How to replace the shock absorbers Print Disclaimer Please note that I am not a mechanic by trade and that I nor Turbocelica.nl can be held responsible for any damage, injuries or death caused by work you perform using this website as a guideline. Parts and tools needed Replacement shock absorbers Probably replacement rear end links Axle stands and a jack Basic socket set Mini hacksaw Pliers Small flathead screwdriver WD-40 An angle grinder might come in handy if your rear end links need to be cut. Front We start with the front shocks. Start by jacking up the front of the car (being in 1st gear and on the handbrake) and securing it with axle stands or other safety stands. Take the wheel off. Before you can unbolt all supporting connections, you have to get the ABS (red) and brake (blue) lines out of their bracket on the strut: You can see the ABS line is bolted onto the bracket. Unbolt it and make sure it can move around freely. The brake line is a bit more work to get loose. As you can see in the pic above you first have to slide off the clip that holds the line onto the bracket (the screwdriver is the perfect tool for this). When the clip is off, there are a few options to choose from: 1) Disconnect the brake line (which means you'll have to bleed the brakes later) or not 2) Cut the bracket or not I installed TEIN coilovers at this point which have 'open' brackets for the brake lines. It means I could slide the line into place on the TEIN strut and therefore I decided to cut the bracket on the old struts so I didn't have to disconnect the brake lines. To do this, carefully push the brake line through the hole so you get some clearance to use the hacksaw. When you've made the cut you can use the pliers to bend the bracket open to get the brake line out: If you install struts with closed brackets or want to keep the old ones intact, you'll have to disconnect the brake line. Now it's time to get the strut out. Before you unbolt anything, make sure the hub/brake setup is properly supported so it can't damage anything including yourself. As you can see in the first picture, I sprayed WD-40 on the connection nuts and bolts so they come off easier. Remove the two big bolts on the lower end of the shock and pull the brake assembly towards you, off the strut housing. Open the bonnet and remove the three nuts on the top mount (you can leave the strut brace in place). Be careful not to drop the shock absorber. Now you can wiggle the complete shock out. Be careful not to damage the loose brake lines when doing this! Install the replacement shock in reverse order. Tighten the top mount nuts by hand and in case of adjustable top mounts, make sure you have them in the correct position so you still can adjust the camber. After you've lowered the car on its wheels, you can fully tighten the top mount nuts. Rear The rear struts work exactly the same way, apart from the end links. End links are the connection rods between the rear shocks and anti-roll bar (ARB, or sway bar). It's quite common that these are impossible to unbolt properly due to the age and type of connection. I cut them with the angle grinder and replaced them. Job done! After you've driven a few miles, check the top mount nuts again as they set themselves while driving. Finally, you might need a wheel alignment, since the settings might be a bit off. Related links How to.. TEIN SuperStreet coilovers Top