The suspension in an automobile provides a smooth ride, handling, protection from breakdowns, safety and comfort for people while driving. Over time, its components wear out, requiring repair or replacement. If the car does not have special sensors to monitor its condition, the driver may not immediately notice signs of wear. As a result, after some time, the car’s handling will deteriorate and the risk of getting into an accident will increase. To prevent this from happening to you, we decided to remind you how to realize that it is time to repair the suspension.
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Uncharacteristic knocking
A serviceable suspension should not make any noise, regardless of the quality of the road surface on which the car is traveling. If during the exit or when driving on an uneven road with potholes there is an extraneous knock, this indicates that the problem has arisen in the transverse stability stabilizer. In case it is not bent and rusted, then it will be enough to put new silent blocks and center mounts. But if there is damage to the device itself, then it is better to replace it completely.
Creaks
In general, such sounds are not uncommon in the suspensions of cars that are more than 10 years old. Most often it is due to the wear of floating silent blocks.In this case, there are two solutions: replacement of components or syringing.The first option is the most reliable.True, the price of replacing the suspension will cost a round sum.Syringing – a less popular procedure, as it costs much cheaper and therefore is not profitable for car services.
The need to replace the silentblocks does not always arise. To get rid of the squeak, sometimes it is enough to lubricate them with machine oil.And most drivers can do it themselves, without resorting to the help of a car service.
Metallic ringing
If during driving such sounds are heard from the rear of the car, this indicates a suspension malfunction. As a rule, this happens in the case of completely broken silentblocks, which should dampen shocks and sounds. When they are faulty, there is a lot of movement. As a result, the shock on the suspension is transmitted to neighboring assemblies and parts, causing damage to other elements.
Broken components make characteristic metallic sounds while driving. With such malfunctions, it will be necessary to completely rebuild the undercarriage, replacing the damaged parts.
Breakdown
The shock absorbers do not hold pressure well as they wear out.
Therefore, the car begins to sway in the vertical direction, and when hitting a bump, the suspension hits it.This happens because the weakened elements are fully compressed.The shock is not damped, the metal part hits the body.
If the suspension is in good working order, this is virtually impossible.The impact can happen only in exceptional cases – when the car at high speed sharply hits an object that protrudes strongly from the surface of the road, or on a high bump.If the suspension shocks occur even when hitting small obstacles, it is a sure sign that you need to visit a car service as soon as possible.
It is possible to understand, what is the problem, and independently.To do this, it is enough to look into the wheel arch and see if there are oil leaks or torn dust cover. If there is such a thing, you can immediately go to buy new shock absorbers and do not spend on diagnostics in the service.
You can also find out what the problem is by yourself. To do this, it is enough to look into the wheel arch and see if there are oil leaks or a torn dust cover.If there are such things, you can immediately go to buy new shock absorbers and do not spend money on diagnostics in the service.
Vertical vibrations
With serviceable shock absorbers, the car after crossing an obstacle should oscillate no more than once or twice.If vibrations are not damped for a long time, the body goes up and down for a long time, it is a sure sign of problems in the suspension. The same applies to cases when the car starts to sway vertically on a flat road when driving at high speed.Some drivers may make the mistake of thinking that shock absorbers are only necessary for shock absorption.In reality, this is only one of its tasks.Their main function is to stabilize the position of the car when driving on uneven surfaces. Otherwise, the car will chatter like a ship in a storm.In addition, shock absorbers affect the handling of the car.If they are defective, the driver has to steer more often, as the car does not hold its course well and has difficulty entering corners.
All this eventually leads to loss of control of the car, as downforce is lost due to frequent vertical oscillations. So if you notice that the car has become too shifty, don’t waste time hoping it will go away on its own.Head to an auto service center to get rid of the problem.
Experts advise checking the condition of shock absorbers on a regular basis.
This can be done free of charge and without special equipment. To do this, press down hard on the wing and release. If the oscillations quickly disappeared, the shock absorbers are in normal condition. And if the sway fades for too long, it’s time to change them.
Vehicle sagging
This can be indicated by a noticeable reduction in ground clearance or a skew of one of the sides of the car.If this happens, it means that the suspension has weakened.Therefore, you should adjust or replace the springs.Otherwise, the process will aggravate quite quickly, which will negatively affect safety while driving.
Increased or uneven tire wear
If the tread is balding unevenly, or unexpectedly badly worn only on one side – it means that the camber angle has been violated.If you do not take measures, then after some time the car’s handling will deteriorate.
But before you adjust it, you need to check the condition of the silent blocks.The fact is that the violation of convergence-displacement usually happens because of damage, and not by itself over time. Therefore, you should first replace these elements, and only then you can proceed to adjust the wheels.
Loss of steering clarity
This happens when the steering rods and lugs become loose.Because they run too loosely, the steering feel is reduced and the vehicle starts to wag.All of this can be accompanied by a knocking sound when the steering wheel is turned sharply.Such signs indicate a serious problem, as the faults directly affect the handling of the car.It should be solved as soon as possible.
Deterioration of braking
As strange as it may seem, the culprit of the problem is the suspension.More precisely, faulty shock absorbers.If the front struts are worn out, then at sharp braking the car moves away to the side, there are claws, uneven deceleration and increased braking distance.If the rear shock absorbers are defective, the rear axle will rock or bounce during braking.