Urgent - Incorrect suspension installation by garage?

[dunc_sx]

I recently had bilstein B8 shocks and Cayman R springs all round installed by a specialist porsche garage, while investigating another problem I've discovered these clamps are not fitted to my struts meaning their position is held only by the drop link bolt.

I've just found the clamps on the old shocks. This strikes me as potentially a dangerous emission but checking here before I contact the garage in question pointing fingers. The car is a Cayman 987.2 S.

The bilstien b8 mounting geometry is indentical to the std porsche units.

Photo taken from ebay:


Item 12 from this diagram:


Thanks in advance.

Dunc.

Edited by dunc_sx on Saturday 20th August 13:16

[dunc_sx]

It's not much of a step and I think it sits in clean air, I'll pop my wheel off and take a look in a bit.

Here's the photo of a strut that was removed:

[dunc_sx]

Hopefully someone can put my mind at rest before I start pulling things apart

[Discombobulate]

Surely your best option is to call the garage on Monday and clarify - don't pile in, check first.

[dunc_sx]

Not got time for that unfortunately, I've removed one side and I can confirm the strut is not supported correctly without the colar fitted.

Poor workmanship in either brakes or suspension is unacceptable in my opinion, I also paid £1k for labour only for this and I'm having to redo have the job myself.

At least it's not raining

Dunc.

Edited by dunc_sx on Saturday 20th August 15:10

[esotericar]

Are you sure?

You may well be right, but from my really rough recollection of DIY'ing some (front - paid someone else to do the rear) B8 struts on a 987 years ago was that the collar / clamp wasn't critical. Vaguely remember being confused as to what it actually did...

[LennyM1984]

The clamps aren't critical and the 2.7s (and possibly the 2.9s) don't even have them. I don't think the garage have done anything wrong but I guess that you may have expected them to refit them for continuity with how it was originally.

If it makes you feel better, I've done 20+ track days without the clamps fitted and had it setup by CG all without issue

[esotericar]

My rough notion is that they're for something like (but likely not actually) vibration reduction or whatever. There for a reason, but not a fiery-death omission. That's my rough memory, anyway.

[dunc_sx]

Thanks for all the feedback, it sounds like it they aren't critical although I would like a better understanding of what prevents the strut sliding in the upright during impacts with the single drop link bolt supporting it only.

I've taken some photos of the strut mounted in my car which I'll pop up tomorrow and hopefully get to the bottom of it.

Thanks again for the advice on this

Cheers,
Dunc.

[LennyM1984]

The droplink slots through the damper but also pinches the upright against it. Provided that you torque the bolt correctly, it will not slip.

[Pope]

That clamp is inconsequential; it is secured with an M6 bolt torqued to 10Nm. It is used as a mass increase for NVH as far as I believe.

The clamping force of the hub carrier using the M12 combined throughbolt/droplink, torqued to spec does everything necessary - as mentioned most variations don't have the additional clamp; as an aside, the perpendicular tab on the strut is the insertion depth marker it doesn't assist in holding the assembly together either.

[dunc_sx]

Thanks for confirming guys, I'm glad everything is all OK - saying that if asked whether I wanted to retain the clamp I would have said yes.

Cheers,
Dunc.

[AW111]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Well of course. He's the Pope, and infallible.

[Krikkit]

OT but that's a great solution to use the drop link on the knuckle as the pinch bolt - one less component, but also regular replacement of the pinch bolt when the drop link wears out through the years.