[sachin_cs]

I was contemplating for a suspension mod for quite some time as my stock ones had already done 85k kms. I also saw BHPian Tuisha110BHP's review on Sachs and since then I wanted those. I got the contact of Germancart from Tuisha and discussed my mod plans with him. He suggested that I go for the Sachs setup as he owns two Rapids himself and based on his personal experience, Sachs was the best your VAG can get. The other options were Schaeffler, TRW, OEM, Meyle, Monroe, Alko Spain, etc. I decided to go for the best one out there- Sachs Front and Rear shocker. I placed an order in November 2023 but unfortunately due to Red Sea conflict my shipment could arrive only in February 2024. Since my car has seen a lot of abuse in those 85k kms, I decided to get the entire suspension overhauled. The following parts were ordered-

• Sachs Front & Rear Shocker
• Borsehung Germany rear Mounts
• Meyle Front Mounts
• Magnetti Marelli Suspension kit
• Meyle Germany Lower Arm Bushes
• Vika Link Rod
• Magnetti Marelli Balance Rod bushing
• Some child parts which I forgot
  

Total Cost~ ball park of 40k, if you want to replace steering rack then around 50k

A. Installation-

I scourged the Raipur FNG scene and I didn't find anyone worthy to do the job. Either they asked too much money or they were too shoddy. Finally, I requested my Skoda CRM to please get it done in the Showroom itself but she said it won't be possible because these parts are technically aftermarket however superior they may be to the OEMs. But she helped me get in touch with a Skoda mechanic and he agreed to do it on Sunday in some ABC workshop of his friend. Finally, the day arrived, I went there to get my dream suspension setup installed on my Car. It was a 4-5 hour job and it almost took my entire day considering I live 40kms away from the workshop.

You will need a hydraulic lift, a wheel gun, tools, and a bit of space for a suspension job. Regarding the quality of work, it was okayish to be honest, though the guy had worked at Skoda, he did a hasty job and he was not very careful with my car. He broke my wiper cowl, scratches on the bonnet, and even while loading/unloading parts from the boot, he accidentally banged my car with link rod. Overall a mediocre experience, I gave him an earful but that doesn't make any difference to the damages. Labour cost- 5k


Experience with Sachs: (I have done 5000kms on Sachs)

As informed by the guy from Germancart and Tuisha, the Sachs are on the stiffer side when compared to the stock gabriel shockers. So, naturally the low-speed ride quality is on the stiffer side. On the other hand, my gosh, the car literally flies. The high-speed ride quality has improved by leaps and bounds. I will explain how-

• Expansion joints are not felt when you are driving fast, it just glides over them
• Dips after flyover are taken with maturity, it just goes in the dip and gains back its composure. Other cars bounce over such dips, Rapid just sticks to the road
• Body-roll... what does that even mean? Take a corner at 40 or 60 or 80, the car stays flat
• Braking has improved a lot, the car just stops and there is minimal nose dive
• Shockers take some time to open up, initially they were very stiff but after driving 2000 km, they have settled in nicely.
• Because of stiff suspension, underbody hits have reduced
• Low-speed ride is stiff but in a good way, it takes bigger potholes & bumps with maturity i.e. it does not make a thud sound and even if you hit a big pothole, it doesn't make you feel as if your car will break, it just feels robust
• There's less sagging when the car is loaded with passengers and luggage
• I took a test drive of Verna 1.5 Turbo, Slavia 1.5 DSG post-installation and they don't even come close to the confidence you get on the Rapid

Negatives:

• If you regularly drive on bad roads then it might not suit you
• At slow speeds you will feel the road a lot more, once you speed up things smoothen out but you can't always drive fast, especially in the city
• Expensive, the stock shockers cost 10k and the Sachs costs 28k [F & R]. But I feel it's a one-time investment, so I went ahead with them.
• The rear makes a thud sound at times when going over bumps, it feels like something is loose, I will get it checked soon.
• You tend to drive fast because the speed is not felt

Experience with Germancart:

I got his contact from BHPian Tuisha and we both are not associated with him in any way. I had a great experience with him right from placing the order to delivery & post-delivery feedback. He was transparent throughout and kept updating me on the status of my shipment. He is a fellow VAG enthusiast who started this venture during the lockdown and you may find his insta id here https://www.instagram.com/german_cart_/ He mostly deals in parts of German cars.

