GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

034 Dogbone: did I over tighten?

Timeisflat

Ready to race!
Location
USA
Car(s)
2016 VW GSW Manual
Just did the 034 upper an lower dog bone. The instructions I found online (I think they were for Audi A3, but I figured same platform) specified 100 NM plus a 90 degree turn for the big bolt.

this is ridiculously tight. Got it to the specified torque setting, when doing the extra turn made it to about 60 degrees and snapped the socket off!

Was this too tight, and can it cause problems? Right now the car feels super tight, rides really rough on bad pavement, but from posts I’ve read here that’s normal for the first few hundred miles.
 
Last edited:

ShadyMF

Go Kart Champion
Location
Upstate NY
Car(s)
2020 GTI IS38 6MT
Just did the 034 upper an lower dog bone. The instructions I found online (I think they were for Audi A3, but I figured same platform) specified 100 NM plus a 90 degree turn for the big bolt.

this is ridiculously tight. Got it to the specified torque setting, when doing the extra turn made it to about 60 degrees and snapped the socket off!

Was this too tight, and can it cause problems? Right now the car feels super tight, rides really rough on bad pavement, but from posts I’ve read here that’s normal for the first few hundred miles.

IF the bolts okay and the socket broke, most likely okay overall. What brand socket? Not typical, but have seen it with some cheaper brand, even craftsmen. Especially if someone slapped it on an impact at one point.
 

MeltedSolid

Autocross Newbie
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
'15 Golf, e36 328i
Internet says 130nm, so you're in the right ballpark.
 

Timeisflat

Ready to race!
Location
USA
Car(s)
2016 VW GSW Manual
IF the bolts okay and the socket broke, most likely okay overall. What brand socket? Not typical, but have seen it with some cheaper brand, even craftsmen. Especially if someone slapped it on an impact at one point.
I think it was Craftsman. It was at my buddy’s shop, so it’s probably taken a beating for some time
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
100NM sounds right. It definitely takes some effort and smooth torque; you can't jerk at these loads or chrome sockets can crack and slip. Also, was it a two piece socket? Those tend to fail the most.

As those bushing spacers wear in they will bend slightly and cause a lot of vibrations. That bolt can even loose over time. The lower on its own isn't terrible and does improve things, but the upper is not a huge improvement for the trade-offs. I recommend ditching them in favor of a whole puck solution like the hpa at some point.
 

Timeisflat

Ready to race!
Location
USA
Car(s)
2016 VW GSW Manual
As those bushing spacers wear in they will bend slightly and cause a lot of vibrations. That bolt can even loose over time. The lower on its own isn't terrible and does improve things, but the upper is not a huge improvement for the trade-offs. I recommend ditching them in favor of a whole puck solution like the hpa at some point.

Gotta be honest, I read on the forums that 034 dogbone was amazing, so I just bought it without looking at the alternatives. Have no idea what the puck solution entails.

I don’t mind the added vibration much, what does bother me is the low frequency groan it makes when pulling away in first gear with less than 1600rpm worth of throttle. With the windows down the sound is uncomfortable. Hoping it get better with break-in
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
Gotta be honest, I read on the forums that 034 dogbone was amazing, so I just bought it without looking at the alternatives. Have no idea what the puck solution entails.

I don’t mind the added vibration much, what does bother me is the low frequency groan it makes when pulling away in first gear with less than 1600rpm worth of throttle. With the windows down the sound is uncomfortable. Hoping it get better with break-in
Most people don't do the upper one, just lower. The upper is what adds the most amount of vibration. In my experience the vibrations get better and then get significantly worse. At a certain point I couldn't roll away from a stop without the whole car shaking violently. With just the lower mount it was okay, but still had some vibrations that got better as the mount bent in. Once it bent it wasn't as effective anymore.

The puck replaces the entire lower bushing. You can either try to press out and save the lower bushing or just cut it out. If you cut it out, it's a 45 min job, but pressing out is a real pita. It's much more effective at putting power down, less vibration, and doesn't change as much after break in. I wouldn't bother unless you have issues with the inserts.
 

Timeisflat

Ready to race!
Location
USA
Car(s)
2016 VW GSW Manual
Ok thanks for the info. I was under the impression the upper was important to keep the lower from being destroyed by the deflection within the mount.

If it does get worse, will taking the upper out improve things? Or is it time to invest in thr HPA unit? (Looks likes it $300!) I don’t want to go back to stock, it feels so much more engaging to drive.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
Ok thanks for the info. I was under the impression the upper was important to keep the lower from being destroyed by the deflection within the mount.

If it does get worse, will taking the upper out improve things? Or is it time to invest in thr HPA unit? (Looks likes it $300!) I don’t want to go back to stock, it feels so much more engaging to drive.
I think my puck was like 75$ or something. 300 sounds unreasonable!... Unless it includes the torque arm, which doesn't do much as far as I know. Stock is nice for the comfort when setting off, but yeah in slightly damp weather or with low traction it was painful. I think dsg exacerbates the issue since it tries to keep revs low during engagement.

If it gets worse, taking out the upper does help. Time wise, you might as well do a full bushing replacement since you're down there (if you plan to cut out... Add lots of time for pressing out). On the other hand, pulling that bolt and yanking out the upper mount isn't difficult and doesn't cost you anything. It can be finicky to come out, but as long as you lubed it up really well going in, shouldn't be bad to just pull out with some needle nose.

The marketing claims the upper is important. I'm not sure how true that is, since I didn't really see any benefit on track and around town it was much worse. Here's the thing though, if the upper is important enough to keep the lower from moving when the gap in the bushing is already filled with solid metal, aren't you just fighting the rubber in the bushing itself at that point? It's not like metal is very compressible. No matter how much metal you add, you will ultimately fight that same soft rubber. Might as well just replace it with a stiffer material, no?
 

Joe_Mama

Autocross Champion
Location
Philly
Car(s)
2012 GTI, 2017 GSW
I think it was Craftsman. It was at my buddy’s shop, so it’s probably taken a beating for some time
I broke a craftsman 3/8 ratchet while doing rear brakes. Would not recommend Craftsman. My set is USA made too, not even brazilian. Junk
 

ZuMBLe

Autocross Champion
Location
NY
Car(s)
Alltrack 6MT
I broke a craftsman 3/8 ratchet while doing rear brakes. Would not recommend Craftsman. My set is USA made too, not even brazilian. Junk
I've been using Tekton since I started rebuilding my tool collection last year. Been using the Tekton impact sockets on multiple cars, on hand tools and power tools (impacts and ratchets). Holding up pretty well so far. Pricing is good also. The tekton ratchets are quite good and have been handling abuse also.

I don't love my tekton torque wrenches, but some people love them.
 
Top