Coil springs MOT advisory

vaio

Hydrogen embrittlement according to the AA,

Electrolytic action between the salt solution, formed by road salting, and the iron in the spring generates free hydrogen atoms which enter the steel and can cause microscopic cracking. Cracks propagate and combine, ultimately leading to failure of the spring.

yangptangkipperbang

vaio wrote: »

Hydrogen embrittlement according to the AA,

vaio wrote: »

can cause microscopic cracking

How many garages have the necessary equipment to detect this microscopic cracking ? :cool:

vaio

none, and I guess that most of the damage is done under the plastic coating that springs come with these days.

add in the fact that they are fitters rather than metallurgists so if it's rusty they recommend replacement as a bottom covering exercise.

spacey2012

They are made of steal, all corrode to some extent.
As said, they always pick the ones they can do in ten minutes.
They never fail or mention a set of Mondeo or focus springs unless they snap, they are an absolute pig of a job to fit.

vaio

spacey2012 wrote: »

They are made of steal, all corrode to some extent......

nice Freudian slip in a thread about garages

salubrious

They are a common advisory on Panda's, Punto's etc.

However, they very rarely break, even though they look as bad as they do.

Westmead_Fan

all it takes if a spring is corroded & weakened to go down a pot hole at speed & breaks, saying that most drivers won't noticed or checked until there mot, lol

Ectophile

Thanks all. It looks like the car manufacturers are fitting thinner and thinner springs these days to save a bit of weight. But then they can't handle more than a bit of surface rusting before snapping.:undecided

I'll keep an eye on them for now and see how it goes.

Apples2

I've had a front spring snap on a saab, buried itself into the front tyre whilst I was going round a roundabout.

I've also had a rear snap on a 5 Series BMW. Didn't do any damage, just felt a clunking as if suspension was loose and the odd “booinnngggg”

Second opinion though in this case, nothing has broken and any piece a metal under the car is prone to corrosion.

colino

Had a rear spring snap on a 5 Series, the rusted out bottom turn, (one seriously abused and under-maintained car) and it leaned over on that corner like a drunken sailor. Same week took in a Vectra that had a peculiar "tinkling" from the OSF and it turned out to be the same issue. No obvious difference in ride height even though it was a fwd strut and by leaning into the wheel arch, it could be easily taken out and discarded!