Snapped Coil Spring

StompToWork

So, driving along last night, minding my own business and "BANG". Jaysus Henry Christ, what the hell was that. Car carried on fine, but felt a little bit "boaty".

So, I got it jacked up this morning, once it was light, and I reckon I have snapped a coil spring. It's not obvious, so I reckon it snapped at the top, loose bit fell away, and now the spring is resting on the broken bit. When the car is sitting on it's wheels, there is about an 1/2 inch height difference between the two front corners. Also, when turning the wheel, there is a "clunking" noise, so I reckon the top mount bearing is knackered as well.

My question is, have people here any experience or advice in terms of driving it in such a state? I have to get it down to my local garage man about 70 miles away (family garage man in Kerry who does all our cars, and I live in Cork), and I really don't want to shell out for tow down. He is, by far, the best value mechanic I have ever come across, so I am eager to get it down to him.

Now, I know the knee jerk advice is "Don't drive it, the spring could slip out, and collapse your suspension, which at speed is no fun" blah blah blah. I know this. I was just wondering if anyone has had this before, and what their experiences were of continuing to drive for a while in this way?

Tropheus

Same happened on my wife's Audi A2 on two occasions. They're prone to it. The first time it happened, she heard a bang like you did and stopped the car. She picked a semi circularly piece of metal off the ground and reckoned it came from the car. I took a look that night, but couldn't see anything broken. However, had a better look the following weekend and could see the top of the spring was broken. She drove it for another week without any problems until Audi got the part in. Did the same about a year later when the other side went.

I would get the new part organised and get it fitted a.s.a.p., but it shouldn't keep the car off the road. Just take it easy on speed ramps and the likes.

NickDunne

Have 1st hand experience of this

mk1 focus, left it sitting up for a few weeks last year. First time I drove it I heard a loud bang and the steering went heavy.

I can only assume that the cold finally took its toll along with fatigue(apparently common with the focus')

Tropheus

That's a pretty severe brake in fairness. In both my cases, it was just about 3" of the top of the coil that broke off. I certainly wouldn't drive on what's pictured above.

Edit: that's 3" in length of coil rather than height.

challengemaster

Drive on broken parts and you'll be causing extra stress on other suspension components. It would probably be fine for driving to the mechanics, but I wouldn't be going about your daily business for a week as if nothing happened

NickDunne

Tropheus wrote: »

That's a pretty severe brake in fairness. In both my cases, it was just about 3" of the top of the coil that broke off. I certainly wouldn't drive on what's pictured above.

Edit: that's 3" in length of coil rather than height.

I swapped the whole unit for a second hand shock assembly of similar mileage the same day.

If the OP's is in anyway similar, I would NOT fancy driving 70 miles on it whatsoever. For the sake of €30-€50 +fitting i'd be going for a replacement asap.

StompToWork

Thanks for all the responses, folks. They helped.

DeFinch89

happened to my sisters A4, personally I wouldnt drive anyway near 70miles to get it repaired no matter how little the break in coil spring was.

I wouldnt recommend driving it at all but seeing as your too cheap to get a tow truck to bring the car to your trusted mechanic who is a good distance away...
Be responsible and bring it to a local mechanic down the road as long as it holds and pressure is kept on the coil spring should be ok for one SHORT drive to a local garage.

Or better still would the trusted mechanic travel the 70 miles to you with replacement parts?

StompToWork

DeFinch89 wrote: »

happened to my sisters A4, personally I wouldnt drive anyway near 70miles to get it repaired no matter how little the break in coil spring was.

I wouldnt recommend driving it at all but seeing as your too cheap to get a tow truck to bring the car to your trusted mechanic who is a good distance away...
Be responsible and bring it to a local mechanic down the road as long as it holds and pressure is kept on the coil spring should be ok for one SHORT drive to a local garage.

Or better still would the trusted mechanic travel the 70 miles to you with replacement parts?

I'm currently unemployed, and working with ever-dwindling savings, so if I am being "Cheap", as you so eloquently put it, then it is for a valid reason.

You could have just offered your point without being an ass about it.

coylemj

DeFinch89 wrote: »

happened to my sisters A4, personally I wouldnt drive anyway near 70miles to get it repaired no matter how little the break in coil spring was.

I wouldnt recommend driving it at all but seeing as your too cheap to get a tow truck to bring the car to your trusted mechanic who is a good distance away...
Be responsible and bring it to a local mechanic down the road as long as it holds and pressure is kept on the coil spring should be ok for one SHORT drive to a local garage.

