Gabriel G57092 Ultra ReadyMount Loaded Strut Assembly

My 2014 VW Passat 202k mi.Front struts/springs were original. My car needed some love! I replaced worn out front struts/springs with these Gabriel quick struts as they came ready to go and install without additional work and spending more on all the different parts.The rear shocks I did Bilstein b4.....I replaced both front tires with new ones as they needed to be replaced as well. Back tires are still good and in good condition.I also replaced front and rear sway bar links.The car ride smooth. Quiet. No noise or rattling. Turns great. The rear Bilstein shocks ride a little stiffer but it's okay, it handles nicely when taking corners and turns.The thing rides and drives great! Nicer than I've ever felt the car ride and drive as I bought it with 100k miles on it.For $200 for both front quick struts that's a pretty good deal, didn't want to spend more than I had to on a car with 202k miles on it!I Had professional mechanics to the work on my car. Originally I was going to buy KYB shocks / springs but instead of spending the few $$more money. These were a great buy and it worked out 🙏🙏😊There's not too many quality quick strut options for my 2014 passat. I'm very happy :-)

I waited too many years to replace my shocks. It's a 2000 model year, with the factory original shocks and struts. So I finally did it!They definitely bring back the stock ride height and feel. In the photo of the car, I had only done the passenger strut. It's sitting about 2" higher than the driver's side. It's back to the stock ride height! I haven't been out racing with it, but now the ride feels like it did when it was new.It isn't really hard to do it, if you get these preloaded shocks. It saves you all the trouble (and danger) of transferring the springs. It has the added benefit of riding on new springs!You might want to get some sway bar links and brake pads, since you'll have them off. If you need ball joints, do them now, since you'll have one split.Basically, the whole process was...1) Jack up the car.2) Remove the wheel, brake caliper and pads.The shop manual says to pull the sway bar links, but I don't think it's necessary. I got new ones to do at the same time, but since I only undid one end at a time, the sway bar didn't move at all.3) Split the upper ball joint. If you don't do it now, the upper bracket will go flying when it pops. HF has a $19.99 tool for it. It's the one that has a fork, arm, and bolt. It's a lot easier than a hammer and pickle fork.I opted to do the upper ball, as it's easier to access in the driveway. On a lift, the lower might be easier.4) Remove the two nuts and bolts on the bottom end. For the bottom, you'll put your ratchet or impact driver on the bottom, and an open end wrench on the top nut.5) Undo the 2 nuts and 2 bolts from the top of the strut tower.6) Use a hammer to knock the assembly out. The old rubber isolator stuck to the car.If you don't pop the ball joint, you'll get the old one out, but you'll never get the new one in.Putting it back together, do the same in reverse.Use your floor jack under the lower control arm and push things back into place. The car's weight will help squeeze everything back together. Do the strut tower nuts first, hand tight(ish), and then you can get the bolts in. Leave them loose until you get the lower nuts & bolts in place. Then tighten all of them. You might need to play with the jack height, pry the lower end around a bit to get them aligned, but it isn't really hard. It's easier than trying to hold the whole thing up for a helper to attach.You can almost fully seat the upper ball joint with the jack, and then just tighten the nut. Don't forget the upper ball joint's pin.The shop manual time to do this was something like 1.5 hours. I did each in about an hour, but that included time walking back and forth to my toolbox, and complaining about the heat. With a little practice, and grabbing all the right tools to start, I'd expect I could do these in about 30 minutes each.

GABRIEL FIRST SHOCK COMPANY IN THE WORLD. With innovation and quality other shocks do not have. Initially i considered Monroe, Bilstein, and KB. After reading reviews and blog pages it became clear there were many people disatisfied with Monroe - Even though Monroe has better advertising and marketing. Also note: even if the Bilstein and KB are better, i don't think they are going to be doubly better.. So yes, I didn't want to spend a lot of money (My 10 yr old Ford's only worth $2,000) and Gabriel had rebate campaign. The Gabriel shocks ride are not as stiff as the OEM. They are smoother than OEM, and yet still responsive. The Gabriel aret not sluggish in ripply or undulating pavement or overly compressive in hard turning. This was truly the best price for these i could get anywhere. Most mechanics tried to steer me toward their supplier's brand, and many didn't want to install something bought somewhere else. So it takes a little initiative, and research, but well worth it..DON'T HESITATE when it comes to buying the ReadyMount Complete Strut. (1) You don't have to tear apart and reuse your old parts. (2) It's easier/quicker to install-hence cheaper to install. (so the money you save in buying the cheaper incomplete strut will cost in installation)Great product at a great price. I was able to get a mechanic to install the struts and shocks for $180 out the door. Hence with the price of shocks/struts $370 (tax free) I was truly able to get it all done for $550. Which is compared to $700 -$1,200 with inferior shocks and gouging installation. (The installer's price reflected the ReadyMount Complete was easy to install)4 MONTHS LATER: At first it didn't seem like they were doing anything, but now, I am more impressed with the way the shocks and struts seem to make the car float above the bumps and speed bumps without any clunking or thunking.FYI: Amazon does a great job to verify that you are ording the correct part. However, you can always double check from Gabriel's Website to verify part number http://gabriel.com/product-search/light-vehicle/?yr=2005&make=Ford&model=Escape&engine= FYI For History and Info - http://gabriel.com/our-company/history/