Xsara Front Suspension

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county2000
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Xsara Front Suspension

Post by county2000 »

Hi all, hoping that someone can advise me on a problem.
Jumped into my 2004 Xsara Estate earlier and heard a horrible banging noise from the front which turned out to be a broken suspension spring.
What I would like to know is can the spring be changed on it's own or does the whole strut have to be changed. Also is it worth doing the job myself cost wise as I would have to purchase spring compressors or would it not be too expensive for a garage to do it.
Any input from anyone who has had this problem would be much appreciated.

Dave
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Post by RichardW »

You can just change the spring - provided the bearing / strut is not knackered. A couple of hours labour at the garage - a lot more than a set of cheap spring compressors.
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county2000
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Post by county2000 »

Thanks for that Richard, I think I'll go for the DIY option. Regarding spring compressors, any advice. I've looked on ebay and they start from less than a tenner with single hooks, or is it advisable to get a double hook type?
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Post by Paul-R »

I've got the double hook type and when I changed the springs on the front of our Xsara I found it difficult to get both pairs of hooks on AND get enough of the coil compressed AND put the compressers equally opposite to each other - if that makes sense. Maybe a single hook type might be easier?
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Post by imperial21 »

DIY is the best option,its quite straight forward, just make sure you change both if ones gone the other will soon !

Mine went on my old focus this time last year, springs are very common for snapping and you cant always tell !
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county2000
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Post by county2000 »

Thanks for the tips Paul and imperial. I will go for the diy option and opt for the single hook compressor, which is a bonus as they are cheaper :)
Now to find springs.

Dave
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Post by rory_perrett »

Just done this job today on our 2001 HDi hatch. The Nearside spring broke at the top and was spotted on the MOT 2 years ago. The offside one went a couple of days ago about 2 coils up from the bottom. 2 years ago I let the garage do it, this time it was DIY. I did consider taking the strut and new spring to the garage to get them to change the spring but in the end I manage ok with my sping compressors.

I needed to be able to span 4 coils to get the spring compressed enough to get it all back together - my compressors were only just long enough, had to stand on the spring to compress it enough to get them hooked on.

What did I learn?

The clamp bolt that holds the bottom of the shock in the hub was seized solid. The clamp for the bottom wishbone ball joint was the same.

I cut the shock clamp bolt and still struggled to get the strut/shock out - because I needed to get the bolt out I ended up taking the hub off as well - probably made the job easier in the long run. Undid the 3 bolts holding the ball joint to the lower arm as I couldn't get the bolt out of the clamp. These are star drive but difficult to get to because of the drive shaft - used mole grips to hold them. However you do need some extra tools to the hub off. Large socket for drive shaft nut and a big bar (or impact wrench) as it is fairly tight (236 lbs/ft) and a ball joint splitter to get the track rod end off. There is also the issue of the ABS sensor. Trying to get it out of the hub will most likely wreck it - disconnect the wire in the engine compartment and pull it through.

Total job was about 4 hours (with help from daughter's boyfriend) including getting the seized bolt out.

Best of luck.
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Post by myglaren »

Cost depends on the garage of course. my son's 306 was in for MOT which it failed on a broken spring. new one fitted, total bill was £80 including MOT.
This was almost two years ago so it will be more now but not a huge increase.

Spring broke on my son's Golf, Ford garage charged big money to fix it but that included a flatbed to get it to the garage. Almost £200.

Other side broke Easter weekend* and a guy we use put a new one on and did several other jobs** at the same time for <£100.

*Which shows it is a good idea to change both at the same time.
**Tapped out the threaded sump plug, changed the oil, replaced a busted wing mirror.
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Post by county2000 »

Thanks Rory and Myglaren for some very useful advice. It's certainly given me something to think about. My luck is usually that if something is likely to be seized then it will be. Might get a few quotes, if it is around £100 I'd let the garage do it.

Thanks everyone

Dave
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Post by rory_perrett »

Dave

Spring cost me £36 from my local motor factor, springs are on ebay for about £24 but I couldn't wait and not sure of the quality. (Around £70 from Citroen according to Citroen Service website). Just looked at my receipt from 2 years ago and I was charged £60 + VAT labour to replace the front spring and the middle and rear exhaust sections. I think they charge £40 per hour so that's 1 1/2 hours for both jobs. Based on this you should be able to get your spring done for under £100 all in, spring, labour and VAT.

Rory
county2000
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Post by county2000 »

Thanks Rory,
I called in at my local garage and they quoted £40 plus cost of spring.
I also priced springs on ebay and the cheapest was about £22 including postage while another was £44. Trouble is as you say you can't be sure of the quality of the cheaper item. As it is for the sake of £40, or £30 when you factor in the cost of buying spring compressors, I've decided to let the garage do it.
Many thanks to all those who took the trouble to reply.
Dave
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