Or better still would the trusted mechanic travel the 70 miles to you with replacement parts?

I recently failed the NCT with a broken coil spring, I arranged with a local mechanic to get it replaced a week later, he was booked up in the meantime. Neither the NCT test guy nor the mechanic suggested for one second that I shouldn't drive the car before it was fixed. It was a rear spring if that makes any difference but I didn't notice any difference before or after the new one was fitted. It was a clean break in the middle - I was shown the old one when picking up the car.

DeFinch89

You want to be a bigger ass and drive some 70 miles across typical bad irish roads on a snapped spring than be my guest

and who says only the rich and wealthy lacked common-sense, lol

just dont be driving towards me with your ****ed springs

StompToWork

DeFinch89 wrote: »

You want to be a bigger ass and drive some 70 miles across typical bad irish roads on a snapped spring than be my guest

and who says only the rich and wealthy lacked common-sense, lol

just dont be driving towards me with your ****ed springs

My point is that opinions are somewhat divided on this issue here. Some say don't do it, some say it might be okay, some have offered experience of it not being a problem.

The difference is that you are the only one who has posted with type of childish base post that you would expect to see in After Hours. I've asked for an opinion. I don't expect the insinuations of being cheap or irresponsible. I posted in Motors, not After Hours, where I would expect such messing.

DeFinch89

Dont drive, if you really have to drive let it be a short drive to a mechanic near you to replace the coil spring, but for the safety of you and other road users dont drive the car in its current condition 70 miles.

StompToWork

coylemj wrote: »

I recently failed the NCT with a broken coil spring, I arranged with a local mechanic to get it replaced a week later, he was booked up in the meantime. Neither the NCT test guy nor the mechanic suggested for one second that I shouldn't drive the car before it was fixed. It was a rear spring if that makes any difference but I didn't notice any difference before or after the new one was fitted. It was a clean break in the middle - I was shown the old one when picking up the car.

That's interesting. If you fail the NCT on something which the NCT thinks will result in the car being unfit to drive, they advise you that you should make arrangements for having the car towed from the test centre. They cannot stop you driving your car out, but in that circumstance, where they have advised you to get it towed, they inform you that they will be passing your details onto the Gaurds.

It would seem a snapped coil spring does not warrant such action!!??

coylemj

DeFinch89 wrote: »

You want to be a bigger ass and drive some 70 miles across typical bad irish roads on a snapped spring than be my guest

and who says only the rich and wealthy lacked common-sense, lol

just dont be driving towards me with your ****ed springs

What qualifications do you claim to have to make such a judgement - other than being deliberately offensive? I get my car serviced regularly, I had no notion that I had a broken coil spring and two professionals said that I could go on driving it before it was fixed.

As the OP has pointed out above, the NCT have an option to formally warn you if the car is dangerously defective, this option was not invoked in my case so you are talking BS.

tin79

DeFinch89 wrote: »

You want to be a bigger ass and drive some 70 miles across typical bad irish roads on a snapped spring than be my guest

and who says only the rich and wealthy lacked common-sense, lol

just dont be driving towards me with your ****ed springs

Nice attitude. You`ll be popular here.

sebastianlieken

My view would be that if it's the pig tail on the end of the spring, you're grand! If it has snapped somewhere around the mid-span, avoid driving on it.

either way, the weigth of the car will tend to travel through the stiffest loadpath - (your other suspension strut). You should be perticularly cautious of this; your other spring (which will be in a similarly corroded state as the broken one) may very well be teetering on the edge of failure as is - now you're overloading it.

Broken coil springs are pretty common around the winter months, the main cause is salt on the roads which splashes up from the road and corrodes the surface of the spring steel of the coil anywhere where the protective blastic is chipped or scratched. This corrosion leads to hydrogen embrittlement of the spring steel causing the spring to become hard and brittle, hence causing catastrophic failure of the spring. Always a good idea during the winter to get the hose out and give the underside of the car and the wheel-wells a thorough rinse when possible.

unfortunatly, they ain't perticulary cheap to replace and they're not really a DIY job.

StompToWork

sebastianlieken wrote: »

My view would be that if it's the pig tail on the end of the spring, you're grand! If it has snapped somewhere around the mid-span, avoid driving on it.

either way, the weigth of the car will tend to travel through the stiffest loadpath - (your other suspension strut). You should be perticularly cautious of this; your other spring (which will be in a similarly corroded state as the broken one) may very well be teetering on the edge of failure as is - now you're overloading it.

