s4 avant b6 rear shocks .

[tramper39]

Hello gents and ladies , Three years ago whilst my S4 was having cam chains done , on removing the Engine , they found my front subframe was past its best , also my Rear shock absorbers were leaking so i purchased bilstein B8 24.263443 as a replacement with the original standard springs as they were still in excellent condition ,i decided a short while ago to replace all my brake discs and pads whilst also re-conditioning my Calipers , ie seals rubbers etc, i also removed all the rust and freshened them up with a coat of paint . to make it easier to remove the caliper carriers i removed the aformentioned bilstein B8's , its easier to get at the allen head bolts holding on the carriers . On removing the shocks i noticed that both had rust marks where the shroud had worn away the yellow paint and of course began to rust which i found strange , everything was bolted up correctly which made the wear on the shocks even more strange .Having decided to look into the rusty patches a little closer i have found that when refitting the shocks bottom mount first and tightening them up, that the top mount of the shocks is approximately 3/4 of an inch away from the mounting holes , two 13 mm bolts into the body of the car , it doesnt matter which way i mount the shocks they are still 3/4 of an inch out , the garage must have just pushed over the shocks and secured them with the two bolts . Am i reading a bit too much into this, or am i right in thinking event though the bottom mount is inside a rubber bush i would have thought 3/4 of an inch is a bit much for them to be out , has anyone else any experience of this issue . michael m .