Hi Guys

Did some wonderful driving on Friday through Snowdonia in my 06 Mondeo TDCI Titanium X - nothing too taxing, just good touring. I did however make a comment to the Mrs that the cat's eyes seemed quite savage however, but didn't think anything else of it. Parked up on Friday night, nothing obviously wrong.

Came to drive off yesterday morning and immediately noticed an obvious noise whilst steering at low speed. Sounded dead clunky and generally rough, but steering weight and power steering appear normal. Then noticed bangs and grumbles over bumps. I've done the bounce test at the front offside where the noise seems to come from and when pushing down, it makes the same noise.

I'm thinking the shocker on the driver's side front has probably kicked the bucket (don't think they've ever been changed and the car has just passed through 71k miles) but on having a closer look this a.m. - I've noticed the spring looks a little weird and out of shape (see attached images) and certainly different to the front nearside.

The shocker, though looking cruddy and old, doesn't appear to be wet or oily. but the shocker appears out of line and the black rubbery/plastic gaiter thing is touching the outer (wheelside) of the spring - either that shocker is bust or the spring has split and moved?

Can anyone advise please as I am not confident in moving it anywhere at the moment - save as to the garage! Typical that it's happened at the Bank Holiday weekend...

Thanks !!

Looks like you have a broken spring - often, when this happens the shock absorber is ok

I concur, the spring definately shouldn't be that shape

That spring is fubared. Looks like it's broke near the bottom and no longer seated correctly.

You can replace a spring by yourself. However, if you've become attached to your eyeballs, I'd recommend letting somebody else do it. Compressing a spring to replace it is extremely dangerous if you do it wrong.

Spring looks squashed, and out of line, give it a wiggle, if ots wobbly then the spring is broken if its under pressure then its out of position and probably ready to break now anyway, get your wallet out.

There is something wrong with that spring - just check that it isn't, for example, the platform that the spring sits on, rather than the spring itself.

When replacing broken springs, it's advisable to have them done as a pair, because the other one will be same age and in all likelyhood almost at the end of it's life.

The other reason to replace them as a pair, is that with just one new spring it could affect the handling of the car