I decided to get the KYBs at BowWow for $60 each, partly because I'm leaving in
a week, and partly because I'm still unsure about dealing with the
border/customs hassle.

For the record, the shocks I took off were BOGE OEM, one rear shock still had
the delivery sticker to Don Valley VW in Toronto, although I couldn't see a
date on it. They were oil shocks and still seemed in decent shape.
The rear were a cinch to change, and the front were nearly as easy, except for
the lower nut, which required a 30" breaker bar and all my strength to break
free.

Impression of the KYB: dramatic, I could feel the difference just backing down
my steep driveway. Went for a one hour drive - the improvement was even more
dramatic on the open highway at 100 km/h. One winding stretch where most cars
slow to 80, I easily breezed through in the fast lane at 100-110 without
feeling the least bit unsteady. Around 110 I started to get a front end shimmy,
but I rarely drive this fast.

Over a few tricky road sections, I think I could tell what Steve is getting at
about the KYBs vs. the Bilsteins: Sudden unusual bumps or dips can cause the
KYBs to act a little unrefined, but they quicky recover, and are still *way*
better than the stock shocks. This was with an empty van, which is not
typically how we travel, so the real test will come in a week when we head for
the back roads.

Oh yeah, I also changed one upper ball joint, which took over and hour, as I
had to cut the lower nut off. After this, it seemed the joint was pretty tight,
so I left the other side. I am now wondering if the play I found with crow bar
was just the control arm twisting, rather than play in the ball joint?

Any tips on how to properly diagnose play in the front end, using standard
tools?

========================
Shawn Wright
Computer Systems Manager
Shawnigan Lake School
250-743-6240
swright@sls.bc.ca