Citroen C2 problems

I_am_mad

Hi I have a citroen c2 hdi 1.4 sx. I have had it for over 2 years now and it is a 54 reg plate. Last Monday on my way to work i heard a loud bang and then the steering became different and it was grating as I was driving. I pulled over and checked the car and could not see anything wrong, luckily I was close to a garage so I drove it to there.

They had a look at it after I had explained everything to them and rang me back a few hourse later to say there was nothing wrong with it. Odd I thought as I knew there was, so I said for them to look again. They rang me back again and said yes there is something wrong with it, which was both brake discs and pads had snapped as they were so worn, which I thought would have been mentioned when I had it serviced about 3 months ago. Also that the front suspension spring had broken in half which would explain the loud bang I heard whilst driving.

I did not understand how the garage could have missed this, especially when the mechanic had taken it on 'a long drive' to test it out. So in the end we ended up paying about 300 quid to have it repaired.

So now comes the next part, we got it back last Wednesday night, and all seemed to be fine, I did notice that the steering was slightly off but I didnt think much of it. I have been to work today and tomorrow in it and it was fine. But then we came to go out tonight and before we could get the car of the steep drive it was scraping and making a really loud noise. We got out and had a look and the opposite site suspension (passenger) was low and the wheel arch was touching the wheel. So we had a look around and under the car was the suspension spring snapped off and broken, so the same thing has happened to the other side.

What I am wondering is if this is normal for them both to break at the same time?
Is this something the garage would not of seen?
Do you think it has anything to do with the garage?
Should we get it done proffessionally or do it ourselves and how much would it cost?

Im so sorry for a long post I just really needed some advice

Thanks everyone who reads it

hewhoisnotintheknow

has it been modified in the past?

I_am_mad

not that im aware of why?

goldspanners

i would be good practice for the garage to have replaced both springs at the same time.

Gordon_Gekko

How did the garage not notice a snapped pad?????

I_am_mad

well this is what i was thinking, especially as they told me they had taken it for a test drive you would notice that surely!

goldspanners

Gordon_Gekko wrote: »

How did the garage not notice a snapped pad?????

i doubt 4 pads and both discs were snapped.
i would either say one pad was cracked,or the discs have split at the size of the friction area where it meets the hub area.
if the discs at the front had snapped then i doubt you would have been able to brake very well and would definatly notice it.

gilbert_and_sullivan

What sort of garage serviced the car 3 months ago?

Springs do break occasionally, depends how you use the car and how much care the car receives.

I don't quite understand the idea of brake discs or pads snapping, possibly worn out, and possibly the friction material has parted company from the backing plate, if a disc had broken up, the world's worst driver should have felt something through the brake pedal.

I kind of feel sorry for this little car, sounds like it's in need of some TLC.

Mental note made not to buy a 54 plate C2.

I_am_mad

My car gets lotf of TLC thanks. I am always looking after it. The garage that serviced it is down the road from me as i wudnt take it to citroen as they charge the earth.

Hintza

The reason these springs snap is because the ends are not tappered apparently. If you read honestjohn this appears to be becoming more common.

See this letter:-

Mortal coil
My wife heard a loud clunk from the front of our 2004 Ford Fiesta Zetec and found what turned out to be a chunk of the driver’s-side suspension spring. She picked up the spring-end, couldn’t see anything wrong (the car drove OK, apparently) and drove the 150 miles back home. As it turned out the spring had not only broken, but had partially dislodged from the spring cup with only a 5mm gap between the tyre and the sharp edge of the broken spring. The car is outside warranty and while our Ford dealership agreed that this kind of thing shouldn’t happen to a relatively new car, it charged us the full amount to repair.
A.B., via email


This is far more common than you might imagine with European-made coil springs. I sometimes receive three similar complaints in one day. The failure starts with corrosion because the springs are not properly finished by being pigtailed, tapered or flattened at the ends. Retaining-cup drains blocked by mud accelerate the process, and finally speed humps snap the weakened springs.