Any idea what could be wrong with the car?

1234catlady

I don't know the first thing about cars so sorry if this sounds like a silly question or the problem might be obvious to most people!

Me and my partner have a Suzuki Ignis which we bought second hand a few months ago for £600. I think we have the 2003 version. Its been running fine since we got it but today when my partner was driving off for work, as soon as he started the car he heard a loud snap/bang come from the front of the car, most likely the wheel he thinks. It was loud enough that the man across the street walking his dog turned around quickly to see what the noise was. He said it feels ok to drive but when you around corners or going over a bump, it rattles, bangs and grinds a bit.

He's going to call up the local mechanic when he gets home to arrange an appointment to see about getting it checked.

Any ideas what it could be? Also, how much do mechanics charge you for looking at the car and telling you what is wrong with it? Just so I know how much roughly to pay at first before any work is done to it.

droopsnoot

My guess is a spring has snapped, but it is nothing more than a guess.


As for costs, it all depends. Basically a mechanic will charge based on how long it takes them to have a look around - if it's something like a broken spring that can be seen quite quickly when on a ramp, it won't cost much, if there's nothing visible and you want a more detailed investigation, cost goes up with the time taken.


If it is a spring, there may be an issue with where the broken bit is, for example I've heard of the protruding part touching the tyre and causing wear.

agrinnall

Sounds like a broken spring to me. No idea what it will cost to fix but any repair on a £600 car is likely to be a pretty high proportion of the value.

big_mortgage

Yes, if it is from the wheel area, I will go for a Spring too. You might even be able to spot it yourself, depending on how bad it is. You will need to get them replaced in pairs though.

dannyrst

big_mortgage wrote: »

Yes, if it is from the wheel area, I will go for a Spring too. You might even be able to spot it yourself, depending on how bad it is. You will need to get them replaced in pairs though.

Regardless, the part of the spring that snapped should be on the floor somewhere near where the car was parked.

discat11

dannyrst wrote: »

Regardless, the part of the spring that snapped should be on the floor somewhere near where the car was parked.

Unlikely, it could be just the main suspension coil spring which would simply shear at some point -it'll leave half attached to the top mount and the other half attached to the lower.

A used item will be around £25-50
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301616073704?clk_rvr_id=937265331144&rmvSB=true

plus labour and anything else that needs removal and can't be reused to change the unit.

BeenThroughItAll

discat11 wrote: »

Unlikely, it could be just the main suspension coil spring which would simply shear at some point -it'll leave half attached to the top mount and the other half attached to the lower.

A used item will be around £25-50
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301616073704?clk_rvr_id=937265331144&rmvSB=true

plus labour and anything else that needs removal and can't be reused to change the unit.

But buying a used spring would be false economy, when you could buy a brand new, branded Sachs spring retail from ECP for £55.14 (or ~£50 when you add whatever 10% off code is available today).


I have actually changed the springs on my MIL's Ignis about nine months ago, and they're very straightforward. About 1/2 hour per side, plus 15 minutes of compress/remove/fit/decompress on each strut.

dannyrst

discat11 wrote: »

Unlikely, it could be just the main suspension coil spring which would simply shear at some point -it'll leave half attached to the top mount and the other half attached to the lower.

A used item will be around £25-50
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301616073704?clk_rvr_id=937265331144&rmvSB=true

plus labour and anything else that needs removal and can't be reused to change the unit.

From my experience of my spring snapping, I went out to find a large chunk in the middle of the driveway.

1234catlady

You guys were right, both front springs are broken. We took it to the local Kwik Fit and they are calling us back with a quote tomorrow on how much it should be to repair. Here's hoping its not too much but we'll see.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

maninthestreet

Kwikfit? Expect to receive a long list of 'problems' with the car they need to 'fix'....

Iceweasel

KwikFit? Oh dear.