How to Replace Front Shock Absorbers 2000-08 Audi A4
Created on: 2016-05-20
How to repair, install , fix, change or replace your front struts with their loaded struts. This video is applicable the 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08 Audi A4
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We recommend getting an alignment after completing this repair
step 1 :Removing the Wheel
- Remove the center cap with a cap removal tool or pick
- Loosen the 17mm lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground
- Raise the vehicle with a floor jack
- Secure the vehicle on jack stands
- Remove the lug nuts
- Pull off the wheel
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step 2 :Simulating the Suspension
- Push up on the suspension with a floor jack until the suspension stops compressing
- Measure the top of the strut mount and mark from the front of the tap to where it lines up at the bottom (3 1/4 inches)
- Lower the floor jack to release the weight from the suspension
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step 3 :Removing the Strut Assembly
- Remove the pinch bolt with a 16mm wrench and 16mm socket and ratchet
- If the bolt won't remove, use a chisel and hammer
- Slide a tie rod fork under the joint
- Hammer the pick fork in until it separates from the spindle
- Remove the Phillips head screw from the coolant tank
- Slide the tank out of its retainers
- Remove the 16mm bolt below the expansion tank
- Remove the rain tray
- Pull off the rubber boot before the fuse box
- Remove the 16mm bolt
- Remove the 16mm bolt by the fuse panel
- Remove the bolt from the bottom of the strut with a an 18mm socket and 18mm wrench
- Remove the strut from the lower control arm
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step 4 :Removing the Upper Control Arms
- Remove the 16mm bolts holding in the upper control arms
- Remove the upper control arms
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We recommend removing the 18mm strut bolt with an impact gun
step 5 :Removing the Strut from the Spring Assembly
- Install the strut spring compressors on either side
- Tighten the compressors with a 24mm wrench
- Compress the spring
- Point the strut away from you
- If you aren't using an impact gun, secure the shaft with vice-grips or a channel lock pliers
- Remove the 18mm nut
- Remove the top and spring from the strut
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step 6 :Preparing the New Strut
- Remove the space, billow, bumpstop, and insulator from the strut
- Hold the strut up and tap the base place off by switching sides with a hammer
- Insert the base plate onto the new strut tube until it reaches the bezel
- Insert the insulator, cap, billow, bumpstop, and spacer into place
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step 7 :Installing the Strut to the Spring Assembly
- Seat the spring firmly into the lower insulator
- Press the top into place
- Replace the spacer
- Reinstall the rubber boot
- Hand tighten the 18mm nut
- Tighten the nut with an impact gun
- Release a bit of pressure off the spring if the shaft spins while tightening
- Remove the spring compressors
- Double check the 18mm strut bolt
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step 8 :Installing the Upper Control Arms
- Insert the upper control arm into place
- Remember to transfer the mark you used to measure the angle of the control arms
- Set the angle
- Tighten the 16mm bolts
- Torque the control arm bolts to 37 foot-pounds and add 90 degrees
- Repeat the process for the other side
- Remove the protective caps from the new boots
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step 9 :Reinstalling the Strut Assembly
- Insert the strut assembly into place
- Tighten the top strut bolts
- Torque the strut bolts to 55 foot-pounds
- If the strut rotates, twist it to it's in place
- Tighten the lower strut bolt with an 18mm socket and wrench
- Reinstall the forward control arm into the spindle
- Press the control arm into the spindle with pliers
- Insert the pinch bolt in halfway
- Reinstall the nut on the back of the pinch bolt with a 15mm socket and wrench
- Torque the pinch bolt to 30 foot-pounds
- Torque the lower strut bolt to 66 foot-pounds
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step 10 :Reattaching the Wheel
- Slide the wheel into place
- Start the lug nuts by hand
- Tighten the lug nuts preliminarily
- Lower the vehicle to the ground
- Tighten the lug nuts to 90 foot-pounds in a crossing or star pattern
- Reattach the center cap
Tools needed
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Socket Extensions
Torque Wrench
16mm Wrench
Hammer
Tie Rod Fork
Rust Penetrant
Channel-Lock Pliers
18mm Wrench
16mm Socket
Jack Stands
18mm Socket
Strut Spring Compression Tool
Pick
Audi Wheel Cap Removal Tool
Phillips Head Screwdriver
Chisel
Ratchet
Floor Jack
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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you strut replacement. This is a 2007 Audi, and the procedure is the same for 2000 to 2008. We show you the driver side, but the passenger side is the same procedure. We obviously recommend that you do this in pairs, and it's a good idea to have an alignment done after this procedure as well. You'll need new struts from 1AAuto.com, center cap removal tool or 90 degree pick, 16 to 18mm sockets with ratchets and extensions and wrenches, penetrating oil, chisel, hammer, ball joint or tire rod fork, Phillips screwdriver, strut, spring compressors, torque wrench, large pliers, and jack and jack stands.
To remove the wheel, you'll have to remove this lug cover. You can use the tool supplied with your spare tire kit. Often, these are missing and are available at 1AAuto.com, or you can use a hook pick.
Remove the five 17mm wheel bolts. I'm going to use the screw jack to push up on the suspension and simulate the weight of the vehicle on the tires. You can do the same thing with a floor jack at home. Bring it up until the suspension stops compressing.
