Technical How robust is our suspension? (2x4)

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Technical How robust is our suspension? (2x4)

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How much of a battering can the Panda take suspension wise?


* I mean the standard 2x4 models, I assume 4x4 has different stronger suspension components and suspect that the 100hp is completely different due to the ride remarks seen throughout the Panda section about how firm / rough it can be on bumpy surfaces. *


I ask, as I now have to make a routine trip that involves going downhill and uphill on a country lane which is unbalanced, has large 'pothole' like cut outs and generally makes the Panda bounce around and works the suspension. Even when I go slow <10mph it's still apparent that it's 'taking a beating' from the ground.

I hate it, because I worry I'm damaging the car in the long term and naturally worry about the suspension. I'm not sure if it's one of the Panda's hard-wearing components, and I've never owned one before or for long to know myself.

My first MOT I had to replace one of the suspension coils on the front, god knows why the previous coil broke as the last owner handed it to me like that, but I'm wondering how much of these roads (being careful) I can handle on a regular basis and if it's anything to worry about?

Going uphill is the particular worry, I need to use more force / lower gears and this is when I really feel the car has it tough.

I don't want to ruin anything , but if I must, I hope it's things like the suspension which can be replaced easily / not too expensively.

And what should I look out for as a sign that it's time to replace suspension to ensure it can continue to drive competently and last as long as possible :)

thanks in advance
 
How much of a battering can the Panda take suspension wise?


And what should I look out for as a sign that it's time to replace suspension to ensure it can continue to drive competently and last as long as possible :)

thanks in advance


1. Pray that you're not in a 100HP as you'd really feel it. Also, your alloys would now be square.


2. If the road is bad, you should be taking it steady anyway. More chance of knackering your tyres at speed.


3. Parts are cheap enough really if/when need. Springs sometimes break - on any car. Shock absorbers wears..............again, more so on the 100HP. Usually it's the bushes that go. You'll hear knocking........and it'll fail an MOT
 
1. Pray that you're not in a 100HP as you'd really feel it. Also, your alloys would now be square.


2. If the road is bad, you should be taking it steady anyway. More chance of knackering your tyres at speed.


3. Parts are cheap enough really if/when need. Springs sometimes break - on any car. Shock absorbers wears..............again, more so on the 100HP. Usually it's the bushes that go. You'll hear knocking........and it'll fail an MOT


Amen then! haha

So how could I tell if my shock absorbers are worn? Would the car essentially not bounce at the rear after speed bumps? (in-case they ever do wear and i'm completely unaware) They expensive / and or difficult to fit?

What exactly are the bushes? Sorry for having to ask! Trying to learn more about the car in general though :)
 
Amen then! haha

So how could I tell if my shock absorbers are worn? Would the car essentially not bounce at the rear after speed bumps? (in-case they ever do wear and i'm completely unaware) They expensive / and or difficult to fit?

What exactly are the bushes? Sorry for having to ask! Trying to learn more about the car in general though :)

If the shockers are 'worn'(i.e. they have lost resistance) then the ride will be bouncier and the cornering sick-inducing. Push the car up and down at each corner and it should settle quickly and not look like Kojak's Buick Regal bouncing perpetually like some gargantuan bronze Newton's cradle.


(As you're under 50, that last pop-culture reference will make no sense unless you've been watching afternoon telly on freeview)


Bushes are like fat rubber washers. They are at either end of the shock absorber at the rear and absorb some of the bumpiness. Thus, they wear to prevent your car metalwork taking the strain. They usually wear out before the actual gas/oil strut. Sometimes you can just replace these bushes, though generally most folks just put new shocks on. £80 a pair fitted would be ballpark.
 
On Malta, where I have lived off and on for many years - and in the deep south east of Italy - the roads are just holes held together with random bits of concrete. Cars are driven at normal speeds, and suspensions stand up to the punishment.
I have wrecked three wheels beyond repair over the years, but the suspensions have come through like good-uns.

As you say, bits that wear - especially on the Panda - are easy and cheap to replace when needed. Just keep an eye on front wheel tracking, because this easily gets thrown out on the Panda.
 
So nothing that'll put it off the road? Which was my biggest fear to be honest!

Have some friends with Civics (which seem pretty well built) who've written them off, but the thing beyond repair on them is that they're flying over hills at 90-100mph and the car lifts off , then smashing the ground it's bending the steering / suspension etc beyond repair! - different than my actual concerns with the Panda yeah, but you know!


Will keep an eye out for my suspension's health and replace when needed! Probably post to the forum if / when this happens!

And will drive like an Italian! haha
 
How can I see whether my front springs are broken?

When I got the car it failed MOT for a broken spring on one side, I must admit I had no idea and had been on plenty of journeys beforehand - when it was broke - not feeling any difference? Looking at them both I couldn't even tell one was broken :confused::(
 
How can I see whether my front springs are broken?

When I got the car it failed MOT for a broken spring on one side, I must admit I had no idea and had been on plenty of journeys beforehand - when it was broke - not feeling any difference? Looking at them both I couldn't even tell one was broken :confused::(


Same thing with a relative's Fiesta - no idea it was broken (on the front) until it failed he MOT. At which point, when pointed out it was obvious. Even when I was driving it I had no clue.


Spring should be flat top and bottom, with no breaks. Easier to see when the car's jacked up. If In doubt, ask your local garage.
 
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Springs break on all cars, it's just one of those things.
The coating get damaged, the metal starts to rust and "twang" they snap.

MOT testers tend to warn you with an advisory if the springs are looking rusty.

