Technical Front Drivers Spring

[Lucarse]

I started hearing a bad rattle from my front drivers side, took the wheel off to have a look, and picked out a full circle off my spring that was sat in the lower cup, the bottom had just snapped off. Brought a new spring and now need to fit it, anyone done the same? Any problems except a spring tensioner?

 

[Deckchair5]

Have a look in the STILO Guides for removing a front suspension strut
BUT before you do, I would seriously advise you to have the actual spring replacement done at a proper workshop with a safety cage. It'll be done in seconds with a proper compressor for very little cost and isn't worth the risk and the hard work of doing it by hand. The Stilo spring is an odd shape and doesn't compress evenly so it is likely to go all over the place when you compress it

If you get a quote to replace the spring you'll probably find it's well worth just letting a garage do it. It won't even take them an hour

Make sure they know about lining up the top bearing as a few have made mistakes and had to do the job again

 

[sixpotman]

After going through changing BOTH front springs myself
after a couple of months of owning my stilo I tend to agree
with Deckchair5.
I found the drivers side had gone so I ordered 2 springs to retain
equal balance on steering and braking at speed, I never replace
just one for safety reasons.
I'd changed quite a few front springs in my time on various makes
of vehicle but I must admit the stilo spring nearly beat me as just
at the last few mm the one or more spring compressor would loose
grip and slip. Start again - 5 hours later I managed to compress
it properly. Second one took 2hours in total to sort.

In the end used a three set from Machine Mart with bolt clips to
hold them on and an old pair of compressors as well 5 in total.
The trick was to use cloth duct tape wrapped around the spring
to stop the compressor slipping and adding more if it started move
slightly.

For around £65 plus vat you can get a pair changed at a small garage
if you take the strut off and take that and the new spring
to a garage then they will probably do it for considerably
less. Unless I have access to the proper kit I'd plunck
for the garage next time when the shocker goes.

John

 

[Stilomeister]

Have a look in the STILO Guides for removing a front suspension strut
BUT before you do, I would seriously advise you to have the actual spring replacement done at a proper workshop with a safety cage. It'll be done in seconds with a proper compressor for very little cost and isn't worth the risk and the hard work of doing it by hand. The Stilo spring is an odd shape and doesn't compress evenly so it is likely to go all over the place when you compress it

If you get a quote to replace the spring you'll probably find it's well worth just letting a garage do it. It won't even take them an hour

Make sure they know about lining up the top bearing as a few have made mistakes and had to do the job again

I can't agree enough with this as the Stilo springs are quite long. Using cheap 'hook over' type compressors is risky as they slip round all too easily. I've changed a few myself but have the luxury of a professional tool, even that has to be backed off nearly fully, to take the spring.

 

[robbie-rocket-pants]

I have a Multiwagon and I took the spring/shock unit out (quite an easy job). I quickly realised that there was NO WAY I could compress it with my spring compressors without killing myself. So I then took it to the local garage.

It took 2 mechanics a while to re-fit the new spring because they could not believe the shock sits so off-centre from the spring. When I had re-fitted it to the car I drove back to the garage to put their minds at rest that it looked the same as the other side !