Please find some pictures below-



The workshop in Mahadevghat Raipur



That's how you break the cowl, I asked him to remove the cowl and then work on suspension but he thought he was the expert



Old OE shocker



Removing the shocker





Bushings in lower arm were changed in Lathe/Press machine



Meyle



Old Bushings had Audi logo



Shocker un-mounting resulted in scratches in the bonnet because of his carelessness. I asked him to be careful but he







Perks of owning a Skoda



Just see the difference in the build of stock vs Vika link Rod


These days the Kushaq comes with a plastic link rod



Metal rear mount from Borsehung



The seller advised me to manually push the shockers before fitting for 20-30 times so that gas is equally distributed







Glad that Rapid came with underbody protection. It not only saves from underbody damage but also keeps the engine bay clean













When I returned home, this random dog strolled into our house



I guess he also likes Rapid



Random shot



Finished the day with a refuel at Jio Bunk



P.S. Please feel free to ask any doubts regarding Rapid or Suspension, I will be more than happy to guide you.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

I was contemplating for a suspension mod for quite some time as my stock ones had already done 85k kms. I also saw BHPian Tuisha110BHP's review on Sachs and since then I wanted those. I got the contact of Germancart from Tuisha and discussed my mod plans with him. He suggested that I go for the Sachs setup as he owns two Rapids himself and based on his personal experience, Sachs was the best your VAG can get.

Nice update. I also had upgraded to the Sachs Shocks on my Vento 1.2 TSI last year and can relate to your comments, both positive and negative. Had done it in 2 parts where we first changed the link rods, top mounts etc and then subsequently the shocks.

The low speed stiffness is definitely a problem in Bangalore where the roads are mostly bad with frequent potholes, humps and rough surfaces. But the advantages on the highway rides make up for it.

[yogeshpalankar]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Nice update. I also had upgraded to the Sachs Shocks on my Vento 1.2 TSI last year and can relate to your comments, both positive and negative. Had done it in 2 parts where we first changed the link rods, top mounts etc and then subsequently the shocks.

The low speed stiffness is definitely a problem in Bangalore where the roads are mostly bad with frequent potholes, humps and rough surfaces. But the advantages on the highway rides make up for it.

Hi @Rajeevraj,

I want to have this setup on my VW Vento diesel. Could you please let me know where you have got them installed in Bangalore?

Thank you in advance!
Yogesh

[hsm_1991]

Hey sachin_cs. Fellow Raipurian and a VAG enthusiast! I have a SKODA Rapid TDI (2013) and a SKODA Slavia 1.5 TSI (2023). Got my Rapids's suspension overhaul work from Autonation near Swarnabhoomi. The quality of work was great. You can consider getting any future work done from them.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by yogeshpalankar

Hi @Rajeevraj,

I want to have this setup on my VW Vento diesel. Could you please let me know where you have got them installed in Bangalore?

Thank you in advance!
Yogesh

I got it done at Engineering Exponents in Whitefield. You can give them a call and check.

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Nice update. I also had upgraded to the Sachs Shocks on my Vento 1.2 TSI last year and can relate to your comments, both positive and negative. Had done it in 2 parts where we first changed the link rods, top mounts etc and then subsequently the shocks.

The low speed stiffness is definitely a problem in Bangalore where the roads are mostly bad with frequent potholes, humps and rough surfaces. But the advantages on the highway rides make up for it.

Thanks Rajeevraj, I distinctly remember going over your reviews on DSG and your long term ownership was what inspired confidence in me and I went ahead with the DSG. So far, I’m really happy with it.

Originally Posted by hsm_1991

Hey sachin_cs. Fellow Raipurian and a VAG enthusiast! I have a SKODA Rapid TDI (2013) and a SKODA Slavia 1.5 TSI (2023). Got my Rapids's suspension overhaul work from Autonation near Swarnabhoomi. The quality of work was great. You can consider getting any future work done from them.