The main areas Pandas suffer from are:

Rear Shocks.
The bushes in the shocks "eye" at the top wear and break down, this tends to cause a double knock over bumps, like somethings loose at the back or something jumping in the boot.
You can often see if they are bad.
Open the tailgate and get someone to bounce the back end up and down while you look under the wheel arch, just above/behind the rear wheels.
You can just see the top of the shock mount and it's bolt head, it should move with the car as it's bounced, if it moves freely a little before the car moves up and down, the bush is shot.

Front wishbone bushes.
It's common on a lot of cars for these bushes to start breaking down or split, particularly the vertical bush towards the rear of the front wishbone as they tend to twist in odd directions.
You can usually tell if these are shot as the handling will be wooly and nervous at speed. It just won't feel as tight or precise as it once was and there could be odd clonks over bumps (from one side).
They also tend to throw the wheel alignment out a little, so keep an eye on front tyres wearing on the inner edges.
The MJ's tend to suffer most from this as the engine weighs more.

Common on all cars days these days are the front anti roll bar droplinks.
A small rod with a ball joint on each end that connects the anti roll bar to the front strut.
Signs these are going is a worryingly loud rattle from the front that sounds like something is very loose under your feet (or the passengers feet). It can sometimes feel like it's right across the front of the car (as the ARB runs from one side to the other).
Like a lot of suspension items, they are hard to check with the car jacked up as the wheels weight hanging down tend to take up any slack that might be there, but reaching under with the wheels on the ground, grab the droplink and try rattling it, you might feel if they are loose, but as they are cheap and easy to replace, if they are in doubt or you have a rattle it's worth starting with there and replace them

All those parts above are fairly cheap and are just a bit of spannering to change.
You'd normally expect to have them changed at some point in the cars life.

One or two older cars are now showing signs of rust on the back axle.
The axles don't seem particularly well protected, water and dirt collect around the bottom of the springs in the spring seats or where these seats join the axle and this causes them to rot away.
I managed to rescue the one on my sisters 54 plate, but it took a few hours with an angle grinder and plenty of Waxoil.
There's no doubt a quick look under the back end will reveal a few scabs, but pay attention to the spring seats, where the bottom of the springs sit and where the seats meet the axle (directly behind the brake drum/disc.
If the rust is chunking up in big solid flakes, the metal under this will be getting thin and it'll need attention sooner or later, I've heard of one giving way recently with the spring seat snapping off.
 
Just to add to Goudrons assessment - if the droplinks show signs of wear (very common on many cars, not just Fiats) then the anti roll bar bushes will likely also be worn. Changing these is a bit more hassle, but worthwhile if you're changing droplinks. You can't really have your suspension set up correctly if these two items are not doing their job.
 
Front wishbones on my diesel almost an annual change at this stage .Could be what causes car to be sold .MOT/ NCT in March .Fingers crossed .
 
Springs break on all cars, it's just one of those things.
The coating get damaged, the metal starts to rust and "twang" they snap.

MOT testers tend to warn you with an advisory if the springs are looking rusty.

The main areas Pandas suffer from are:

Rear Shocks.
The bushes in the shocks "eye" at the top wear and break down, this tends to cause a double knock over bumps, like somethings loose at the back or something jumping in the boot.
You can often see if they are bad.
Open the tailgate and get someone to bounce the back end up and down while you look under the wheel arch, just above/behind the rear wheels.
You can just see the top of the shock mount and it's bolt head, it should move with the car as it's bounced, if it moves freely a little before the car moves up and down, the bush is shot.

Front wishbone bushes.
It's common on a lot of cars for these bushes to start breaking down or split, particularly the vertical bush towards the rear of the front wishbone as they tend to twist in odd directions.
You can usually tell if these are shot as the handling will be wooly and nervous at speed. It just won't feel as tight or precise as it once was and there could be odd clonks over bumps (from one side).
They also tend to throw the wheel alignment out a little, so keep an eye on front tyres wearing on the inner edges.
The MJ's tend to suffer most from this as the engine weighs more.

Common on all cars days these days are the front anti roll bar droplinks.
A small rod with a ball joint on each end that connects the anti roll bar to the front strut.
Signs these are going is a worryingly loud rattle from the front that sounds like something is very loose under your feet (or the passengers feet). It can sometimes feel like it's right across the front of the car (as the ARB runs from one side to the other).
Like a lot of suspension items, they are hard to check with the car jacked up as the wheels weight hanging down tend to take up any slack that might be there, but reaching under with the wheels on the ground, grab the droplink and try rattling it, you might feel if they are loose, but as they are cheap and easy to replace, if they are in doubt or you have a rattle it's worth starting with there and replace them

All those parts above are fairly cheap and are just a bit of spannering to change.
You'd normally expect to have them changed at some point in the cars life.

One or two older cars are now showing signs of rust on the back axle.
The axles don't seem particularly well protected, water and dirt collect around the bottom of the springs in the spring seats or where these seats join the axle and this causes them to rot away.
I managed to rescue the one on my sisters 54 plate, but it took a few hours with an angle grinder and plenty of Waxoil.
There's no doubt a quick look under the back end will reveal a few scabs, but pay attention to the spring seats, where the bottom of the springs sit and where the seats meet the axle (directly behind the brake drum/disc.
If the rust is chunking up in big solid flakes, the metal under this will be getting thin and it'll need attention sooner or later, I've heard of one giving way recently with the spring seat snapping off.


Couldn't ask for a better answer than this :) thanks. I know what I'm doing tomorrow! :-D
 
Also, when I got my front Spring (single) fitted I was charged £45 for labour. Reasonable? Got the spring myself online. Starting to feel like I was ripped off? Hmm

Never do springs in ones. Always replace in pairs.
 
£45 and you feel ripped off?

I think that ain't a bad labour rate, any garage near me would charge me that just to suck his teeth!

It's a good hours job from start to finish with the right tools and you need to factor in £9 of that should be HMRC's.
 
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