Spring compressors

[Martin Cox]

I'm contemplating replacing the front springs, shock absorbers and spring seats on my 1998 V70 Tdi. After 21 years and 225,000 miles, I'm pretty sure one of the spring seats has had it, the springs are somewhat corroded and I should imagine the shock absorbers are decidedly geriatric.

Obviously I'll need a set of spring compressors which I don't have.

I'd appreciate any recommendations on which ones to consider and which are best avoided.

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Martin

[ITSv40]

Buy the best you can afford and avoid the 'cheepo' brands. I bought a pair of Sykes Pickavant best part of 30 years ago and they have served me well. Similar style are made by other manufacturers and would be suitable.

Attachment shows one of mine. The two hooks swivel so that they grip the spring snugly and the little screw on the other end winds down to grip the spring in the hook.

[AndyV7o]

Laser Tools compressors are decent for the money. Laser stuff isnt all that great often, but been using a pair of their compressors for years, they're alright. Even have a 1/2" square in the bolt head so you can directly use ratchet/extension if you dont have a 21mm socket or not using socket is more convenient.
Avoid single hook compressors, they're bloody lethal! Must have double hooks.

[rudi dudi]

Unless your going to use them over and over again you might be better off just asking your local garage to either let you use their floor mounted hydraulic one, or let them built the new struts up for you.
Just as cheap as buying a set of suicide sticks worm drive compressors and hell of a lot safer and less hassle .

[AndyV7o]

Ita not though really, is it.
Compressors around £25-30 got em for life.
Garage wont normally let people use their stuff, and dont always have hydraulic stuff, you are looking at least £30 for half hours labour at a cheap garage if you take struts, but you could be looking at £100 for an hours labour at others, or much more if you take car.

[burstlikeabubble]

I prefer to use this type myself.

Such as ebay item 312783582442 so about £65.

[Martin Cox]

Many thanks for your suggestions. I did consider Rudi Dudi's suggestion and I may yet chicken out and get somebody to dismantle and reassemble the struts for me.

I'd also quite like to do it myself and the safety aspect seems to be a matter of care, common sense, good quality tools, having a healthy respect for the forces involved and of course, reading the instructions! I may regret this decision...

I've successfully repaired the aftermath of a cambelt failure, replaced the front ABS reluctor rings and replaced brake discs, pads shoes and replaced a caliper or two over the years. I've done other suspension related work but haven't yet tackled a MacPherson strut. However it doesn't look as though it's beyond my capabilities.

I'm inclining towards the Laser spring compressors and was already thinking along those lines before AndyV7o suggested them. The double hook makes perfect sense.

Martin

1998 V70 Tdi SE auto 225,000 miles
2008 V70 2.4D auto 112.000 miles

[rudi dudi]

Personally I wouldn't go near the suicide stick types some members are prepared to use.
Seen far too many near misses over the years with this type.Can be lethal if they slip.
Nearly everyone in the trade uses the floor mounted press for a reason.
Only you can decide.

[DaveNP]

I recently had the front shocks, top mounts and a wheel bearing replaced on my V70 by the local workshop I use, the total came to just under £800. That is a lot of money but I decided I couldn't be bothered sourcing the exact right part, getting the tools, fighting with seized nuts on the garage drive etc. as it turned out the wheel bearing has three different types and his supplier brought the wrong ones on the first two trips.

I have in the past done the hybrid approach of doing the easy bit myself and getting a garage to do the tricky bit (replacing a bearing on a half shaft with a hydraulic press) as I recall that wasn't too expensive, it probably doesn't have a 'book time' so a friendly garage might fit it in between other jobs for a small fee. The only thing with this is in fairness to the garage you'll need to be sure all of the parts are sorted and they are just doing a quick assembly job not having to do a lot of sorting out.

If you decide to do it yourself then as others have said don't skimp on the tools, the forces involved if they fail could get nasty. I did see (possibly on this forum) someone who had done it themselves, with a useful tip that when you're compressing the spring use a ratchet tie or two to secure the spring and strut to a suitable workbench, that way if the compressor does pop off you won't have large bits of metal flying around at high speed.

[AndyV7o]

Been using traditional screw-type spring compressors for years without issue, and thats what we used when I worked at garage too.
They're perfectly safe if of reasonable quality and due care and attention is used. I have some cheap single hook ones which are bloody terrifying and only got used once! The Laser are sturdy and give nice clearance. They work at an angle due to fixed hooks. I use them with confidence now theyve proven themselves. Theyve been used many times.
Just keep threads lubed, frequently swap between sides to compress spring evenly, put them at or as close to 180° apart as you can, treat with respect and pay full attention to both them and what you are doing.