Rear shock mount broken - safe to drive?

Weird_Nev

In short, no, it's not safe to drive a car if the top mount has failed like that. The damper can't damp, and you can get some seriously lairy handling characteristics (like uncontrollable spins).

DOn't drive it until it's fixed, hire a car for the journey if it's that important or reschedule it.

[Deleted User]

Joe_Horner wrote: »

That doesn't look like the bushes gone, it looks like it's punched the lower bush through the bolted on bracket.

Like I said thats not my car its just a pic. I'll try and get actual pic later.

[Deleted User]

Weird_Nev wrote: »

In short, no, it's not safe to drive a car if the top mount has failed like that. The damper can't damp, and you can get some seriously lairy handling characteristics (like uncontrollable spins).

DOn't drive it until it's fixed, hire a car for the journey if it's that important or reschedule it.

Yeh. I was afraid that its not damping correctly and could handle badly in an emergency situation.

[Deleted User]

Heres the actual pics now. Top one is good size. Bottom one is bad side.

It does look as if the nut at top of mount is just loose maybe? strut is still there but not tight because of play at top.

Although, metal mount does look a bit different (bent maybe?) on broken pic rather than other side. As if someone has really tightened the nut too much and bent the mount slightly in the past ???

Joe_Horner

Hard to tell without seeing it "in the metal" but it looks like that mount is made up of a pressing with a flat plate (the bit below the rubber) welded to the top.

In the second pic it looks like that plate may have broken free. If that's the case then no, it's not really safe to drive because you'll have no damping on that wheel.

On the other hand, it might also be that either the nuts have loosened (unlikely because they're normally pigs to undo even when you want to!) or the lower rubber bush has disintegrated.

If THAT's what's happened then you should be ok driving if you NEED to because you'll still have damping but reduced efficiency - much as if you had a badly worn damper, which a lot of people drive on every day without realising.

But unless you're 100% certain that's what's happened - and, with respect, it doesn't sound like you're completely confident about mechanical matters - don't drive it!