2004 Passat B5 1.9 TDi Supension a bit sloppy

[bigchap]

Just purchased a 2004 Passat B5 1.9 TDi Estate. Although shockers do not seem to be leaking and all springs intact, I find it a bit sloppy to drive compared to my Touran 2.0 TDi which is a year older and handles like a wee go-cart in comparison. I was considering changing the suspension but dont have a huge budget. I had seen a full set of coilovers on Ebay for about 180 quid. I have read these can be a little harsh and hard. Any surgestions please??

[Sam]

A branded kit that includes shocks and springs that was built for that model will far outperform a super-budget coilover kit.

Koni do some decent all in one kits - I've had mine on for almost 10 years now, no issues at all.

[OpenRoad]

My Passat (1.9TDi Saloon with 94K on the clock), also had wander lust. I changed the shocks for Monroe units. Steering and stability immediately improved. Note on the old shocks, although they looked ok, no sign of damage or hydrolic leakage, they were well beyond there service life. One compressed with very little effort, another was very erratic along the compression stroke.
The rear units are dead simple to change, no springs to compress and no tricky nuts.
The front units are a mini nightmare, the relationship between the bottom and top of the MacPhearson strut unit being critical. (2 deg tolerance). Go boldly only if you are a skilled DIY'er.

Back to the point (I though my Passat had wander lust...) Situation dramatically improved when I had the two rear tyres changed.

Moral of my story being, check all tyres are of same make/compound before blaming the struts. But beware, struts do need inspection/changing at around 60K.

[philipharmes]

Check all the suspension joints for wear. There are a lot on this over complicated set-up, wear in one will cause the steering to be vague.
Jack up both front wheels & get someone to grasp the steering wheel firmly, then see if you can turn the road wheels left/right.

[bigchap]

Check all the suspension joints for wear. There are a lot on this over complicated set-up, wear in one will cause the steering to be vague.
Jack up both front wheels & get someone to grasp the steering wheel firmly, then see if you can turn the road wheels left/right.

Thanks for that,Lee