Mondeo springs broken!

andygb

It is definitely the speed humps and country roads which have caused this. My missus uses the car on a daily basis, and has to negotiate 16 speed humps twice daily, and she does slow up for them (At least that is what she tells me).
Is it worth upgrading to better shocks and springs, as I plan to keep the car for a few years yet.

cyclonebri1

GET IT DONE ASAP, :eek:. There have been many issues of the broken end of the spring wedginging between the suspension and tyre with obvious disasterous results.

It's not manufacturer specific, it can and does happen to all.

Oh, and ensure both are done at the same time, the other has had the same stress and will have weakened, changing one only is likely to cause a failure in the other very quickly

Inactive

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

It's not manufacturer specific, it can and does happen to all.

Maybe, but it does seem to happen more to some brands/models of cars.;)

LandyAndy

Inactive wrote: »

Don't include me in that list, I don't watch that drivel.;)

:rotfl::rotfl:


I watch it but not to learn anything useful about cars.

Inactive

LandyAndy wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl:


I watch it but not to learn anything useful about cars.

Just as well..

OfficeSpace

andygb wrote: »

I agree, particularly when the car in question was lauded by the motoring press, and is used by hundreds of thousands of fleet users.
I could tell horror stories about most makes of cars - BMW cylinder coatings - not cheap. Alfa Romeo - suspension, electrics, cam belts.
.

Indeed! I was lucky enough to have that very same problem diagnosed on my 1996 328 2 months after i bought it back in 2004. Coincidentally a month before i had 4-wheel alignment done and found a broken rear spring (pretty common on the E36). Doh.

DMDz

Its a common problem with Mondeos, especially the MK1s and MK2s. My last main mondeo failed on its mot on a snapped front spring which I diddnt even know about, and by the time that was fixed the spring on the other side had gone, so it still diddnt pass. Ive also got another Mondeo ST200 sat outside waiting for a spring to be replaced so it can get an MOT...

Id definitely get it replaced, but they usually snap at the top where its not going to pose "much" danger to the Tyre. I say this because a lot of people, like me, dont realize they have snapped springs till MOT time, and the way they drive it wouldn't pose much danger. Obviously it will affect the handling of the car in an emergency situation and could potentially cause a crash where it otherwise wouldn't if the spring were fine - for these reasons Id get it replaced as soon as you can.

Its recommended to replace the other side at the same time, although no body bothers these days mainly because of the extra cost.

DMDz

Just for the record OP - if you go to a motor factors or even ebay, front springs are around 20/25 quid a piece, less than 1/3rd what a dealership will charge you. Labor should be about 2 hours tops, so total cost for this fix should just be above the cost of a tank of fuel, not bad at all IMO

andygb

DMDz wrote: »

Just for the record OP - if you go to a motor factors or even ebay, front springs are around 20/25 quid a piece, less than 1/3rd what a dealership will charge you. Labor should be about 2 hours tops, so total cost for this fix should just be above the cost of a tank of fuel, not bad at all IMO

Thanks for that info, I am having them done tomorrow. The garage is going to get them for around £30 each, and the total cost including front wheel tracking is going to be £210. I still cannot believe that they were not obvious! I am quite picky about cars and how they handle, and there was nothing scary about it even under hard braking.
As a matter of interest, how does the ST200 drive (when it is fit and well)?

DMDz

Sorry for the very late thread revival, but ive only just come back on after not using the site for a few years & seen your post!

To answer your question, The ST200's handle like a dream compared to standard mondeos, once you get used to one the standard ones feel like a plate of jelly.


Ive moved on a bit since then, The ST220's are also extremely nice and planted, the ST TDCI uses standard mondeo MK3 suspension which again feels like a plate of jelly...