Why does VW have to be so different from the rest!! ARG!!! [:@]

I installed new springs and struts on my friends 2003 GTI VR6, i put it together and... well it doesnt make sense to me. usually upper strut mounts have 3 studs that stick through the unibody and well... thats where they mount and how they stay put.

On these cars... you have the spring, spring plate, bearing, suspension strut mount (fits into part of the unibody), nut, stop plate (installed from on top), and then your locknut.

It's all installed, when the car is on the ground, the stops sit up about an inch or less from the mount, when raised it drops and stops on the mount. While raised, i can lift the wheel/strut assembly and feel it move up into where the rubber mount seats from underneath. I am pretty sure this is not normal!!!

So a couple questions here...

#1. Do the strut stops rest on the unibody or do they just sit above by an inch or less?

#2. Are the strut stops supposed to rest on the unibody when the car is lifted off the ground? (doesn't seem right to me)

I am assuming this upper stop is down all the way with no gap due to the car being raised on a lift, on ground i am assuming it would be up a little.


Ah, here's one with it most likely on the ground with the stop being raised like how i said...



Thanks for your input! And please... don't harass me too much haha

 

UGH seriously?

 

Mine are the same way. I just changed my shocks on Tuesday. What you're experiencing is normal. I thought the same thing, and had no idea how to remove the suspension b/c I'm used to working on a MX-6, which has the normal strut towers.