my UNIbrace woes :(

[sixteen10]

Hi guys

A friend and I tried installing my UNIbrace yesterday and were shattered after 5 hours of fail. The install took so long because it was a new process to us both including stripping the interior.

Initial pictures before I got fed up and put the camera away :





I ran into some issues I hope you guys can assist with :

1. The first was drilling the upper mounting points , we measured everything over and over again , let alone just twice until we were happy that our fitment template looked as close to possible as the images in the rather vague installation guide. Once we drilled we immediately found a secondary layer of metal below and were unsure as to drilling it because of no mention of said layer in the instructions. Having just read LoyalSage's Unibrace thread I see this is now correct.

2. This is the most concerning issue and I hope the 4 door R32 doesnt differ somewhat to the 2 door , we found the area of installtion to have a "dip" as seen below :



Which leads to this gap when alligning the brace :



Now if you tighten the top it pulls the bottom of the brace away from the body.
We stopped after installing just one nutsert due to this concern. Is this normal or is my 4 door incompatible with the brace?

Also , the first nutsert install went badly and we had to drill it out , leaving it somewhere in my car. When we installed it the nutsert pulled to the side completely throwing off the mounting point of the brace.

I hope you guys can assist as I do want to get this in , even after the first install left me far from impressed

[SKYdude]

I cannot comment on the compatibility, but I am sure a small spacer, like a thick washer, wont do any harm.

I'd like this brace, but I also like transporting my bike in the car when I go mountain biking.

[sixteen10]

I cannot comment on the compatibility, but I am sure a small spacer, like a think washer, wont do any harm.

I'd like this brace, but I also like transporting my bike in the car when I go mountain biking.

I agree , we would have also gone with the washer , however we thought it safer to check first

[LoyalSage]

watching. i hope to learn a thing or two from this thread before i install my unibrace... hope you figure it out.

[sixteen10]

watching. i hope to learn a thing or two from this thread before i install my unibrace... hope you figure it out.

Thanks mate , hopefully some of the guys here can help out. BetaOp9 said he had the same issues , hopefully Bruce will chime in

[germanbycar]

Don't get discouraged. This went better then the first time Shawn and I went at it.

[GTItraveler]

Hey Grant,

I do my best to follow forums, but sometimes I miss posts. If you were having so much trouble with your UNIbrace XB why didn't you simply email me? I am always available to answer questions, but it's better to do so before getting into trouble.

My first question, did you use the installation instructions? They are pretty comprehensive and have been honed by user comments through over a thousand installs.

Regarding the "dip" you can use a washer, but I don't think this is essential as the rest of the brace is bearing directly onto a flat surface. As long as the nutserts are sufficiently torqued there will not be a problem with that gap.

Regarding your comment about the brace lifting when one nutsert is installed, this is normal and will be rectified when all four nutserts are correctly installed and torqued equally.

Regards,

Bruce

[JRutter]

I don't know if this will help, but here is my 4-door A3 install vortex write-up:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...e-XB-3-install

[GTItraveler]

JRutter: Thanks for posting

[sixteen10]

Hi Guys

Thanks to Bruce Levin for giving me a call this morning and just chatting me through my concerns. It appears that for the most part we are on track and the install seems to be on the right track.

We'll get back at this on the weekend and finish it up , one nutsert at a time

[sixteen10]

Just before we finish this , can anyone else confirm they also have that "dip/indentation" just to put my mind at ease?

[PSU]

I'd like this brace, but I also like transporting my bike in the car when I go mountain biking.

It's simply four bolts.

Easy to remove.

[HOWIE-WP]

Just before we finish this , can anyone else confirm they also have that "dip/indentation" just to put my mind at ease?

Good luck with the install..... may the force be with you

[sixteen10]

Good luck with the install..... may the force be with you

Thanks Howie


Sent from my VR6 powered iPhone.