Im in two minds to post this.
On the one hand it could save someone a headache but on the other hand it makes me look a dick.

Been getting lots of bangs and knocks and have changed many many things but still one big knock remained. Seemed to be from n/s.

Decided to change the complete strut with one from breakers that was in gc.
Seemed to cure the knock for the first few miles then it came back.
Decided to order another complete strut for the o/s.

On removing the o/s strut the top mount was in a bad way so thought i had got to the bottom of the knocking.
Put other strut on and drove the 20 miles home from work but just before i got home it started knocking again.

Over the next few days it got worse. The top mounts did not seem to be sitting right. Looked into it some more and due to selective reading of the manual i had missed the warning about the springs being colour coded with paint marks.

I had ordered the struts from different breakers and were listed as 1.1 panda but did not have the same paint markings on the springs so one was stiffer than the other causing the other to not sit correct.

The old ones were in the bottom of the scrap skip so ordered another 2 struts from the breakers making sure they both came from same car and had same paint markings on the springs.

Just fitted them at work today and drove the 20 miles home and no knocking.
Touch wood that is the end of the knocking.

Just posting this to save anyone else making the same mistake i made as i never knew springs were coded with paint colour markings with 2 or 3 colours and missed it in the manual.

Would never have suspected that in a million years. Thanks for enlightening me, very much appreciated.

A full set complete with £30 of top bearings and mounts for under £110 delivered. Why buy used when one used strut can be £30 to £40 though to be fair that would have a road spring.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Gas-...:Panda&hash=item284e35b08e:g:s0MAAOSwdIFX0AIE

£50 for both delivered from scrappy. In good condition.
Also do not have the tools to compress the springs so would have had to buy that too.
Much quicker to just bolt on.
Yeah always a chance buying used but the car is on the way out.
At 127,00 miles things are failing quicker than i can bolt on a new one.
Finish a job and car drives great then next week something else needs doing.
Parts are cheap and that has kept me fixing it for longer than i should but is started to add up.
Is very hard to give up fixing for £50 a time when it will cost a couple of thousand to replace with a better car but have been doing that for a long time.
Im getting old and after doing a job im knackerd for 2/3 days.
The bloody car is killing me.

Strange I have never bothered checking the spring and had no bother.

Fairly sure I have fitted 1.2 to a 1.1 with no problems.


The later struts don't fit. The tie rod mount is at a different angle and the top mount is a different shape.


I suspect the original problem was due to different length spring as in the 4x4 or 100HP version or maybe after market springs were fitted.


I paid £15 for mine and was fitted last June. Stood up Well as it goes over speed humps ever day

Looking in the bonnet the ns top plate on the strut was raised as it should have been. The os top plate was resting on the car.

Looking up for under the car the ns strut mount was seated in the recess underside of engine bay. The os strut mount was hanging down about 10mm from the recess like it was too short.

Good thing about the panda is its a good car to learn to do jobs yourself.
Lots of rusty bolts that snap or need cutting off but thats the same with most cars in the UK.