Volkswagen Sharan Front Suspension Strut: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

On the Sharan, front-end knocking often points to worn drop links — but on a nearly-new car, it can be leftover transport packing a dealer missed.

Illustration of a suspension strut and coil spring

Illustration for editorial purposes

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OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — front struts (aftermarket) Bilstein 22-196859 / KYB 335808

Accuracy note: Covers the Volkswagen Sharan (7N 2010-) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Front struts, lower arms and top mounts are sold by side and by suspension spec — standard, sport / lowered (S line, M Sport, R-Line, ST-Line etc.), heavy-duty and adaptive / electronic damping all use different part numbers, and some makers split by engine or front axle load. The references below are UK aftermarket catalogue listings for this generation, labelled by brand; genuine numbers are shown only where a listing quotes one. Confirm the fit against your VIN, and replace struts and top mounts in pairs.

Front strut / shock absorber (aftermarket)	Bilstein 22-196859 (B4, twin-tube gas); Bilstein 35-108177 (B6 Performance, upside-down monotube gas, 55 mm); KYB 335808 (Excel-G, twin-tube gas, 55 mm, 25 mm rod); TRW JGM1030S (twin-tube gas, 55 mm, 560/367 mm); Daco 454722 (twin-tube gas, 55 mm); Monroe C2513S (electronically adjustable damping); Kraft 4000500.
Front lower arm / wishbone (aftermarket)	LH Ridex 273C0805 (aluminium, 15.4 mm cone); RH Ridex 273C0806 (aluminium, lower, with ball joint, 15.3 mm cone); Ridex 273C0058 (aluminium, front axle both sides, 329.5 mm); SKF VKDS 421008 (without ball joint, 12.2 mm bore).
Top mount / strut bearing (aftermarket)	Sachs 803 041 (front L/R, 2 per axle); Febi 107006 (72 mm ID, 103 mm); Meyle 100 412 0028 (ball bearing, Original quality); Maxgear 72-4561 (ball bearing, rubber-metal); Ridex 1180S0007 and Stark SKSS-0670006 (elastomer, no rolling bearing); Ridex 1180S0057 (no rolling bearing, 2 required).
Genuine (OE) numbers quoted	Sachs 803 041 mount quotes 7N0 412 331. None for struts or arms.
Fitment notes	Standard gas struts plus one adaptive-damping option (Monroe C2513S); no sport/lowered item and no left/right or engine split for the struts. Arm coverage on the site is thin.

Confirmed: Drop Links Are a Genuine Weak Point — But Check This First on a Newer Car — Volkswagen Sharan Front Suspension

Across VW owner forums, one specific weak point comes up consistently enough on older Golf-platform cars to be worth checking first: the anti-roll bar drop links, which wear and produce exactly the kind of knock or clunk heard over bumps and rough surfaces. A genuinely useful diagnostic method before replacing anything: since drop links sit under constant tension normally, disconnecting one end temporarily and taking the car for a short test drive is a reliable way to confirm whether it's genuinely the source of the noise — if the knock disappears with it disconnected, that confirms the drop link.

A genuinely distinctive finding worth knowing on a nearly-new car: some vehicles leave the factory or dealer with plastic transport packing pieces still fitted inside the strut assembly, intended to protect the suspension during shipping and meant to be removed during pre-delivery inspection — but occasionally get missed. This produces a genuine knocking noise that has nothing to do with wear at all, and is a simple, free fix once identified, rather than a worn part needing replacement. Worth specifically asking a dealer or garage to check for this if a knock appears on a car that's only a few months or a couple of years old, before assuming genuine suspension wear.

If drop links check out fine, the next most commonly reported cause is the strut top mount bearing, or — on higher-mileage examples — the lower control arm's rear bush, which can develop a "sloppy" fit even while the rubber itself still looks visually sound. Genuinely worth checking both before assuming a full strut or shock absorber replacement is needed, since these are considerably cheaper fixes if they turn out to be the actual cause.

Volkswagen Sharan Front Suspension Strut: The System That Quietly Does All the Work

Everything the road throws at the Volkswagen Sharan — bumps, potholes, cornering loads — passes through these components before it reaches the cabin, so wear here tends to show up as vague symptoms rather than one clear failure point. A systematic check beats guesswork every time.

Volkswagen Sharan Front Suspension Strut: Watch: Replacing It

🎬 Watch: Wie VW SHARAN 7M Stoßdämpfer vorne wechseln TUTORIAL (older gen)

Watch on YouTube ↗

Sharan 7M, German; no 7N front strut video found

Volkswagen Sharan Front Suspension reference plate

Before you buy: suspension components vary by trim, engine weight and whether your car has the standard or sport-tuned setup. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Volkswagen Sharan Front Suspension Strut: What It Does

On the Volkswagen Sharan, the front suspension strut combines a shock absorber and the coil spring's mounting point into a single assembly, controlling how the suspension compresses and rebounds. Once it wears, the car keeps bouncing after a bump instead of settling quickly, and tyre wear often becomes uneven if it's left unresolved.

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Volkswagen Sharan Front Suspension Strut: Warning Signs, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Front Suspension Strut Guide for symptoms of worn bushings and ball joints, confirming fitment against your VIN, and rubber vs polyurethane guidance.

More Volkswagen Front Suspension Strut

The same part, covered across other Volkswagen models.