You really have to go by how the suspension feels- shocks can fail early or sometimes last over 200k miles- a lot probably depends on the roads. Sounds like you need them now. I’d recommend Bilsteins- B6s if you are willing to spend the money and don’t mind a little stiffness, otherwise the OEM equivalent B4.

 

Why Bilstein B4 over the factory SACHS dampers?

 

Yes agreed that it is a soft shock. I have heard the B4 is a little firmer than the SACHS, I think that is what I want but who knows. I had SACHS on my 1999 Passat B5, I replaced the front suspension but kept the shocks and got 245K out of them and they didn't leak, and still seemed OK. And My Touareg SACHS at 150K don't seem bad either, although I have noticed a little oil on one of the back shocks, and the rubber bushings look pretty compressed, so I'm in the process of replacement. The B4 used to be less expensive than the SACHS but that isn't true anymore. I wish i had some shock dyno results on the two.

 

I wish i had some shock dyno results on the two.

Bilstein markets the B4 as an OEM equivalent, so I'd bet they try to match the Sachs shock pretty closely. I wonder if some of the reports of the B4s being stiffer could be just from people going from a worn Sachs to a new B4... it's hard to imagine that many people would have real world experience with both new shocks on the same vehicle.

IMO the OEM Sachs shock is a good stiffness for offroad use on an empty/unloaded Touareg, but if you're loading it up to the GVWR with gear, it becomes overly soft even for offroad use, and the B6 becomes about right- and the B6 is a much tougher, and heat/fade tolerant shock. Since I do overlanding, I always offoad with lots of gear, so the B6 seems perfect, but if I was doing recreational offroading without tons of camping gear, I might consider getting B6s revalved to the stiffness of B4s- although that's a lot of money when you could just slap on some B4s. The OEM springs are also probably stiffer than ideal for offroad use with an unloaded vehicle.

 

Replace the spring time too!

 

RE: your question about the brakes, OEM parts will run you 3x the cost. There's a not going to be a noticeable difference of going genuine VW vs a good reputable brand like Zimmerman/Pagid in terms of stopping power or longevity. Your mechanic is correct.

As for the struts, you generally go by feel. If your getting some bounciness, your shocks are probably on its way out. Sachs/Bilstein B4s are solid and reasonably priced

 

I have a T1 so maybe not applicable but I am very pleased with the Sachs shocks I threw on. I get tons of compliments from friends asking if I have air ride.

 

I went with the SACHS aftermarket. They are OE supplier. You can go to the dealer and pay 3X or get them from amazon, rockauto, fcpeuro and get the same thing. I had 150K miles. One rear shock was leaking very slightly, the rest were dry but the N2 charge was less than the new shocks. Apparently the oil can thin due to age, and shearing effects of both the oil and the additive package. The feel about the same as my old shocks. No big change.