GreenVTi991

Suspension fitted. Test drive complete. Transformed the car? YES! Oh my god yes! If there are any MB6 owners reading this with standard suspension - get some MG ZS 180 suspension NOW. As others have said before - its how it should have been from the factory! I found it all very straightforward to fit but it was made easier with my good mate Daz helping me. We had a slight hiccup when trying to get the n/s/f strut out as Daz stood on the lower wishbone which popped the ARB link off and the halfshaft popped out too! One unforeseen issue was the rear ARB. Tried fitting it only to find out holes on the mounting brackets wouldnt line up with the ARB mounts. Luckily the chap I bought the suspension off agreed to me collecting the MG brackets off him ASAP. Once I had the MG brackets on the ARB went on a treat. Next on the to-do list is tracking and tyre pressures.

Thanks noodels. I will post up some before, during and after pics!

What I've got is the the whole struts front and back so it should just be a case of unbolting my old ones and bolting the new ones in right?!

Thanks chaps. My tyres are good - 2 nearly new Toyos on the front and good tread on the back! I picked up the bits last night and can't wait to fit them! Is there anything I should watch out for / pain in the a*se bits while swapping it all over?

Oh right I thought because it will be lower all the alignment will be out.

A full laser alignment will need to be carried out once the MG suspension is my Civic won't it?

Will an MG ZS one fit??

Should hopefully have the suspension bits by the weekend. How much difference does the zs180 suspension make? Will I need the rear ARB brackets or can I use the Civic ones? I wana make sure I've got all the bits I need before tackling the changeover!

Hi folks, As above my car's fan switch has stopped working on settings 1 and 2. Please can you tell me what I need to replace and where I will find it? Cheers, Tom

Cheers guys I should've been more specific in my first post as all I'm after is suspension bits!

I've found a ZS 180 being broken local to me and would like to know the full list of parts I need to glean off it to put on my MB6! I've already got in touch with the seller and listed him the following: Front springs and shocks Rear springs and shocks Front ARB + links Rear ARB + links What else do I need? Is it worth enquiring about getting the steering rack too?

Dammit that deal must be over as I just clicked the link and it's gone up to £25.99.

Yes i took the idle control valve off and cleaned it. It was black and the strainer was covered in soot. Put it back on and it has made little difference

Would the oil being just above max really cause the smoke? It was only a tiny bit above, like a fraction above the max hole. I'm a total dipstick if I did overfill it!

Awesome Steveo let me know how you get on. If the tracking is to blame I'd rather get it done after fully inspecting all the bushes. I've got brand new Toyo proxes on the front. The rears have plenty of tread and even wear.

I've just checked the oil level and it's just above maximum. It's due a service as I last done it mid-Nov and have done about 6k miles. Would an oil additive help? If so, which one would you guys recommend, if any? I've read horror stories about additives over the years so don't want to compound the issue!

Driving on the motorway just now cruising downhill at 70 I let off the gas to slow down and noticed a plume of bluey-white smoke exit my exhaust. I sped up again then let off once more and sure enough another plume. Then as I exited the motorway and changed down through the gears – more smoke. Got to my destination, parked up and revved the car to over 4k, let off the throttle – no blue smoke. Blue smoke = expensive, right? Valve stem oil seals or piston ring failure, yes?

No odd noises from the front but rattling noise coming from the back. Would a duff damper be the culprit?

My MB6 ain't handling right The steering feels heavy and the wheel wanders in your hands. It also feels soggy turning in to the left and like the osf wheel is stiff. Wow its hard to explain what it feels like but i hope you guys get what im on about! Any ideas what could be causing this?

'the hills will be alive with the sound of vtec' LOL

Hi mate my car sometimes smells like that too when I come to a stand. I've got a decat exhaust and cone filter, plus a cam cover breather filter. The smell did worry me until it dawned on me that it must be coming from the cam filter. If it isn't then I'm going to start worrying again!

I wiggled the wheel again checking the top and bottom joints and there was no movement in them. It's definitely coming from the hub.

I noticed yesterday a slight bit of play moving the wheel top to bottom and left to right. Could it be the wheel bearing on its way out? Thing is, its not making the normal whirring noise a bearing makes when its had it. I think the play is also making the car wander over bumps which doesn't give the steering nice feedback!

Glad you got the right part in the end! It looks almost too good to put on the car lol!

It's not just Jap cars motorfactors have a problem with, I went into my local (very well known national chain) one and asked the guy for an exhaust manifold gasket for a 98 Astra 1.6. He gave me an inlet gasket for a 1.7 d Corsa Combi van! WTF?!?! Another time I went in there for brake discs and pads for my old Pug 405. Went home, took off old discs, pads fell apart on removal, went to fit new pads and lo and behold - completely different shape! I was without a car for a few days and had to cycle back there to exchange them. Turns out they gave me Peugeot 106 pads! And the icing on the cake - My old Primera Sport was running rough and noticed the rotor arm tip was burnt to a crisp. Went to said motorfactors and ordered a new one which would be with them in a couple of days. Collected it, took it home, wouldnt fit. Took it back, ordered another one, went back again and completely different shape to the first one adn still not right. I told him to forget it and asked for my money back. I was not a happy boy. I went to another local motorfactors and asked them for the rotor arm and he asked me if i wanted a Blueprint part? 'What's one of them?' 'They're made to OEM spec so definitely will fit' - He was right! I now use them for any parts I need and even if they get it wrong they are very apologetic and try their best to rectify the issue - not like the other place. Sorry for adding my rant to your thread