Fiesta suspension spring - cost to repair?

[snit_girl]

here's the story - I got off the train tonight, went to get my car as usual and when I went to move it there was a horrible grinding noise from the front drivers side. Got out for a look and that side had dropped right down. Called the garage and drove there at about 5mph (with smoke coming from the tyre). Guy at the garage says it's most likely a broken spring and I'll prob have lost my tyre (brand new in Jan )

anyway, just trying to get an idea of the cost, trying to brace myself as this is a pretty lean month for me already

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

No more than an hour's labour, the cost of the spring, and a new tyre + fitting and balancing etc.

I'd be surprised if you were looking at more than £200, although it may be worth asking the mechanic to replace both springs, left and right.

[snit_girl]

thanks. so much better than I was expecting. Got a good mechanic, pal of my uncles so he usually gives me a good deal.

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

Generally they just use a special spring compressor tool (like a g-clamp but designed for springs) to squash the spring down, remove it, and then do the opposite with the new spring. It doesn't take long.

[CHR15]

You were lucky. I had a front spring go whilst I was driving around a roundabout.

Tremendous BANG and the car went all over the place. I managed to limp off the roundabout to a side street.

My front 3 week old tyre had been shredded to bits, part of the spring was still buried inside the tyre.

The AA bloke said he deals with about 3 of these cases a week. Too many speed bumps, too many low profile tyres.

[snit_girl]

got both springs replaced (the other one was fractured) and a new tyre, cost me £276. Not as bad as I was expecting, still rubbish though. Think I'll avoid speed bumps and potholes a bit more carefully now

[Hintza]

Originally Posted by snit_girl

got both springs replaced (the other one was fractured) and a new tyre, cost me £276. Not as bad as I was expecting, still rubbish though. Think I'll avoid speed bumps and potholes a bit more carefully now

I agree get both done.

European manufacturers are not tapering the spring ends (to save money) which is leading to corrosion and premature failure.

[robchap]

whats the age of the car and what cc is the engine ?

Ford Fiesta 1.1 Front Coil Spring (SP032) (1996 - 2001) - £ 23.71

Ford Fiesta 1.4 Front Coil Spring (SP032) (1996 - 2001) - £ 23.71

Ford Fiesta 1.3 Front Coil Spring (SP032) (1996 - 2001) - £ 23.71

Ford Fiesta 1.2 Front Coil Spring (SP032) (1996 - 2001) - £ 23.71

Ford Fiesta 1.25 Front Coil Spring (SP100) (2001 - 2004) - £ 27.54

Ford Fiesta 1.6 Front Coil Spring (SP100) (2001 - 2004) - £ 27.54

[cyclonebri1]

Originally Posted by Pew Pew Pew Lasers!

No more than an hour's labour, the cost of the spring, and a new tyre + fitting and balancing etc.

I'd be surprised if you were looking at more than £200, although it may be worth asking the mechanic to replace both springs, left and right.

Yep, definately change both springs, will probably save you the 2nd tyre.

Cost, £25 max for the spring plus 1 to 2 hrs labour if the tyre or brake hose is damaged, plus the tyre cost itself. Get them to put the spare on to save them charging you for taking the tyre to be changed

[jimnastics]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I have the same problem as the original poster. My front left suspension spring has gone, luckily it must have gone overnight rather than whilst driving... the tyre looks fine. However, my local Ford garage (official dealer) has quoted £344 just to replace both front springs Seems to me to be pretty excessive, though I guess you expect that from a dealer. Is this way too much? Should I be phoning around local independant garages for quotes?

[DoubleTop]

yes, definately phone around. I just had some work done by a mobile mechanics firm at less than half the price of a dealership. Less overheads for them, just a van with a lot of equipment in

DT.

[colino]

Get your friendly local independent to do it. Simple, quick and easy job and much cheaper than you've been quoted.

[jimnastics]

Thanks chaps, a local indie quoted £170 for both, so it's booked in for Monday Here's another question... what's the best way to get the car to the garage, considering it's completely not driveable with the wheel arch having collapsed onto the tyre? I am an RAC member, do they deal with these sorts of things?

[Rochdale_Guy]

Is this what I've suffered then with my 2004 Fiesta, but only "milder"? I have no burst tyres or collapsed arches...

Here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=3196834

[Hammyman]

Originally Posted by jimnastics

However, my local Ford garage (official dealer) has quoted £344 just to replace both front springs

chuffin ell. My local Ford dealer would be under £200.

[cyclonebri1]

Originally Posted by jimnastics

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I have the same problem as the original poster. My front left suspension spring has gone, luckily it must have gone overnight rather than whilst driving... the tyre looks fine. However, my local Ford garage (official dealer) has quoted £344 just to replace both front springs Seems to me to be pretty excessive, though I guess you expect that from a dealer. Is this way too much? Should I be phoning around local independant garages for quotes?

Almost invariably they go on the drive or in a car park. IE, when making large steering changes and when cold as the steel is more brittle then.
I picked up a car for a friend only 3 weeks ago, drove it back 60 miles and parked it in his drive. He went to fill the tank the next day and the spring snapped on the drive

[tillycat123]

I had this happen to my smart car a few weeks ago. Small garage quoted £100 to replace and labour, then decided when it was up on the ramp it need new disc breaks and pads. Cost me nearly £400 to get fixed.

[alastairq]

£400?

That's more than I would pay for a whole car!

why are Ford springs breaking so frequently?

Last time I had a spring break, it was the [2nd] wife's Renault five..I happened to climb in behind the wheel and boinnnng, it went.

Easy to replace, being a torsion bar...but what was not so easy to live with was the grief I got from the family!

[alastairq]

new disc brakes and pads.

in a way, perhaps a blessing?

They would only have needed replacing a short while later..or at MoT time...

[Rochdale_Guy]

again, please also read my thread, here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...1#post43310734