Changed the front struts on the V70 this weekend.

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I successfully did my first front strut replacement this weekend on our 98 V70. The Bilstein heavy duty are a great upgrade, and I'm glad I spent a little extra to go with them.

I used the instructions found here on the site and they were a great asset. I also had the Haynes manual on hand.

Some notes for anybody that is considering it: The spring compressor is the most important tool, don't skimp on this. I ended up having a problem after one slipped, but got around it by renting a second set. If I had it to do over again, I would have spent the money on a professional grade tool that wouldn't allow slippage like that.

My biggest mistake was that I didn't compress the spring far enough, making the job of removing the hex nut off the top of the strutt impossible. Once I compressed the spring further it was a no brainer. Once you compress the spring far enough the upper mount slides down away from the hex nut.

It was also very helpful having a second set of hands to work the jack when I was trying to get the new strut back into position. I fastened the bottom of the strut onto the steering knuckle first, then we slowly jacked the A-arm up and moved the upper end of the strut into position through the hood. Then we moved the jack again until the sway bar link was in the right position to bolt that into place in the sway bar.

I'll also note I bought most of my parts online at www.fcpgroton.com. They are GREAT!