I think my suspension just snapped!?

[elbows]

I have a 53 plate Megane 1.9DCi with 41k miles.

It is starting to fall apart, fog light got ripped off (altough it wasn't smashed!), air conditioning just stopped working and now...

I was driving along and there was quite a lot of noise coming from the front offside wheel area and then a big bang and I looked in my rear view mirror to see a piece of metal bouncing along the road. I stopped and picked it up. It is a black piece of curved metal, one end is shiny where it looks like it has sheared and the other is painted (might be the top).

Does this sound like the coil has snapped? Is it dangerous to drive? Seems to be going OK but makes noises when I hit bumps. Is it gonna cost much to fix?

THANKS!

[Jonault]

It does sound like a bit of your coil spring has snapped. You should really replace your springs as a pair. This sort of job can be carried out at any half decent garage rather than pay through the nose at your local Renault dealership. A good mechanic should be able to replace them within an hour but I'm not sure what the costs of the springs would be so try the internet for possible brands and prices.

John

[elbows]

Thanks!

I will try HiQ or someone like that. Is it dangerous to drive in the meantime? IYO

[Jonault]

If you have only lost a small piece from the end of the spring, it shouldn't cause as many problems as if the spring broke right in the middle. You should be OK for short journeys but try to avoid going too fast or cornering too quickly as your suspension will be out of balance and will put extra strain on the anti-roll bar and it's bushes.

John

[markren2004]

costing wise, a motor factor spring will be about £30-£40 each, and about 1hr labour per side to fit.

[elbows]

Thanks everyone for your help. Seems to be driving OK but makes loads of noise when I do lots of turning at low speed. Got a quote for 190 to change the pair, will try and negotiate!