Hook a measuring tape to the top of your strut mount. Mark where you put the front of the tape on the strut mount and where it lines up at the bottom. Our measurement here is 3 1/2 inches. Since the arms can't be torqued inside of the vehicle, you'll use a recreation of this measurement to set the angle of the control arm with the weight on before you torque on the bench. This arm will be aligned with our tape at both marks to 3 1/2 inches. We'll make our other arm parallel before torquing on the bench.
Lower your screw jack or floor jack to release the weight from the suspension. Remove the pinch bolt at the top of the spindle. Often these are frozen in and will require heat, power tools, and just generally a lot of working back and forth to remove, but we're going to try starting ours by hand.
You'll need a 16mm wrench and a 16mm socket and ratchet. Often, even once the nut's been removed, these pinch bolts tend to get stuck in the spindle. Best thing you can do for this is spray penetrating oil just about anywhere you can get at the bolt. If you have to get a little outward pressure while you try to turn the bolt out of the spindle, you can use part of a chisel behind the washer just to put some outward pressure on it while you try to turn it out.
We're going to be using a very thin wrench to get behind the washer, pry out on the bolt while we turn. When all else fails, you may just have to use power tools. As the gap behind the washer gets bigger, you can up-size wrenches or even double them up to fill the gap.
The best way to remove the upper control arms from the spindle is with a ball joint or tie rod fork. Simply slide it under the joint, send it in with a hammer until it separates from the spindle.
Remove the Phillips head screw on the top of the coolant expansion tank. Slide the tank out of its retainers. Lay it off to the side. Careful not to spill. Remove the 16mm bolt below the expansion tank.
Our vehicle is missing the rain tray. If yours isn't, you'll have to remove it to access this rubber plug just before the fuse box. Remove the 16mm bolt underneath. Remove the last 16mm bolt between the brake booster just by the fuse panel. Using an 18mm socket and ratchet and an 18mm wrench, remove the bolt from the bottom of the strut through the lower control arm.
Remove the bottom of the strut from the lower control arm. Pry out to release the clip. With the strut assembly removed, remove the 16mm bolts holding in the upper control arms. With the upper control arms removed, install strut spring compressors on either side of the spring. These particular strut spring compressors use a 24mm, so we'll tighten them down with that being sure to do so evenly on both sides. Compress the spring in order to remove the 18mm nut on the top of the strut.
The best way to remove the nut on the top of the strut is with an impact gun. You can do it by hand, but the shaft of the strut tends to want to spin with it. If you're replacing your struts, you can get in there and secure it with vice grips or channel locks and do it by hand, but we strongly recommend you get your hands on an impact gun for this job.
Always point the strut away from you, and anything it could damage in case it were to spring loose. You can now remove your spring from the strut. Remove the spacer, billow, and bump stop, and spring insulator. Put the top of the strut against a hard surface and tap the base plate up and off the strut too. Be sure to tap both sides evenly so it doesn't become pinched and stuck on the tube.
Reinstall the spring perch onto your strut tube. Bring it down until it bottoms out on the bezel. Reinstall your rubber spring insulator, and your plastic cap, billow, and bump stop, and your spacer before reinstalling the spring onto the shock tube.
You'll notice there's a notch where the bottom of the coil is going to sit. Make sure the spring is seated firmly into the lower insulator. The top is seated the same way. Make sure your spacer is on the top of the threads for the strut.
Reinstall the rubber top mount, and, again, the nut can be installed by hand, but to keep shaft spinning to a minimum we recommend you use an impact gun. If the shaft's spinning, release a little bit of pressure off your spring. Just a little bit of pressure should be enough to keep it from spinning.
Remove the spring compressors. Once you've removed your spring compressors, just give the strut bolt another check.
Reinstall your upper control arms. Remember to transfer the mark you used to measure the angle of your control arms from your old part to your new part so we can set the angle and torque the control arms appropriately.
Torque the upper control arm bolts to 37 foot-pounds and then add 90 degrees. Reinstall the other control arm the same way.
Reinstall your strut assembly into the wheel well. Reinstall your top strut bolts. Torque the strut cap bolts to 55 foot-pounds. The strut may have rotated. All you have to do is use a small pry bar to twist it the way you want it. Once you're lined up send your bolt back through, tighten it back up with an 18 millimeter socket and ratchet and wrench.
Reinstall your forward control arm into the spindle. You may need a large pair of pliers to press the control arms into the spindle. Once it's in, install the pinch bolt halfway to keep it from falling out.
Reinstall the nut on the back of your pinch bolt. Tighten it down with a 16 millimeter socket ratchet and wrench. Torque the pinch bolt to 30 foot-pounds. Using your floor jack or screw jack to simulate the weight of the suspension on the vehicle torque your lower strut bolt to 66 foot-pounds.
Reinstall the wheel onto the hub. It helps if you send a lug bolt through and hold it with a 17 millimeter socket on the other side. Start the first bolt by hand to help keep the wheel in place. Torque the lug bolts to 90 foot-pounds in a cross pattern. The slots on the back of the lug cap are staggered. Be sure to align them before installing.
Reinstall the rubber cap and the rain tray if your vehicle has one. Reinstall the coolant reservoir into the slots on the fire wall. Reinstall the Phillip's head screw to secure it.
Thanks for tuning in. We hope this video helped you out. Next time you need parts for your car, please visit 1AAuto.com. Also check out our other helpful how-to and diagnosis videos.
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How to repair, install , fix, change or replace your front shocks with their loaded struts on 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 Chevy Monte Carlo.
