Technical Front Shockers

[d4zzl3r]

Hi - does anyone have any ideas before i spend any money please.

F500 TA 105 2014 (48,000 miles) owned since new so i know that its on original front shockers.

Just lately and perhaps for a long time but its been progressive the front suspension feels rubbish. It crashes and bangs over speed bumps (taken slowly) almost as if the suspension is too hard or that there is little or no damping.
Its a lounge not an 'S' but i'm not even sure if the 'S' meant harder sports suspension, i thought it was just a trim level.
Does anyone have experience of dampers failing, do they get stiffer? I would have thought that a failing damper would get less dampy and more floppy.
I thinking that i should perhaps replace the dampers (and springs whilst i'm there) in an effort to get a better ride.
If we think dampers are the cause are there any recommended replacements to go for please?

 

[jrkitching]

Its a lounge not an 'S' but i'm not even sure if the 'S' meant harder sports suspension, i thought it was just a trim level.

That's my understanding too; there's no mechanical difference in the suspension. Different engines may have suspension differences (to deal; with, eg, the extra weight of the diesel).

Does anyone have experience of dampers failing, do they get stiffer

Generally they just progressively lose their damping action. If you press down on the front wing and release it quickly, does it oscillate? If so, the dampers are likely shot.

and springs whilst i'm there

Springs either work (unbroken) or they don't (broken).

If you're doing the job yourself and they're sound, I'd just put them back. If you're paying someone else to do it, and they're looking scabby, it might pay to replace them now to avoid a second set of labour charges in the future.

It crashes and bangs over speed bumps

This is often just a result of worn droplinks (and if the droplinks are worn, it definitely will crash and bang over bumps).

To check properly, you need to unload the droplinks; put the front of the car on axle stands, then gently jack under the strut (compressing it) until there's no tension in the droplink - any play will be easily felt. Sometimes you can fail to notice this if you test it with the weight of the car on its wheels, or if the wheels are hanging free.

MOT testers seem to be particularly good at spotting this!

Actually worn droplinks are so cheap and easy that you should probably just replace them anyway if you do replace the struts; you'll have to undo the top droplink connection anyway, and it's often easier to just cut them off than fight a corroded fitting.