[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by humyum

At 1 lakh km if you did have to spend a bit on the suspension, I think it would be a fair life you have achieved out of it.

Till date as much as I can remember I haven't spent any amount on the suspension. Don't remember seeing any in the bills of service. Road over here in which I drive are decent and bad Road ate only 3-4 kms where the speeds are 5-10 kmph. I am very careful on pothole roads.

Does regular wheel balancing and Wheel alignment help in increasing the life of suspension parts?

Originally Posted by humyum

Also during every service, I get my suspension judiciously re torqued.

I am sorry but can you please explain how this is done and does MASS do this without me informing them or it should be specified in the job card while giving for service?

Anurag.

[bigblackshark]

So got the car to the local mechanic and got the struts removed. The shock absorbers are leaking oil. The ball joints look weak.

At around 58k km isn't it too early for the suspension to be in this state. The car is 6 yrs old though and has had it's share of rough roads and potholes in Mumbai

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by bigblackshark

So got the car to the local mechanic and got the struts removed. The shock absorbers are leaking oil. The ball joints look weak.

At around 58k km isn't it too early for the suspension to be in this state. The car is 6 yrs old though and has had it's share of rough roads and potholes in Mumbai

It just boils down how the car was driven over potholes and speed breakers. But 6 years is also to be taken into account with the mileage clocked.

What was the cost you incurred for the changed that you did? Did you replace all the parts and was it purchased from Maruti over-the-counter?

In our country smooth roads are a dream.

Anurag.

[bigblackshark]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

It just boils down how the car was driven over potholes and speed breakers. But 6 years is also to be taken into account with the mileage clocked.

What was the cost you incurred for the changed that you did? Did you replace all the parts and was it purchased from Maruti over-the-counter?

In our country smooth roads are a dream.

Anurag.

While mostly the driving has been sedate but yes I have had my days of speeding over bad roads so I guess they have taken a beating.

The final cost is not yet in my hand but the rough estimate is around 15k for parts plus labour. Will be replacing all parts.

Parts will be purchased from local spares shops. Though they will be mgp as they are readily available everywhere.

Will update on Tuesday as the work happens.

Since the car was already at the garage getting few dents and dings removed as well.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by babhishek

Hi,
195/60/R15 is a popular upsize. Also, I haven't really heard people complaining much on the Polo with this choice, what exactly are you skeptical about?

Well the 205/55/R15 is the better choice over 195/60/R15 option as it has the least speedo error. Though the 195/60 best profile giving better cushioning and ride.

I am skeptical about ride quality.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I am sorry but can you please explain how this is done and does MASS do this without me informing them or it should be specified in the job card while giving for service?

Anurag.

Sorry for the late reply. Did not log onto team-bhp for sometime due to time constraints.

Tell them during a service, or during a visit to the mass for something or the other to 'retorque' the suspension. They ll ramp the car and do the needful. Improves the steering response and the car feels a lot 'tighter'.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by humyum

Sorry for the late reply. Did not log onto team-bhp for sometime due to time constraints.

Tell them during a service, or during a visit to the mass for something or the other to 'retorque' the suspension. They ll ramp the car and do the needful. Improves the steering response and the car feels a lot 'tighter'.

I am not familiar with retorqueing the suspension?. Could you explain what it is they actually do? Thanks.
Jeroen

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by humyum

Tell them during a service, or during a visit to the mass for something or the other to 'retorque' the suspension. They ll ramp the car and do the needful. Improves the steering response and the car feels a lot 'tighter'.

You still haven't cleared my doubt as to how does this work and how it is done? Why don't the ASC guys do it as a practice and why should it be mentioned in the job card for it to be done?

Jeroen also has the same doubt!

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I am not familiar with retorqueing the suspension?. Could you explain what it is they actually do? Thanks.
Jeroen

Anurag.

Just found an article that is on Re-torqueing of the suspension. Though the article is not for car but the basics remain the same.

Source:

http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/...intenance.aspx

The key to keeping suspensions working for you rather than against you is to keep everything tight. When suspension components work themselves loose, tires wear badly, springs break, fuel economy suffers, and drivers complain.

Regardless of the type or brand of suspension on your truck or trailer, the most critical aspect of suspension maintenance is fastener torque.

"Hendrickson offers guidelines on inspection and retorqueing intervals, but every application is unique. What would serve one customer well might be overkill to another, he says. "The user knows what the suspension is up against in that application and is the best judge of when periodic maintenance might be required."

Visual inspections should be done at a minimum every three to six months, and retorques at least annually, he suggests. Since you can't always tell when a fastener has backed off below its recommended torque, Knutson says to watch for trails of rust running down from the fastener, or for gaps and breaks in the paint around the fastener. Normally, fasteners will build up rust or dirt around the joint, so another clue to a loose fastener is that the joint between the head of the bolt or the nut will be cleaner than a tight one.

When retorqueing any suspension fastener, ensure the joint is clean and free of rust before applying the torque wrench. On reasonably new fasteners, simply tightening it will do once or twice. Older fasteners should be replaced with new parts of the same size and torque values. Torque to manufacturer's specs.

Anurag.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Just found an article that is on Re-torqueing of the suspension. Though the article is not for car but the basics remain the same.
.

Thanks for the article. So re-torqueing is just ensuring nothing is loose. I read through it and I'm glad to note that modern cars have very few U bolts left (last one I had were on my 1998 Jeep Cherokee, fixed axle leaf springs, I believe).

