Last December I had KW V3 suspension fitted to my RS2. I imported the kit new via the UK.
As I live in NZ there is a requirement for adjustable suspension to be 'certified' by the LVVTA (Low Volume Vehicle Testing Association) before being considered safe and legal for road use. The local law/rules do not recognize foreign approvals eg TUV.
In the case of adjustable suspension,this is usually quite straight forward to certify, however I have hit a huge speed bump and as things stand it is likely that my very expensive KW suspension kit will not be approved. Why you may well ask? Well the design of the B4 suspension incorporates the steering arm attached to the front strut housing. The LVVTA has taken the position that aftermarket struts that incorporate welded steering arms are high risk (failure case considered safety critical) and their default position is to reject these aftermarket components, regardless of what overseas accreditation they have. You can read the background document here:
Here is a photo of the front suspension on my RS2 showing the KW steering arm:
The LVVTA Technical Advisory Committee will consider a submission on March 3 for the approval of this suspension for legal road use on my car. The certifier dealing with my submission has received informal advise from his colleagues that most likely it will be rejected.
Bear in mind I have been hanging in limbo since December when I first found out about this problem and have been grappling with the fact I may have chucked away a large sum of cash.
I am looking for advise and in particular any info on the technical side of manufacturing these KW components that could help support my submission to get this kit approved for NZ. I am aware of the TUV approval as well as KW's ISO accreditation and have given this information to the certifier already. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to carry much weight down here - go figure.
If anyone can help (maybe a KW distributer on this forum) it would be hugely appreciated. I'm honesty not sure if there is any possibility of turning the tide, which seems to be very much against me at the moment. Feel free to PM me.
For reference here is the relevant wording from the linked LVVTA info sheet:
"Step 1 – Technical Validation (Option 2 ‐ Provision of technical information):
The following technical information is to be sourced from the component manufacturer and provided to LVVTA in confidence. The technical information will establish:
• whether the component is a casting or a forging; and
• full material specifications for the cast/forged component and tube; and
• hardness values/readings for the forged/cast component, the tube, the weld area, and the heat affected zones at 1 mm from toe of the weld on the forging/casting; and
• welding processes (including pre and post heat treating details).
Step 2 – Quality Control:
In order to ensure ongoing conformity of production of components, the LVV Certifier must obtain, and provide to LVVTA in confidence:
• a statement from the component manufacturer, in English, relating directly to its manufacturing and quality control processes for the components in question, giving details and ongoing confirmation of conformance to an ISO or similar internationally‐recognised quality assurance accreditation programme; and
• verification or confirmation of the manufacturer’s conformance to the ISO or similar organisation from that accreditation organisation, as a double‐checking process to prevent fraudulent activity."
As an aside, is there any anecdotal evidence people can share as to the reliability or otherwise of the KW steering arm in this application?
Cheers
As I live in NZ there is a requirement for adjustable suspension to be 'certified' by the LVVTA (Low Volume Vehicle Testing Association) before being considered safe and legal for road use. The local law/rules do not recognize foreign approvals eg TUV.
In the case of adjustable suspension,this is usually quite straight forward to certify, however I have hit a huge speed bump and as things stand it is likely that my very expensive KW suspension kit will not be approved. Why you may well ask? Well the design of the B4 suspension incorporates the steering arm attached to the front strut housing. The LVVTA has taken the position that aftermarket struts that incorporate welded steering arms are high risk (failure case considered safety critical) and their default position is to reject these aftermarket components, regardless of what overseas accreditation they have. You can read the background document here:
Here is a photo of the front suspension on my RS2 showing the KW steering arm:
The LVVTA Technical Advisory Committee will consider a submission on March 3 for the approval of this suspension for legal road use on my car. The certifier dealing with my submission has received informal advise from his colleagues that most likely it will be rejected.
Bear in mind I have been hanging in limbo since December when I first found out about this problem and have been grappling with the fact I may have chucked away a large sum of cash.
I am looking for advise and in particular any info on the technical side of manufacturing these KW components that could help support my submission to get this kit approved for NZ. I am aware of the TUV approval as well as KW's ISO accreditation and have given this information to the certifier already. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to carry much weight down here - go figure.
If anyone can help (maybe a KW distributer on this forum) it would be hugely appreciated. I'm honesty not sure if there is any possibility of turning the tide, which seems to be very much against me at the moment. Feel free to PM me.
For reference here is the relevant wording from the linked LVVTA info sheet:
"Step 1 – Technical Validation (Option 2 ‐ Provision of technical information):
The following technical information is to be sourced from the component manufacturer and provided to LVVTA in confidence. The technical information will establish:
• whether the component is a casting or a forging; and
• full material specifications for the cast/forged component and tube; and
• hardness values/readings for the forged/cast component, the tube, the weld area, and the heat affected zones at 1 mm from toe of the weld on the forging/casting; and
• welding processes (including pre and post heat treating details).
Step 2 – Quality Control:
In order to ensure ongoing conformity of production of components, the LVV Certifier must obtain, and provide to LVVTA in confidence:
• a statement from the component manufacturer, in English, relating directly to its manufacturing and quality control processes for the components in question, giving details and ongoing confirmation of conformance to an ISO or similar internationally‐recognised quality assurance accreditation programme; and
• verification or confirmation of the manufacturer’s conformance to the ISO or similar organisation from that accreditation organisation, as a double‐checking process to prevent fraudulent activity."
As an aside, is there any anecdotal evidence people can share as to the reliability or otherwise of the KW steering arm in this application?
Cheers
I have same kind of KW's myself, and the construction is such that the strut tube is made from thick walled tube material (doh) into which the threads have been machined, bottom cap welded on and the steering arm & the lower attaching parts to the steering knuckle are all made of plate material which has been bent/pressed to shape. The round piece into which the steering arm is attached is clearly made from simple bar stock, which has been machined and then welded on to the steering arm. Or first welded, then machined, I don't know. 
Welding is one of the most commonly used joining methods for metal, in the world and is used on anything that has 4 wheels in any use. To say it's not safe, when performed to German quality and safety standards, is plain crazy. If it was cheap Chinese crap then fair enough but this is madness.
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