R32 Noob Needs Advice!

2146 Views 47 Replies 7 Participants Last post by MonkeyJug, Jun 7, 2008

MonkeyJug

Discussion Starter · Jun 6, 2008

not sure where to post this, so if it needs to be moved, then please be my guest.

guys, i'll tell you now that i only know how to drive a car - and nothing about how it works! sad, i know, but that's the way it is...

i just took my car to APS today for it's serivce (car was originally owned by Claire, aka Golfgirl, on these forums). it is a blue MKIV.

it needs, deep breath - front and rear discs, front and rear pads, new rear anti-roll bar and bushes, and also a pair of rear springs.

breakdown i've been quoted is as follows, all prices include vat & fitting:

front pads/discs: £450
rear pads/discs: £220
rear anti-roll bar & bushes: £200
rear springs (pair): £180

giving a grand total of £1050

my question is not whether this is a fair price, because i'm sure it is, (although i could be wrong!) but would i be better off doing something else, ie. getting a coilover kit, fitting a set of neuspeed ARBs, or getting those brake discs/pads that were advertised over in this thread: Performance Brake Discs Group Buy. - R32OC | VW Golf R32 Owners Club

any advice is welcome!

mark

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arthu.:R

· #2 · Jun 6, 2008

Hi Mark,

APS is a highly respected VW specialist/tuner. The quotes looks very reasonable especially with VAT and fitting included. It hurts because there are so many parts that needed changing. Perhaps you should have done a closer inspection and negotiate the price before the car purchase.

THere are several options IMHO, you could take the opportunity to upgrade to performance parts. Like ECS OEM disc instead of stock disc, Neuspeed uprated anti-roll bar instead of ...

If you like to keep the costs down, you could keep a lookout on ebay for second hand parts.Typically could save by half.

All in all, good luck.

MonkeyJug

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 6, 2008

thanks for the reply.

i guessed it was a fair price, but was a bit gobsmacked when i realised how much it was all going to cost. i guess what the question i'm trying to ask is this:

should i pay the £1050 for genuine vw parts, or should i go dirt-cheap and follow the ebay route as per below. or should i go all out and get the best with a decent coilover kit, roll bar and ecs discs? is the price-to-substance ratio appropriate if i go all out? edit: my financial situation is moderate, so if needed, i could probably stretch to the 'all-out' option, but it would have to be worth it...

btw, i went to APS on the recommendation of this forum as they seem to be very popular, so i knew they were completely on the level...

i had a quick look on ebay, and i can see brake discs for £50 for the front pair! as i said above, i'm naive when it comes to car mechanics, and i'm guessing you get what you pay for, so i'm assuming these are rubbish... here are a few links ranging from £50 up to £120 for the front discs:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=280077159797&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=018

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=220183152457&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=320257235462&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=011

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=330210829586&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014

my gut reaction, considering the price is to avoid like the plague!

i can get the complete set (4 wheels) of brake pads here for £70:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=190226168871&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=009

but looking at them, i think they are definitely best avoided!

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G

· #4 · Jun 6, 2008

Hiya mate - really like your car.

You can buy OEM discs from eBay seller DSGwagen for under £300. I've bought a set before and they come from a stealer - linky

As a matter of interest why do you need new arbs? That's a new one on me.

A decent coilover kit will cost around £1000

Macdaddy©

· #5 · Jun 6, 2008

Seems very very high priced to me.

I got a full set of pads for about 40 quid iirc, look else where and maybe try a VW specialist or smaller garage to do the simple stuff like pads/discs if your not able to do them yourself.

MonkeyJug

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 6, 2008

khutula said:
Hiya mate - really like your car.

You can buy OEM discs from eBay seller DSGwagen for under £300. I've bought a set before and they come from a stealer - linky

As a matter of interest why do you need new arbs? That's a new one on me.

A decent coilover kit will cost around £1000

i had a look at the link - ironically, APS said they can supply the front discs for £150&vat for the pair. they said that genuine vw front discs are around £150 each, and they ones they source are just as good.

regarding the rear ARB, the guy (andy) showed me that there are like little sleeves (bushes?) that surround where the bar attaches to the car and one of them had moved over about half an inch, and the other had completely gone. i can only assume that this is due to 'cornering' in the car... another guy (ed) said it was a common problem on the mkIV.

i've had a look at 'spring' threads on here and i've spotted some that have had potentially the same problem as my rear springs. basically, the bottom part of the spring has excessive rust on them and it seems like they are on the verge of snapping. i'd hate this to happen, especially if i have my young son in the car with me...

