Broken springs

This is a potentially dangerous operation. The springs are strong and even if broken there may be quite a lot of pressure there - bearing in mind they are broken at the ends of the coils. You need a spring compressor and if it slips off the spring you may knock your head off. You've then got to get new springs into place and you may be dead. Unless you've got the proper tools I suggest you get the struts off and let someone with the right tools do it. I had to replace the top bearings on my struts some time ago and this is what I did - let them do it. This may sound wimpish for a DIY motoring group, but we don't want to lose members.

Rob Graham

The springs I can cope with, I've got some spring compressors and a couple of fairly large ratchet straps. Thankyou for your warning and concern though.

I think the problem will be getting the ring nuts holding the shockers in undone!

All parts will cost me 100 quid from local motor factors, should have them tommorow. One strut is already off and part stripped ready.

Spoke to a VX garage while getting prices and apparently broken springs are quite common, bloody ridiculous. I suppose they take cutting weight right to the limit and sacrifice strength in the process.

Springs only break when the material or heat treatment isn't correct. It isn't a weight or strength issue. It's down to the spring wire being too brittle. Most cars never suffer from this but a few do. I understand some Mercedes have a problem with it.

My cavalier broke a spring - just went while driving, I guess they go when it's time to go! No big bang or anything, but it went between grimsby and hull and when I stopped at the toll booth there was smoke pouring from the wheelarch where the tyre was rubbing on spring and the bloke from the tollbooth came out with an extinguisher!

You don't think the current trend for speed-bumps and potholes every 10 yards might not have something to do with it ? I found I had a broken spring on an old BMW a few years ago - the garage said they'd been seeing more of these since the local council went hump-crazy. And no, I wasn't thumping the car over them at silly speeds...

Commonly, you use two. Good quality ones aren't expensive. You tighten them evenly both sides, and the chances of them slipping are remote, to say the least.

Certainly it would be foolish to attempt this without the proper compressors. But I can't see why anyone would.

If they did, it would be a great spectator sport.

The message from "Dave Plowman (News)" contains these words:

Newer models have clamps on which prevent the compressor migrating round the spring.

I've always found it much easier to use 3 compressors on each spring.

The message from DuncanWood contains these words:

I do the same - but the silly sods only sell 'em in pairs.