On all cars the area that receives the most wear and tear is the suspension system, I just wondered if someone could tell me the common noises and fault confirmation methods used for bad:-

DROP LINKS

TRACK ROD ENDS

CONTROL ARMS

SHOCKS ABSORBERS

COIL SPRINGS

WHEEL BEARINGS

STRUT MOUNTS

CV JOINTS

And any others i have missed

 

2 hours ago, Martin-Fiesta-MK6-1.4 said:

On all cars the area that receives the most wear and tear is the suspension system, I just wondered if someone could tell me the common noises and fault confirmation methods used for bad:-

DROP LINKS - Clunking over bumps.  Check for play in joints with pry bar.

TRACK ROD ENDS - loose steering feel, tyre edge wear.  Hold wheel at 9 and 3 position and shake, listen/feel for knocking joint.

CONTROL ARMS - uneven tyre wear, loose unpredictable handling.  Check bushes and BJ for play with pry bar.

SHOCKS ABSORBERS - ride too hard or too bouncy, knocking over bumps.  Push the corner of the car down and release it, should just bounce once.  

COIL SPRINGS - saggy springs won't be noticed until you fit new ones but will affect the handling.  Visually check for fractures or full coils snapped off.

WHEEL BEARINGS - loud rumbling, usually worse when turning one way than the other.  Spin wheel by have and listen for roughness.  Shake wheel at 9 and 3 and 12 and 6 position and check for movement on both axis.

STRUT MOUNTS - just replace them when doing shocks and springs, they wear out so slowly you're unlikely to notice but will affect the handling.  Bearings in the mounts can be checked by turning steering and feeling/listening for roughness.

CV JOINTS - clicking on turns, clicking/judder under acceleration or braking.  Difficult to diagnose by feel.

And any others i have missed

 

 

If you get a creaking noise when going over speed humps it's likely to be the front anti roll bar bushes.

54 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

 

this is brilliant tom! exactly the kind of expertise i was looking for, thankyou 🙂