Hey good to see you buddy in TeamBHP. Your response has come at a right time as I’m planning to get my steering rack assembly changed soon. I will definitely have a word with Autonation.

[Aditya]

Sachs Shock Absorbers for my Skoda Rapid DSG Review - Posts copied to a dedicated thread.

[DasAutoFanatic]

Hey There,
That was a very detailed and informative post. I own a 2018 VW VENTO 1.2 TSI DSG. Considering I got the Highline Plus variant, The OEM suspension does the job pretty well within the city of Mumbai. However, we often go on long road trips across India (longest I've done is Mumbai-Hyderabad-Chennai-Kanyakumari-Goa-Mumbai). Ride quality is good, but in many places, when fully loaded, the car tends to scrape over speed breakers. My usage ratio is around 80:20(City to Highway). Do you still recommend me to go for the Sachs setup?

[Jeroen]

Great post. New shocks can make a world of difference on how a car feels and handles.
I just stiffened the front (adjustable) shock and replaced the rear ones on my Alfa Spider. Major difference!

Jeroen

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by DasAutoFanatic

Hey There,
That was a very detailed and informative post. I own a 2018 VW VENTO 1.2 TSI DSG. Considering I got the Highline Plus variant, The OEM suspension does the job pretty well within the city of Mumbai. However, we often go on long road trips across India (longest I've done is Mumbai-Hyderabad-Chennai-Kanyakumari-Goa-Mumbai). Ride quality is good, but in many places, when fully loaded, the car tends to scrape over speed breakers. My usage ratio is around 80:20(City to Highway). Do you still recommend me to go for the Sachs setup?

Highline Plus was a wonderful variant especially with that Jetta like LED lights. Regarding the suspension query, if possible, do try to drive someone’s car with Sachs. If that’s not viable, then for your kind of usage, Sachs may feel too stiff because these shockers are best suited to highway drives. Regarding your car scraping problem, do have a look at the shockers condition because your car is almost 6 years old now and the stock OE shockers are not the best when it comes to long term wear and tear, it’s quite possible that your shockers are already shot. When I got mine inspected, there was literally “ZERO” rebound on them and you won’t get to know until and unless you get it removed. Opening the rear suspension is a fairly easy job, I would suggest you to go ahead with an inspection first and if they have gone bad, then better stick to stock shockers only when 80% of the time you are going to drive in the city (that too Mumbai) and you are already happy with it.

Quoting one feedback from my review and I genuinely mean it:

At slow speeds you will feel the road a lot more, once you speed up things smoothen out but you can't always drive fast, especially in the city

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Great post. New shocks can make a world of difference on how a car feels and handles.
I just stiffened the front (adjustable) shock and replaced the rear ones on my Alfa Spider. Major difference!

Jeroen

Thank you Mr DIY expert for your comment, very true, the shocks have really made a world of difference to my daily drives. And I keenly follow your posts and now I almost know the exact condition, status, drives of each of your machines .

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

And I keenly follow your posts and now I almost know the exact condition, status, drives of each of your machines .

Thanks! Keep, watching. Earlier today I spoke to spanner mate Peter. We will be changing out the shocks on his Lancia. Which means a similar job as on your car, removing the complete spring/shock assemblies.

Jeroen

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Thanks! Keep, watching. Earlier today I spoke to spanner mate Peter. We will be changing out the shocks on his Lancia. Which means a similar job as on your car, removing the complete spring/shock assemblies.

Jeroen

I’m hooked & looking forward to it, I’m sure a homepage worthy write-up will be coming soon. The attention to details and the comprehensive step-by-step explanation is something I’m learning from you. Also, say hi to spanner mate Peter.

[Ramaraju]

Hi @sachin,
Thanks for wonderful information be it suspension upgrade or code6 performance tune.

How are the sachs holding up? The current set of struts (oem) on my rapid aren't in good shape is what my service advisor told.