Broken coil springs are pretty common around the winter months, the main cause is salt on the roads which splashes up from the road and corrodes the surface of the spring steel of the coil anywhere where the protective blastic is chipped or scratched. This corrosion leads to hydrogen embrittlement of the spring steel causing the spring to become hard and brittle, hence causing catastrophic failure of the spring. Always a good idea during the winter to get the hose out and give the underside of the car and the wheel-wells a thorough rinse when possible.

unfortunatly, they ain't perticulary cheap to replace and they're not really a DIY job.

This is my biggest concern. I suppose I can be pretty sure it snapped at the pig tail, as if it were anywhere else, I would have known straight away (I had a spring snap in a Laguna I had, which resulted in a rather obvious and dramatic loss of rotational potential in the wheel (it stopped dead!!)

My plan is to swap both out, if I can afford it. I don't like doing things to brake's/suspension on just one corner without doing the same on the other, where I can help it.

If I do decide that I am going to drive it tomorrow, I'm going to be like a granny on the road, at least until I get out onto the main road, which will be a little more easy going. To be honest, I don't like the thought of driving it for any great distance at all, but economic concerns are pretty high on the list at the moment.

DeFinch89

apologies OP,
I admit I did come across as overly aggresive earlier.

I have never had springs snap on me but spent enough time swapping worn shock absorber's to make it worthwhile to invest in a set of coil compressor's to swap the springs back onto the new shocks.

when the coil in my sisters car gave out it scared the bejaysus out of her and I wouldnt let her drive it until they were replaced.
As previously mentioned in similar words if something on one side is gone it wont be long before the other side goes, so replace both rear springs for peace of mind.

If NCT lads say its safe to drive on a broken spring then who am I to argue, I am but a humble backyard grease monkey that learns by working on my own cars and avoiding the pricey mechanics bill as much as possible for the jobs im quite comfortable at carrying out by myself.

My point was (without coming across as aggressively as I did before) was just dont take the chance driving a far distance and instead have a nearer mechanic replace the spring for you.

P.S: In my experience replacing a coil spring is a very D.I.Y job with basic know-how and a decent coil compressor

Again apologies for coming across as a bit of a dick, spent a few hours on a cold concrete floor replacing brake lines on the girlfriends car for the NCT later on today and was in a ****e mood for it.

burke027

DeFinch89 wrote: »

apologies OP,
I admit I did come across as overly aggresive earlier.

I have never had springs snap on me but spent enough time swapping worn shock absorber's to make it worthwhile to invest in a set of coil compressor's to swap the springs back onto the new shocks.

when the coil in my sisters car gave out it scared the bejaysus out of her and I wouldnt let her drive it until they were replaced.
As previously mentioned in similar words if something on one side is gone it wont be long before the other side goes, so replace both rear springs for peace of mind.

If NCT lads say its safe to drive on a broken spring then who am I to argue, I am but a humble backyard grease monkey that learns by working on my own cars and avoiding the pricey mechanics bill as much as possible for the jobs im quite comfortable at carrying out by myself.

My point was (without coming across as aggressively as I did before) was just dont take the chance driving a far distance and instead have a nearer mechanic replace the spring for you.

P.S: In my experience replacing a coil spring is a very D.I.Y job with basic know-how and a decent coil compressor

Again apologies for coming across as a bit of a dick, spent a few hours on a cold concrete floor replacing brake lines on the girlfriends car for the NCT later on today and was in a ****e mood for it.

The problem with doing stuff for your self if your not a mechanic is that u might be unaware for the correct things to look out for or picking up on problems before they happen.I've first hand experience of back yard mechanics and from what I've seen isn't goid let me tell you
Have you ever had a spring clamp slip because I tell you when u do u will know all about it.
There's a reason mechanics are what they are because they do apprenticeships and constantly do courses updating there skill. Your correct most people can carry out a lot of diy jobs but carrying them out to the required standard is a different story.

On driven the spring I've seen plenty of cars come into our place with broken springs and people drivibg them.but I wouldn't advise driven 70 mile.
Be careful is all I say

burke027

DeFinch89 wrote: »

apologies OP,
I admit I did come across as overly aggresive earlier.

