This may be already known as it's a glaring error but I didn't find anything about this when searching.

The illustration in section R, pg. 12, shows the left front suspension. The shock mount bolt pattern, as shown, is backwards. It shows two holes towards the rear of the car and one towards the front, but the actual orientation is the opposite of this. In addition, if you follow the shock mount orientation diagram on R-15, you will be orienting them 180 degrees from how they should be.

Basically all the diagrams that show the orientation of the front shock mount are incorrect, including R-13.

Here's the illustration from R-12 with a bit of my car overlaid on it to show what I'm talking about.

 

I would hardly consider that an error when there are only 3 holes you can slide the shock mount into and the bottom is pretty obvious on how it has to be oriented. If someone is dumb enough to think they have to drill extra holes to mount the shock to get the 2 studs facing the rear then they really should not be working on their own car, haha.

 

It most certainly is an error.

The diagram on R-15 (which is NOT the illustration in this thread) is there to tell you how to orient the shock mounts without studying the car. (You might be assembling the shocks on a work bench that is some distance away from the car.) The diagram is backwards, and if you follow it, you will have to do the shock assembly twice. Duh, that's an error.

James

 

it may not nessicarily be an error, owners manuals are a dime a dozen there more or less "generalizations" to give you a guideline to work with. get a haynes manual. one owners manual i read said this to reset an oil change light. go to page 283 for oil change procedure step 8 go to page 299 for oil light reset procedure. then on pg 299 it says go to pg 355 for oil light reset procedure. and when you final get to that page it says TO RESET OIL LIGHT PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL VW DEALER. so all i have to say is owners manuals suck and there more of a guideline not a true representation of what the car actualy is.

 

stupid post.. what are you doing cutting coils out of your springs?? or hacking and welding on your shock?? or not using springs that are for the fd.. take your strut out and try to put to put it in (with your error)!!!! the top perch is not flat it has a way big spring seat.