Front suspension springs / MOT

The missus 2014 Volvo V40 has just failed on a broken nearside front spring. I think I'll be able to replace it okay (although Haynes haven't produced a manual yet, so I'm not 100% sure), but I'm just wondering how long it has been like that. We don't remember any bangs, so it's possible it has been like that for a while. It isn't easy to see, up in its recess, so I can imagine that it would be easily overlooked; but is it possible that this is something they have only just started to look for? It's broken near one end, so it's still like having three quarters of a spring on that side.

Reply to
Dan S. MacAbre
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It's always been in MOT.

Most cars in 1960 when test was introduced had rear leaf springs. A broken leaf spring when it's part of the axle location would be very seriously dangerous.

A broken coil it depends on where the spring has broken. Usually it's like yours near the tail where it seats on the lower perch and the car just rides a bit lopsided. So long as the spring isn't loose on full rebound it can be like that for a long time.

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MOT tester at Halfords didn't complete the MOT for my mates Fiesta with a broken spring. Before the new test regs this MOT guy was saying it was too dangerous to drive. Now he's put straight as the manual says it's Major and not Dangerous - the car can be driven with a broken spring.

Broken coil springs are much more common on European cars since the fall of the Iron curtain as much of European car spring production has moved there.

Reply to
Peter Hill

I had a broken spring on an Espace some years back.

The break was near the end, in the 'cup' where the end sits.

I heard no bang etc., just an odd rattle, almost a buzz. I spent ages crawling under the rear looking for something wrong. The springs looked fine, it was only a 'finger tip' led to my finding it. A bit, about 2" long was broken off the end, it had fractured lengthwise.

The bad news is, you should replace both sides, even if only one is broken.

Reply to
Brian Reay

If the springs are prone to failure then the other won't be far behind.

Mates Fiesta had one go before last years MOT, I replaced it but weather prevented doing the other one. That failed sometime in the last year and was done for this years MOT.

Reply to
Peter Hill

Are springs prone to failure, or is it the drivers? Serious question. I ease my 12 year old car over speed bumps rather slowly. Other people don't slow down and bounce over them. Am I just being over-cautious?

Reply to
GB

I suspect there are some cars which are prone to spring failure. Some will be due to use- overloading, rough use, etc. Others defects in the spring.

Reply to
Brian Reay

It's very odd. My brother had several broken springs on his BMW. He did tow with it - but the fronts broke too.

It's very unusual on my much older Rover SD1 with coils all round. Even when used for towing.

My BMW - different model to my brother's - didn't break a spring in the 15 years I had it, but broke both of the front suspension struts at the platform the spring sits on.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

The ones in my old Fiesta have survived since 2003 :-) These Volvo ones are four years old, and (judging by the dirt accumulated on the snapped face) this one probably broke a few years ago, before we got it.

Reply to
Dan S. MacAbre

I drive my 2003 Fiesta over such things every day, and quite quickly (it doesn't actually feel like it makes much difference, although I know it must put more energy into the spring), and the springs are still good. OTOH, the missus (whose Volvo has the broken spring) slows right down. But having taken the broken bit out last night, and after inspecting the broken end, I think it was done before she got it.

Reply to
Dan S. MacAbre

It seems pretty random. My Scirocco had a broken rear spring at last MOT: it is hardly ever heavily laden and I slow right down over speed bumps.

Reply to
Chris Bartram

Yes it's the springs.

About 16 years ago I worked at a place with rubber speed bumps on the works car park entrance.

German guy I worked with bought a BRAND NEW BMW Z4 from Germany, drove it to UK and first day he drove in to that car park it broke a spring. Took ages to get as it was so new there wasn't any stock in UK.

I had a '90 Nissan 200SX with 120K on the clock. I didn't give a monkeys about the humps. I gave that guy with the BMW a lift, he told me I should be more careful. As he said it dawned on him that I had been working there 5 years and had done those humps every working day. My Nissan has good springs, his Z4 has crap springs.

That 200SX was scrapped at 180K miles and stripped for bits. I did another 50K miles using those springs on '94 200SX number 4 (I still have 2 '89 and 3 '94 as well, 2 is called 'Donor'). It had lowering springs so I swapped the whole strut/coilover and I still didn't give a monkeys about humps. The seals started leaking so they got swapped again, the springs are hanging in the shed.

I cycle 6 miles to the swimming pool every weekend and find a spring tail at least once every month. I pick them up and bin them, dangerous to leave them littering the roads. That's just 12 miles of gutter. You do the maths for whole of the UK.

Reply to
Peter Hill

I'd guess it's more down to metal fatigue through constant flexing rather than overloading. And does seem to be down to poorer quality steel than once was used.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Or to saving weight and cost by using thinner wire with fewer (more widely spaced) turns. You can get the same spring characteristics, but at the expense of considerably higher stresses.

Reply to
Roger Mills

on 15/08/2018, Chris Bartram supposed :

Poor quality steel, plus springs having to work much harder these days. You only need a rust spot, to start a weakness, which turns into a rapidly developing crack. They don't survive long then.

Back in the day, you often found owners wrapping their cart type springs in rag, soaked in grease to prevent rust and breakages.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Can't say I've noticed an obvious difference between the ones on my various cars. Which was why I'd guessed it might be down to steel quality.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Well, I just finished replacing the broken one. I got a Kilen replacement, and they say that they shot-blast the surface to make it tougher. We'll see :-)

Reply to
Dan S. MacAbre

Just before daughter bought the Corsa from her then b/f's Dad (in Scotland) it had a broken rear spring (when they were driving it). It got into a local garage and (to my dismay) only the broken spring was replaced.

They drove back from Scotland and a week later the other one went.

Because they were cheap and she was doing the job, she replaced both springs because at least that way we knew they were likely to share the same characteristics.

The o/s/f spring went on neighbours Focus and the sharp end ripped the inside sidewall open. *Luckily*, he had just set off from home (a matter of yards) so wasn't going very fast.

Nephew also lost the o/s/f on his Fiesta. The weird thing was he got in from work at about 6pm and as he was looking out the front of the house a couple of hours later he heard a log bang and saw his car rock? Assuming it had been hit by a meteorite he went out of a look and noticed it was sitting lop sided (and then found the broken spring with his hand).

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

I understood it was partly down to springs being 'cold wound' these days?

I would be interested to know if it was the o/s/f spring that most commonly goes as that is the one most likely stressed by mounting kerbs (the front would probably be going up faster than the rear and have more shock load on it than the o/s/r), roundabouts (dynamic loads) and drain holes (along with the o/s/r of course) etc?

Speed bumps should impact both sides equally (again, possibly more on the front because of general loading and higher speeds as we slow to cross them).

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

You are assuming people 'mount' kerbs'- surely they avoid it?

Likewise, who drives in the gutter where drain covers are?

I've noticed n/s front tyres tend to wear more quickly- across several vehicles and mentioned it to a friendly mechanic who has also noticed it. I assume this is due to debris collecting on the left of the road (grit etc) causing more abrasion. It isn't so noticeable on the n/s rear.

Reply to
Brian Reay

Of course you avoid it in ideal circumstances but few of us live there Brian. ;-)

Anyone driving up a narrow road, meeting another vehicle and not wanting to lose a mirror?

Sorry, yes, I meant n/s above.

No, I think it's more likely to be 1) we go round roundabouts clockwise so put most the stress on the n/s front tyre (load and steering) and 2) because of the camber we are generally always turning right slightly and so again, put more load on the n/s front.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

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