Replaced my droplinks last night. Now as a precursor to this tale, i should highlight that I dont have a great deal of experience working on cars, but looking at the droplinks when they came through the post im thinking "sure...4 bolts! I can do bolts!"

So off with the wheel, and whip the old ones off....

oh i see! tough guys huh, you want to stay on... well let me introduce you to my friend torque. so the long bar goes on...ahhhh there you go you little pussys, turning now arent ya!


whats that?? actually not turning off?? just rotating the ball joint!!? I hate you.

But i've noticed a little star drive hole in the end of the bolt, so with a spanner on the nut and the star drive tool located in the end of the bolt, i go to work. The more experienced among you will rightly assume that i'm stopping the bolt from turning with the delicate star drive, and turning the more manly spanner. This is what anyone with a small to medium sized brain would be doing, but instead, i'm holding the spanner, and turning the star drive....

not for long though, as now the star shaped hole is perfectly filled with tip of my star shaped tool!

I'm now starting to feel a little uneasy as i can see that preventing the bolt from turning along with the nut is a f*cking mission, and one not made ANY easier now i have no star drive tool, or indeed a hole to put in!

maybe jacking up the the anti roll bar will put enough tension onto the bolt to stop it turning!

nope

mole grips!??

nope

As much as i dont like it...i know in my heart that i'm going to have to get the angle grinder out if i want to finish this job tonight... so out she comes. Theres a bit too much Bilstein B8 and brake piping etc in the immediate area for my taste, so with the confidence of small girl, i start to tickle the nut off (jesus that sounds wrong, especially after the small girl comment! we'll gloss over that )

eventually, and without damage to the surround components, Its FINALLY off, and popping the other one on is the childs play i'd assumed from the start.
The other side was a similar tale, once again having to fire up the grinder, but mercifully, it didnt take anything like as long.

The good side to all off this, is that is HAS got rid of the irritating knocking noise i'd had for a few months, which was the objective all along, but it wasn't the half hours work i'd hoped!!

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Rallye-R

Nurburgring article

You make it sound so simple

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Rallye-R

Nurburgring article