bearings, and put them back on the car correctly, when they are on then check to see if the tyres catch on anything and adjust as necessary.

 

[BKR]

 

[GlanzaV]

^^ Any update on this, can you confirm/dispute they've been fitted incorrectly?

 

[PH1L NI]

Yeh the reason they were done like that is because as stock the top mounts of the coilovers do not properly fit the car. Search on here for the same problem encountered by others who use this brand and who had to modify them to fit. As I said before you cannot properly fit something which is literally the wrong size for your car. Others in here had to bore them out in order for them to fit at the top. These people who are talking about theirs being fine all drive the older ibizas! The mark 4 ones are not fine!!!! The do not fit propely when they arrive standard. And no I didn't fit them!

 

[antnee]

There should be a bearing which sits on top of the spring. that metal cup should be binned, Im not quite sure why they include them (had them on mine too).

When you turn the wheels, the whole coilover turns too, and rotates at the top mount. As you said the top nut was done really tight, so you had 2 metal surfaces rotating on each other while being tight together, hence the damage you have photographed.

See the diagram below, this is the bearing you need between the topmount and the spring

 

[PH1L NI]

Cheers for that. As I say I've no idea about fitting or anything I didn't do it lol wouldn't have a clue. Right enough my dad thought somethig was up when removing them. Why the hell would they supply something which isn't needed I'll never know. Oh well. I'm glad to be rid of them, the ride was terrible.

 

[PH1L NI]

And no my dad didn't fit them before any noobs start slabberin.

 

[antnee]

So your problems were just down to them being installed incorrectly?

I made the same mistake but only ran for a few days before I realised something was wrong, as steering was very heavy too. Once mine were on correctly, the steering was like normal, if not a tad lighter (due to having new bearings and top mounts) and the ride was a tad stiffer (handles like a go kart though )

 

[PH1L NI]

Well I'll take your word for it! You have more experience than me I imagine lol. I doubt I'll be putting them back in again anyway, the ride is a dream now with my soft suspension. Thanks for all the help by the way .

 

[Makey_FR]

just fitted coilovers to my Mk4, easy peasy to be honest, a monkey could do it! spring, cone shaped metal thing, plastic bush, to which these fit into the bearing/rubber mount, put the nut on top of the shock, bobs your uncle! no nocks or bangs/scrapes.....

 

[antnee]

The cone shaped bit you mention, is that the same as the one pictured above?

If so take it out, it should be assembled like the picture, spring, bearing, topmount

 

[Damoegan]

The cone shaped bit you mention, is that the same as the one pictured above?

If so take it out, it should be assembled like the picture, spring, bearing, topmount

What antnee said.

There should be a bearing which sits on top of the spring. that metal cup should be binned, Im not quite sure why they include them (had them on mine too).

When you turn the wheels, the whole coilover turns too, and rotates at the top mount. As you said the top nut was done really tight, so you had 2 metal surfaces rotating on each other while being tight together, hence the damage you have photographed.

See the diagram below, this is the bearing you need between the topmount and the spring

Thats how I fitted mine.