Koni FSD strut failure

Once you get the Special Actives installed, let us know how the ride is! I'm thinking about lifting my Jetta Wagon and want to find the shocks/struts that are best for washboard roads.

Mongler98 said:

That's great news. How long did you have them before this happend or it started to rust out?

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I installed them on my '03 Jetta in late '08, so about 11.5 years until failure. The rust started a few years ago.

hskrdu said:

Thanks for the info. So they accepted the warranty based on the pictures and steps 1-3 and will be sending new units free of charge? Or you paid for new FSDs at 50%, and are awaiting reimbursement after they receive and inspect your old units?

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I opted for advance replacement but was not asked for any payment info. The form simply says to ship back my old shocks and struts in the packaging the new ones arrive in and return shipping is my responsibility. I'll send them a clarifying question on that.

ottoman said:

I opted for advance replacement but was not asked for any payment info. The form simply says to ship back my old shocks and struts in the packaging the new ones arrive in and return shipping is my responsibility. I'll send them a clarifying question on that.

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otto- thanks much for the update. Your process certainly hasn't followed the process that Koni themselves has published- Lucky you. The sticking point for many Koni owners has been that their car is out of service while waiting to swap new units for old, etc.

hskrdu said:

The sticking point for many Koni owners has been that their car is out of service while waiting to swap new units for old, etc.

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I was able to avoid downtime buy purchasing from them and having them refund when they received my old struts back, the refund of course hinging on their determination of the struts condition.

jackbombay said:

I was able to avoid downtime buy purchasing from them and having them refund when they received my old struts back, the refund of course hinging on their determination of the struts condition.

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And years ago the stories seemed to be that they were stingy with the warranty- leading sometimes to a purchase with no reimbursement, which would stink.

hskrdu said:

And years ago the stories seemed to be that they were stingy with the warranty- leading sometimes to a purchase with no reimbursement, which would stink.

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That would have been a bummer, but, I did need new struts anyway so whats a guy to do?

At 120k miles one of the fronts had leaked out a lot of oil and was making a bunch of noise, hard to imagine they wouldn't warranty that, but paying up front did make me a bit nervous.

I really liked the handling and feel with the Koni units- I wonder if just a coat of clear high temp lacquer would have helped with longevity. The paint process they use(d) seems to be the issue. The rest of the car received fluid film, but it didn't achieve much with the shocks and struts.

I received the new shocks and struts from Koni on Friday. Bright red and beautiful. No cost to me, they haven't even asked for the old ones to be shipped back. I will inquire w/ them to be certain. After looking them over, there were a few nicks in the paint right out of the box. Kinda disappointing. I had a quart of red enable laying around so I touched them up and will be applying a coating of CRC 06026 Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor prior to installation. Hopefully that helps prolong their life.

Since I pulled the old suspension, I found 2 of the springs were broken, so I've decided to do a complete refresh on the suspension and steering components. It is extending the time my car is up on jack stands, but think it'll be worth it in the long run.

Well, everything is finally fully installed. The rear was pretty easy after following this guide on VWVortex. Since I had the rear axle fully out, I took the extra time to sand the rust off, apply a rust converting primer and repaint. The new springs and shocks went in super easy with the aid of a floor jack to support the axle.

When removing the rear axle, both brake lines broke where they unscrew from the line leading to the front of the car due to corrosion, so I had to order new ones of those as well. This prompted me to work on the rear calipers since my e-brake has been sticky for quite a while. Following Tongsli's guide here, I was able to remove all the corrosion, apply rubber safe silicone grease and get them working super smooth.

The front driver's side was also pretty straight forward. The passenger side was another story. As many others on here have attested to, it was a PITA! I fully replaced the front control arm with bushings and ball joint but didn't even think to install the strut into the steering knuckle before installing it. I will gladly pay the $20 for the front and rear bushing stretch bolts in the future if I ever have to do this again.

After getting everything put together, bleeding the brakes and charging the battery, I applied 3 layers of CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor to help stave off new rust as long as possible.
The car rides like a dream. It's smooth over bumps and glides with my trailer and 1k lbs loaded onto it. Overall, I'm extremely happy with how it turned out.

Full Flickr album here.

She needs a wash badly.

Great job!