Hi,
Hopefully someone will take the time to reply to my very n00b questions. Thanks in advance to those who do.
Me and my girlfriend have recently bought an R reg fiesta (encore 1.3) that has just recently developed a couple of (perhaps/hopefully minor) faults. I was hoping to get some advice before going to a garage where they will obviously see my lack of auto knowledge :|
Firstly, the steering is "off" by about 10-15 degrees (ie I have the steering wheel aligned slightly left to go straight). My first thought is that it will just be the tracking, but I was wandering if there is anything else I could check for?
The second problem....and slightly more worrying is a "dull rattle" coming from somewhere near the drivers side rear wheel when going at slow speeds and over bumps. I have mentioned this to a couple of people and they seem to think it could be the shock absorber (from my description). The car despite being 8 years old ish has only done 32k (genuine - have some mot's and its generally in great condition apart from these 2 probs), are shock absorbers likely to wear out over this mileage? - or is there something else I could check for? It has also been mentioned to me that shocks on fiesta's have to be replaced in pairs, is this accurate?
Sorry for the length of post and my obvious lack of auto knowledge, but hopefully someone can offer advice so I do not end up paying over the odds somewhere.
Many Thanks.
Chris B.