I have never had springs snap on me but spent enough time swapping worn shock absorber's to make it worthwhile to invest in a set of coil compressor's to swap the springs back onto the new shocks.

when the coil in my sisters car gave out it scared the bejaysus out of her and I wouldnt let her drive it until they were replaced.
As previously mentioned in similar words if something on one side is gone it wont be long before the other side goes, so replace both rear springs for peace of mind.

If NCT lads say its safe to drive on a broken spring then who am I to argue, I am but a humble backyard grease monkey that learns by working on my own cars and avoiding the pricey mechanics bill as much as possible for the jobs im quite comfortable at carrying out by myself.

My point was (without coming across as aggressively as I did before) was just dont take the chance driving a far distance and instead have a nearer mechanic replace the spring for you.

P.S: In my experience replacing a coil spring is a very D.I.Y job with basic know-how and a decent coil compressor

Again apologies for coming across as a bit of a dick, spent a few hours on a cold concrete floor replacing brake lines on the girlfriends car for the NCT later on today and was in a ****e mood for it.

The problem with doing stuff for your self if your not a mechanic is that u might be unaware for the correct things to look out for or picking up on problems before they happen.I've first hand experience of back yard mechanics and from what I've seen isn't goid let me tell you
Have you ever had a spring clamp slip because I tell you when u do u will know all about it.
There's a reason mechanics are what they are because they do apprenticeships and constantly do courses updating there skill. Your correct most people can carry out a lot of diy jobs but carrying them out to the required standard is a different story.

On driven the spring I've seen plenty of cars come into our place with broken springs and people drivibg them.but I wouldn't advise driven 70 mile.
Be careful is all I say

StompToWork

DeFinch89 wrote: »

apologies OP,
I admit I did come across as overly aggresive earlier.

I have never had springs snap on me but spent enough time swapping worn shock absorber's to make it worthwhile to invest in a set of coil compressor's to swap the springs back onto the new shocks.

when the coil in my sisters car gave out it scared the bejaysus out of her and I wouldnt let her drive it until they were replaced.
As previously mentioned in similar words if something on one side is gone it wont be long before the other side goes, so replace both rear springs for peace of mind.

If NCT lads say its safe to drive on a broken spring then who am I to argue, I am but a humble backyard grease monkey that learns by working on my own cars and avoiding the pricey mechanics bill as much as possible for the jobs im quite comfortable at carrying out by myself.

My point was (without coming across as aggressively as I did before) was just dont take the chance driving a far distance and instead have a nearer mechanic replace the spring for you.

P.S: In my experience replacing a coil spring is a very D.I.Y job with basic know-how and a decent coil compressor

Again apologies for coming across as a bit of a dick, spent a few hours on a cold concrete floor replacing brake lines on the girlfriends car for the NCT later on today and was in a ****e mood for it.

Fair enough. I can appreciate that.

DeFinch89

burke027 wrote: »

The problem with doing stuff for your self if your not a mechanic is that u might be unaware for the correct things to look out for or picking up on problems before they happen.I've first hand experience of back yard mechanics and from what I've seen isn't goid let me tell you
Have you ever had a spring clamp slip because I tell you when u do u will know all about it.
There's a reason mechanics are what they are because they do apprenticeships and constantly do courses updating there skill. Your correct most people can carry out a lot of diy jobs but carrying them out to the required standard is a different story.

I really dont think any self-respecting backyard mechanic would go near a car without having some basic knowledge and commonsense shared with pro mechanics that do it for a living.

I can understand where your coming from with the amount of cowboys people allow to work on their cars on the cheap.

And I can certainly think of a few so-called 'pro' mechanics that I certainly wouldnt bring any of my cars to again after seeing what I could have done myself for a mere fraction of the cost and in some cases id do it to a better quality too, hence why I made the decisions to do many jobs on the car myself.

In respect to many truly pro mechanics I do know of who have decades worth of work in the auto industry I would trust my car to if there was something I just wouldnt feel confident at doing.
I have yet to have a pro mechanic or an NCT tech to tell me any of my work I have personally carried out is dangerous and I pride myself in that.
I certainly would not bring any car I have worked on out on the public road if I wasnt fully confident in my abilities to maintain a safe and roadworthy car.
most of what iv learned about cars is a lot of my own personal experience working on my cars and talking to people well established in the motor trade industry about anything im unsure of.

And no I havent had a compressed spring slip on me and nor would I with the pressure them feckers are under!