2010 2.0TDCI Rear Camber Angle

[johnski]

Does anyone know what the rear camber angle should be?

My nearside rear seems to have quite a lot of negative camber and a lot more the the offside, the nearside i believe to original from when it left the factory but the offside does have a new spring and lower arm (if thats what its called, where the spring sits)

Yes I know i should get it fully aligned and will do in due course

[Magnet]

Hello John,

I believe the rear camber is adjusted by the ‘off centre’ outboard wishbone bolt, which rotates on its off-centre axis, to adjust the alignment. The adjustment is of course very fine. 
If I’m understanding it correctly, you feel the offender is the original wishbone ( and of course bolt), whereas you feel the newly replaced wishbone ( and bolt?) is satisfactory. Odd! 
Obviously, more critical than the bolt and its correct rotational position, is the bush in the lower section of the hub carrier. 
Was this renewed when the wishbone and spring were replaced? 
Have you checked the near side bush? 
 

Any amount of DIYing adjustment will be fruitless, so just forget it. 
Way forward as I see it:- 
Check outer ( and inner in fact) bushes for wear. Buy and fit new adjusting bolts - usually listed on eBay as genuine VAG. 
Get the car realigned on professional equipment. 
In case it help:- I use my local ATS folks, since they seem to know what they are doing, and more importantly, you can talk to them. 
Yours?
Beware of claims of super systems. I find that the equipment is indeed sophisticated, but the operator’s knowledge of how to use it, may not be so sophisticated! 
Could you come back to us with the answers to the questions John,

Kind regards,

Gareth, 

[cliffcoggin]

The camber usually only changes as the springs weaken over time, so I suggest you measure the spring lengths to ensure they are within specification before making any adjustments. Restoring the correct camber will reduce tyre wear and hence may pay for itself.

[Stevey Y]

11 hours ago, johnski said:

Does anyone know what the rear camber angle should be?

My nearside rear seems to have quite a lot of negative camber and a lot more the the offside, the nearside i believe to original from when it left the factory but the offside does have a new spring and lower arm (if thats what its called, where the spring sits)

Yes I know i should get it fully aligned and will do in due course

Hi Golden rule always replace shocks and springs as a pair.

[johnski]

24 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi Golden rule always replace shocks and springs as a pair.

I normally replace all suspension and brake components as pairs but this was a case of needing to get it moved ASAP so only 1 side was done

 

Anyway tomorrow I'm going to whip the rear wheels off and check everything, I did measure the spring and the old spring (the side with the most camber) is around 10mm shorter

 

Also considering weather i should just bite the bullet and put it in for alignment and let them tell me what I need, I have 2 VAG specialist less than a mile away in the same industrial estate..........................or maybe i should just get a new spring, lower arm thing and 2 bolts then put it in?  God knows 😬

[Stevey Y]

21 minutes ago, johnski said:

I normally replace all suspension and brake components as pairs but this was a case of needing to get it moved ASAP so only 1 side was done

 

Anyway tomorrow I'm going to whip the rear wheels off and check everything, I did measure the spring and the old spring (the side with the most camber) is around 10mm shorter

 

Also considering weather i should just bite the bullet and put it in for alignment and let them tell me what I need, I have 2 VAG specialist less than a mile away in the same industrial estate..........................or maybe i should just get a new spring, lower arm thing and 2 bolts then put it in?  God knows 😬

Hi are you sure its the correct spring, I assume that the new spring is 10mm shorter, thats a hell of a difference, have come across this before on my previous cars like when they gave me the sports springs for the front of my Mondeo the thing looked like an eighties custom car, the back in the air and the front on the floor, just get a matching spring for the other side and then get it tracked if the old lower arm is ok it is not worth changing it.

Steve.

[johnski]

2 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi are you sure its the correct spring, I assume that the new spring is 10mm shorter, thats a hell of a difference, have come across this before on my previous cars like when they gave me the sports springs for the front of my Mondeo the thing looked like an eighties custom car, the back in the air and the front on the floor, just get a matching spring for the other side and then get it tracked if the old lower arm is ok it is not worth changing it.

Steve.

its the old spring thats shorter

[Magnet]

Sorry for a different slant on the problem folks, but the actual camber ( inward/outward lean of the wheel at 6/12 o’c) shouldn’t  be influenced by the springs. The amount of lean-to-one-side will certainly be affected, but I cannot see how the camber will be. 
The camber is controlled by the distance between the (fixed in this case) upper swivel point, and (in this case) the adjustable lower link (wishbone). As I say this has a fine adjustment affected by rotating the outboard lower concentric bolt. The adjustment is fine, so one can guess the important of the precise dimension ( effective length) of the aftermarket wishbone. 
Make of your replaced wishbone John?

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[johnski]

13 minutes ago, Magnet said:

Sorry for a different slant on the problem folks, but the actual camber ( inward/outward lean of the wheel at 6/12 o’c) shouldn’t  be influenced by the springs. The amount of lean-to-one-side will certainly be affected, but I cannot see how the camber will be. 
The camber is controlled by the distance between the (fixed in this case) upper swivel point, and (in this case) the adjustable lower link (wishbone). As I say this has a fine adjustment affected by rotating the outboard lower concentric bolt. The adjustment is fine, so one can guess the important of the precise dimension ( effective length) of the aftermarket wishbone. 
Make of your replaced wishbone John?

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

Its a Febi Bilstein but its the other side that has the camber issue

[Magnet]

Thanks John,

Can only take it you have wear in the upper link bushes, and/or the lower bushes. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[johnski]

yeah im about to go out and have a look

[cliffcoggin]

Gareth.

It had been so long since I had to deal with suspension geometry that I am finding it hard to visualise the layout.

Whatever the case here I think you would agree that springs and other suspension components should be identical on each side, therefore to adjust the camber or anything else to compensate for unequal length springs is the wrong way to approach the job.

[Magnet]

Thanks Cliff,

I too wouldn’t contemplate renewing springs, shock absorbers as single items on one axle - not good practice. 
However, if there isn’t wear in the fixed points of the suspension, then, as said, the geometry remains the same, although the ride height from wheel centre to underside of wheel arch will differ if different spring heights are fitted,  but….. back to the opening statement. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.

 

[Stevey Y]

6 hours ago, Magnet said:

Thanks Cliff,

I too wouldn’t contemplate renewing springs, shock absorbers as single items on one axle - not good practice. 
However, if there isn’t wear in the fixed points of the suspension, then, as said, the geometry remains the same, although the ride height from wheel centre to underside of wheel arch will differ if different spring heights are fitted,  but….. back to the opening statement. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.

 

Hi Gareth, I think I may have the answer he said that the old spring was 10mm shorter, possibly snapped?, either way there is a vey thin veneer of detailed information and no point in trying to guess camber angles which you can't adjust without a laser.

Steve.