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My Eibach springs arrived. I got quoted $400 at Goodyear (not including alignment) to swap them and similar prices elsewhere. So I took the $400 and left it in the bank because I'm physically capable myself. Haha. They quoted 1.8 hrs for the rears and 1.8 each for the fronts...weird because it's literally one bolt / 30 minutes but unrelated to the true rant I have.
Anyway, I swapped the rears in 30 minutes including jacking the car up and taking the wheels off. I removed the front struts pretty quick too.
I took the struts and the new lowering springs to Goodyear to have them swap them (I don't have the tool). Problem is, the upper coils are so near to one another on the springs, that their tool will only fit to install the strut... But once the strut nut is installed, the spring is too tightly compressed to remove the spring compressor tool. So I repeatedly got to see the finished product but they could never
remove their tool once it was together. They even tried compressing only the wider coils... But this never compressed the spring far enough to get the strut nut on. Wasted 1.5 hours at Goodyear at zero cost.
I called every shop around here and apparently nobody does spring swaps anymore, in favor of doing quick struts. Ken towerys, Big o tires, independent shops and even a local Meineke who didn't seem to understand my plight. Even after I told them that I was installing lowering springs, they still recommended I "skip that and just put quick struts on"??? What? All local body shops were closed too. SMH. I have to either drive a few towns over to find a place that CAN do this, or I'm going back to factory until I can figure something out. I might buy a stand up spring compressor I found on eBay that looks like it would work.
Anyway this is my rant. I'll figure it out but blah. The picture I attached is showing how bulky the Goodyear tool was (this was during the spring removal should have snapped a shot when they tried to install for everyone to better understand).
Last edited by ARogers502; Jan 13, 2019 at 03:13 AM.
Reason: add picture, fixed wording
Auto parts store that rent tools have spring compressors that look very different to the one in your photo. Give that a try.
All of the parts houses local to me have this rental tool available. If the Goodyear tool was too thick to remove, then this tool will be impossible as well.
It looks like the Goodyear tool surrounds the wire. The tool of which I'm thinking just hooks over the top and under the bottom wire.
Correct it does surround it like a clamp... However one portion of each "clamp" is quick disconnect and swings out of the way. The problem is actually the area that hooks over the top and bottom wire/coil like you describe...the part of the tool that applies the pressure to compress the spring. That area is what gets pinched between the upper coils. Too tight to spin the springs around like a screw and loosen it also. Hope that makes sense.
Last edited by ARogers502; Jan 13, 2019 at 03:15 AM.
Reason: fixed wording
I just did mine two weeks ago and, just like you, it was one of the most frustrating jobs I’ve ever done on cars.
The rental tool is too thick - the coil can’t be compressed enough. I watched a few videos online of guys who somehow missed it the coil over the strut loose and then push the lower mount down enough to get the bolt in. I tried it for hours and just ended up getting pissed.
I finally tossed both fronts in the back of my wife’s car and drove from shop to shop till I found one that could do it. $50 bucks - and 20 min later - the shop had it done. 15 min reinstall time. Ridiculous.
I finally had enough and I just drove to my work and I'm fabricating my own tool in the shop. Basically the rental tool with a different hook area. I'll update if successful.
CAUTION: I do not advise anyone try this at home. I had at my disposal an entire industrial maintenance shop.
Last edited by ARogers502; Jan 13, 2019 at 03:20 AM.
Reason: added a word of caution
I made sure to put a "hook" edge on the ends of my flanges I whipped up. In normal spring removal, this possibly wouldn't work as good. The fact that the coils were so close to one another, made it possible to keep the flanges in place with such a small hook radius.
Last edited by ARogers502; Jan 13, 2019 at 03:25 AM.
Test fit proves the strut will fit the center without hitting my flanges I made. Glad I checked. Would have been all bad to find out after working to compress them. Haha. Moment of Truth guys. Wish me luck.
Fail. I tried several different locations on the spring to compress it but no luck. I could get the top of the shaft to poke visibly through the top hat but never enough to put a nut on. 🙄...that was with spring coils touching spring coils. Crazy how these could ever fit.
Please note the top-right flange I made here. See how bent it is? This is why I cannot advise anyone try this at home. Even given the materials I had it was dangerous. Any thicker and the flanges wouldn't have fit. Any thinner could have been a catastrophe/injury etc... I tightened the nut before pressure release on springs. UPDATE SUCCESS!!!
Last edited by ARogers502; Jan 13, 2019 at 03:31 AM.