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G

· #7 · Jun 6, 2008

If you need new arbs get Neuspeed uprated ones.

Andy is very very good he fitted the cams to my car and remapped it. best technician I have ever seen.

MonkeyJug

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 6, 2008

macdaddy said:
Seems very very high priced to me.

I got a full set of pads for about 40 quid iirc, look else where and maybe try a VW specialist or smaller garage to do the simple stuff like pads/discs if your not able to do them yourself.

i found the complete set of pads on ebay for £70 quid (listed in my second post above) but i'm not sure if any old pad will do the trick, or should i go for genuine vw pads?

please excuse my ignorance!

G

· #9 · Jun 6, 2008

Quite often decent after market parts including brake pads are cheaper than the OEM part.

In my opinion though brakes aren't worth scrimping on though. The R has a lot of weight to stop.

MonkeyJug

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jun 6, 2008

khutula said:
If you need new arbs get Neuspeed uprated ones.

Andy is very very good he fitted the cams to my car and remapped it. best technician I have ever seen.

do i need to buy those in pairs? front & rear, or can i just get the rear and leave the standard one at the front?

again, please excuse my ignorance!

G

· #11 · Jun 6, 2008

It would be best to do both. I've got 25mm front and 22mm rear Neuspeed and it handles superbly.

arthu.:R

· #12 · Jun 6, 2008

Khutula, are you happy with the schrick cams + remap. Hows the before and after experience like ??

MonkeyJug

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jun 6, 2008

cheers, khutula - i had a look on awesomegti and i can get them for:

Neuspeed Front Anti-Roll Bar R32/TT/LCR/VRS 25mm, SU-ARB-NEU-TTC, £155
Neuspeed Rear Anti-Roll Bar R32 22mm, SU-ARB-NEU-R32A, £185

unless you know of anywhere else to get them, i think i'll defo go for these...

that takes out one of my issues!

now for the suspension and the brake pads/discs!!!

Mattchaps

· #14 · Jun 6, 2008

Mark,

APS have done all the work on my car and I've had no problems with them at all.

If you are keen to make the most of your car then I'd suggest uprating the ARB's to Neuspeed ones considering you need new ones anyone.

If you can afford it you might as well get a performance coilover set too

With regards to brakes, you kind of need them so I wouldn't try and save cash in that dept.

Yes, we are good at spending other peoples' money :xD

Any questions, just ask!

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G

· #15 · Jun 6, 2008

MonkeyJug said:
cheers, khutula - i had a look on awesomegti and i can get them for:

Neuspeed Front Anti-Roll Bar R32/TT/LCR/VRS 25mm, SU-ARB-NEU-TTC, £155
Neuspeed Rear Anti-Roll Bar R32 22mm, SU-ARB-NEU-R32A, £185

unless you know of anywhere else to get them, i think i'll defo go for these...

that takes out one of my issues!

now for the suspension and the brake pads/discs!!!

I bought mine at Awesome and they fitted them too - they are the ones to go for.

G

· #16 · Jun 6, 2008

goodboy1451 said:
Khutula, are you happy with the schrick cams + remap. Hows the before and after experience like ??

Very very happy. The torque curve is no very linear and as a result pulls right through the revs range. You'll get an extra shove in the back around 4000rpm. The car is almost perfect now. I absolute love it. The car accelerates very freely and sounds amazing. Its not a simple job and one that should be done by an experienced technician but one I would recommend to anyone wishing to stay N/A.

I normally get my work done at Awesome but wanted APS to do the remap and the install so I drove a couple of hundred miles to go there. It was well worth it.

blistex

· #17 · Jun 6, 2008

i think aps needs to be one of our sponsors.

Mattchaps

· #18 · Jun 6, 2008

blistex said:
i think aps needs to be one of our sponsors.

Damn right! The amount of cash they've had off us isn't worth thinking about!! :xD

blistex

· #19 · Jun 6, 2008

anybody really good friends with them?, would be worth a mention. they gain at the end of the day.

G

· #20 · Jun 6, 2008

Mattchaps said:
Damn right! The amount of cash they've had off us isn't worth thinking about!! :xD

Ed is a member on here but has never posted. - R32OC | VW Golf R32 Owners Club - View Profile: [email protected]@@[email protected]@View Profile: [email protected]@@[email protected]@[email protected]

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