Tonight I decided to try and figure out why the front driver's side shock was bottoming out. The car is lowered a bit, but the passenger side seems to work fine. After messing around with the top strut nut, I was finally able to get it loose. Then I pried the A arm down so I could pull the shock out of the tower. As I was prying, the shock popped down and out, banging the inside of the fender in the process. Upon closer inspection, it dimpled out the fender and cracked the paint! Damn it!

Now that I had the shock out of the tower I was able to remove the protective metal cover and inspect the shock. It seems that the shock is buggered, because it has about 2 inches of travel. I couldn't push it or pull it. Pretty well seized right up.

Now, I should have quit right there, had a beer, and bitched on here, but noooo. I decided to undo the tie rod end, since I'm going to have to replace the strut. I loosened the nut on the brand new tie rod end, and whacked it out with a hammer. And of course, I messed up the threads! Arrrggg! After that, I decided it was time to quit. So, now I'm having a cold beer and bitching.

So, a few questions come out of this shitty night. Does anybody have a decent used Bilstein shock to sell me? And, what do I do about the hub carrier? Can I get a new shock insert, or do I have to buy the entire unit? Any tips or tricks on removing and replacing?

I hate my car right now. It was supposed to go for an alignment on the weekend, but I don't think thats gonna be happening. Stupid stupid car!

Why do you have to replace the strut ? It sounds to me that you need to replace the shock.


B

Ok, I mean the shock, I guess. I always get confused with those terms. Can the shock be replaced without replacing the entire hub unit?

Need more beer!

yes, the shock is just an insert.