1. Do you recommend sachs considering i travel with 7 month old kid.
2. I checked in boodmo. The oem set costs 5.5k and sachs costs around 14k. Hope I am looking at original parts in boodmo.
3. The steering rack was replaced an year ago and I feel it is little stiff at low speeds. While I turn I can hear some noise as if the coil springs are brushing against something. Assuming it could be issue in mount bearings. Noticed a gap in the right strut mount..
4. I am looking for a performance upgrade. after reading your post i made a visit to code6 hyderabad. I am inclined for a stage 1. but I read in some posts that tuned cars relase black smoke at certain rev range? do you observe the same?.. i am just looking for a smoother ride and a free revving engine without compromising on reliability. my highway speed is between 90-110. Wanted my rapid to be effortless in this range.
   How is the remap on your car? Any change in maintenance?

Your suggestions please!

[Bsilver]

Originally Posted by Ramaraju

1. Do you recommend sachs considering i travel with 7 month old kid.
2. I checked in boodmo. The oem set costs 5.5k and sachs costs around 14k. Hope I am looking at original parts in boodmo.
3. The steering rack was replaced an year ago and I feel it is little stiff at low speeds. While I turn I can hear some noise as if the coil springs are brushing against something. Assuming it could be issue in mount bearings. Noticed a gap in the right strut mount..
4. I am looking for a performance upgrade. after reading your post i made a visit to code6 hyderabad. I am inclined for a stage 1. but I read in some posts that tuned cars relase black smoke at certain rev range? do you observe the same?.. i am just looking for a smoother ride and a free revving engine without compromising on reliability. my highway speed is between 90-110. Wanted my rapid to be effortless in this range.
   How is the remap on your car? Any change in maintenance?

1.The Sachs are stiff in a good way. I happened to have a friends Polo GT Diesel with the Sachs setup for about a month(considering the rears are different due to the weight of the Polo), they are stiff in a good way. I have driven both suspensions back to back, on my Rapid (OEM setup) vs the Polo with the Sachs. It is the one that keeps your car grounded on the Highways, and the expansion joint undulations (like the one in Bangalore-Mysore highway) are not felt. The OEM unsettles a bit, if you are approaching them at 3 digit speeds. For the city, you will feel the bumps a lot more, and it only reduces when speed is more, but you may not always want to go fast into a pothole, so for the city, it is a little bit of a compromise for your 7 month old.

2. OEM cost is reduced, considering VW going in for local manufacturing. The shocks on my Rapid are before they went in for localization, and I have also installed the localized OEM part on my Fabia, which is already in a bad shape. So yes, the price drop is real due to localization. GermanKart is selling Sachs at 28K as of now. Be sure you are looking at the correct part number.

3. Get the mount bearing checked, grease if needed.

4. Do get the Stage1 if you really feel so, the 1.5 TDI in stock form itself is enough, but once you tune to Stage1 there is a very noticeable difference. I am the one, who had posted about the black smoke post remap, and yes, you will get smoke under WOT, and the reasons are mentioned along with logs of the fuel system in another post of mine, do check it out if you are concerned about the black smoke. You will be looking at doubling the annual maintenance, keeping it at 7000kms. FE would increase, but do make sure you do not keep pushing it, as it will definitely affect the turbo, a detailed analysis of the same is there in my posts. Please mention the age/odo of the vehicle next time when making a post, as it can be helpful in answering queries.

Happy Motoring!

[Ramaraju]

Hi @BSilver
Thanks for your reply. Indeed yes, I have read your post. To be honest, being new to these technical terms, I had to read multiple times to understand and imagine like how it feels. Same with Sachs struts.

My Rapid 1.5 TDI is 2017 model and reading on the ODO is 89.6k.

Regarding the Sachs struts:
Here is the Boodmo link: https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-shock_absorber-1433927/

I am in a dilemma. According to the Boodmo the OEM strut costs 2.8k for the part number selected from OEM catalog. It also shows different options within OEM make struts which costs 6.9k, Sachs costs 6.8k.

Also, do we need to replace the coil springs as well?

The front struts are definitely in a bad shape and making so much noise. They needs immediate replacement.

Here is my Apple: