Old Halfords 2 tons and average quality. So advice being at first signs of it showing weakness bin it. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Last edited by Yorky Bob on 14th Aug 2018 4:08 pm. Edited 1 time in total

And never trust a jack - put axles stands underneath just in case it goes pop Jules

Stands and wheels were under both sides. Will give a blow by blow account tonight as its a bit of a pig of a job to do at home. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Doing the rear struts is not a 2 minute in your drive job but its now done with mixed blessings.

You will need as a minimum:

Axle stands
Reliable car jack (used also to jack strut off and on)
Really good selection of tools to include a long reach 18 mm socket and long reach 13 mm socket.
Probably a air gun and compressor.
Spring Compressors.
Locktite
Torque wrench capable of high settings.

New Rear Struts and consumables like new bolts and top strut gaskets etc, every chance you will break boot panel/trim mounting clips so factor in these.

To get strut back on the car the top fixing really needs 2 people, one to hold it up (quite heavy) and one to slip on one or two nuts to get the re-fix started

Reason its mixed blessings for me is that the car is tighter but not perfect yet. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Can I ask how much the MY13+ rear shocks are Bob? How did you discover that it's a different part to the earlier years?

Thanks in advance

Just ask the dealers or go on the web and they all say 2007 to 2012 cheap and 2013 onwards a rip off. Change in 2013 was the electronic parking brake and all it will be is an extra bracket for the wires.

Ask Dan at Duckworth or Matford LR for a quote mentioning the site and see what they come back with.

In the end it was not a great improvement but hey ho it should now be ok on the back for a few years to come FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Just done this job on a 13MY car....what a bastard!
Have all the proper tools including a strut spreader however if you are working on your driveway it’s difficult to get the angle and a lever bar in the right place...in the end I just whacked an impact screwdriver up the hole....

It’s also easier if you remove the two lower suspension arms but leave the trailing arm in place...be prepared though...it’s no way it’s an hour job if this is your first... started at 10am and finished both sides by 6pm....

The reason it took so long was a seized nut on top of the old strut.... it was so tight that even with a specialist shock absorber socket set I couldn’t free it.. it was so tight that I was going to break a socket...in the end I had to chisel it off to split the nut...

If you don’t have the tools then send it to an independent to do... the trouble is the car is now stuck part dismantled on your drive ...

Fortunately after a lot of chiselling and drilling it finally came off but a pig of a job...

Sorry to hear of your whoes with the shockers , fortunately a mate of mine works for Landrover and he replaced a full set in about 4hrs on the wife's Fl2 , what brand did you fit ?

Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (Now gone)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S (Gone,but what a car)
2020 Ford Fiesta ActiveX 1.0 Ecoboost
2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL

I”m sure having done them once the times to repair would come down...however I was surprised at the amount of corrosion for a relatively late car..

I used these....

https://www.advancedfactors.co.uk/lr039916...-p.asp....

However there was no markings on them so I’m not sure what make they actually are! ...

Very few suppliers show for 13 MY vehicles...

I replaced the rears on mine last year which is a 2012 with some Bilsteins , as you say the corrosion on the original shockers was pretty bad . And also on other components/subframe too .

Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (Now gone)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S (Gone,but what a car)
2020 Ford Fiesta ActiveX 1.0 Ecoboost
2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL

My 2014 is needing it’s rear shocks changed.
Highlighted as an advisory last July and with over 107,500 miles it’s clunking nicely on bumps.

As it’s towed a horse box for the first owner, would it be worth changing the springs as well?

I won’t be changing them, don’t have the tools or time for it.

Probably a good idea to change the springs while everything is in bits , avoid any cheap springs and go for a good quality pair over price .

Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (Now gone)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S (Gone,but what a car)
2020 Ford Fiesta ActiveX 1.0 Ecoboost
2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL

A good call in reality... my springs on my 13 MY were quite rusty where the original coating had failed and had i known at the time i would have replaced them!
As an aside does anyone elses FL2 eat rear brake shoes? Our car has had at least 5 sets in 100,000 miles! Normally rears last forever!

None of our Fl2's are particularly heavy on the brakes at all given the weight of the car .

Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (Now gone)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S (Gone,but what a car)
2020 Ford Fiesta ActiveX 1.0 Ecoboost
2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL

Quote:

As an aside does anyone elses FL2 eat rear brake shoes? Our car has had at least 5 sets in 100,000 miles! Normally rears last forever!