Suspension

What should I look for?

There are a few common signs to indicate your suspension is either broken or on its way out.

Pulling to one side when driving
This could be a factor for many problems with your vehicle including tyres, shock absorbers or your brakes.

Feeling every bump
One of the main roles of the suspension systems is to smooth out the bumps on the road. If you start to feel every bump on the road, it’s a clear sign that there is a problem with your shock absorbers or struts, This needs to be checked. If your car has shock absorbers look for leaks of fluid. If your car has struts, listen for a knocking sound when you drive over bumps.

One corner sits low
If you notice that one corner of your car seems to be a lot lower than the others, there’s a good chance you have a worn or damaged spring. You may also notice a clonking noise as you drive over bumps or a deep pothole.

Driving, rolling and/or squatting
Nose dive forward when you brake.
Rolls to the side when you corner.
Squats backwards when you accelerate.
If you answered yes to one of the above there might be a problem with your shock absorbers or struts.

Difficulty when steering
When your steering becomes difficult, especially when driving at low speeds, it means that there might be a problem with your suspension or steering system.

How long does my suspension last?
The best way to find out will be to look in your manufactures handbook. Usually it’s every 50,000 miles or every 10 years, thus depending on the quality of the suspensions life. There are many factors within this; rough toads, pot holes, larger cracks, sharp ridges, curbs, bouncing the car up and down will decrease the lifespan of the suspension.