Dont see to many trailing axles on modern cars either. But joking aside, it's not a bad thing to check for loose bits once in a while. Although I'm not aware of having it done specifically on the suspension alone and really put the torque wrench to it.

Having said that, I would think that if, on modern car suspension, parts have have come loose it would nearly always manifes itself in noise as well.

My own experiene with suspension problems is one of the following:
- dampers just knackered. e.g. leaking oil or simply not dampening anymore
- bushes and joint ball just wearing out and thus introducing play and slack
- mis allignement

So it's say most suspension issues are just normal wear and tear, or related to or the cause of misallignement. I've had lots of bits rattling loose and falling of my car (and my bycicle and my motor bike) over the years, but I don't think ever on any of the suspension components. Maybe I got lucky!


Any competent mechanic will check the suspension visually and will check for loose bits and play before starting any allignement work.

Jeroen

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Epic

Well the 205/55/R15 is the better choice over 195/60/R15 option as it has the least speedo error. Though the 195/60 best profile giving better cushioning and ride.

I am skeptical about ride quality.

Originally Posted by humyum

Sorry for the late reply. Did not log onto team-bhp for sometime due to time constraints.

Tell them during a service, or during a visit to the mass for something or the other to 'retorque' the suspension. They ll ramp the car and do the needful. Improves the steering response and the car feels a lot 'tighter'.

Hi,

My car has done 1.27L km, and has always been driven in a spirited fashion, even on rough roads. Its hardly been babied but not abused either. The dampers and bushes are completely worn out. The damping action is non-existent so now I have changed my driving style to really respect speed breakers (1st gear vs 2nd gear in the past at times!!).

My doubt is - how much would the damper and bushes replacement cost at a good FNG with OEM spares?

The car will be sold off to make way for a replacement sometime within 2016 - it barely sees 800-1000km of running a month now (down from 2500 in 2008!). Anything more than 10k (I'm anticipating upwards of 20k), and I would not really want to spend that money, and instead bring forward the new car purchase, or simply do nothing.

What do you say folks?

On a related note, I had the wheel bearings replaced recently after they started making a humming noise - because that was a safety issue. If its a safety issue, I'll replace it right away - if I can overcome it with sedate driving, I won't bother and sweat the car further for the remaining 3-12 months of use.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

My doubt is - how much would the damper and bushes replacement cost at a good FNG with OEM spares?

Just to give you an idea of the pricing:

http://www.motrpart.in/model/18/maruti-suzuki/swift

Check the site and AFAIK, it should be maximum 10-11K including labour at an FNG you know.

[poised2drive]

Hello all,

My Swift Vxi 2008 is about to reach 1.1L Km and I recently changed my tyres ( from Bridgestone to Continental: Same profile-185/R14:70 ).

The suspension seems to be not working from a considerable period of time, but since I was using it sparsely, I did not mind the ride , as it was okayish.

After the change of tyres, the ride did not change much nor did it become worse, so I continued.

After having a couple of highway runs about 1000 km, car started giving humming sound at >30kmph. As there was a service overdue, I took it to MASS and they said the humming sound was due to the bearings and they seemed to resolve it . The SA told the Suspension went kaput and need to change it completely.

He gave me a quote of 28k for suspension overhaul, but as the ride was bearable, for now, I postponed it.

Now, after the service, the ride seems to have become terribly bumpier and so much worse that all the passengers are shaken when the car passes over any potholes/speedbreakers and it is literally back-breaking, which made me think about getting the suspension overhaul. ( Also, the pessimist in me began to ponder if the MASS guys had deliberately worsened the suspension - This is just my fear )

But after reading threads here, I am in doubt whether the quoted price was higher.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by poised2drive

The SA told the Suspension went kaput and need to change it completely.

He gave me a quote of 28k for suspension overhaul, but as the ride was bearable, for now, I postponed it.

As per Boodmo, the parts that I shortlisted which I feel the need to be changed have given me the total to approximately ₹17,500 for both the front and rear suspension overhaul (I haven't added labour costs though). Parts include:

A. Front Suspension:

1. Mount stabilizer bar x 2: ₹84
2. Link rod x 2: ₹1020
3. Strut LH: ₹2,800
4. Strut RH: ₹2,800
5. Lower arm: ₹1,530 x 2 = ₹3,060
6. Support Comp x 2: ₹680
7. Bearing, Front Strut x 2: ₹510
8. Stopper, front bump x 2: ₹220
9. Seat, Front spring x 2: ₹110
10. Seat, front spring upper x 2: ₹260

Total: ₹11,544

B. Rear Suspension:

1. Bush, trailing arm x 2: ₹2,770
2. Seat, spring lower x 2: ₹42
3. Seat, spring upper x 2: ₹96
4. Rear shock absorber x 2: ₹2,980

Total: ₹5,888

Net Total (A + B): ₹17,432

Btw, did the SA inform what all parts are included in that ₹28,000 estimate?

[Sk8r]

Hello bhpians,

My dad's daily ride is a 2011 Swift Zdi run 83000 as of date.

For the last 6 months he has been complaining of stiff suspension and slight " Thuds " over speed breakers.

Service center has quoted 22000 including labor. Now my questions are :

1. Considering 70 % Highway and 30 % city usage, is this the normal "life" of shocks ?

2. Will lower arm be changed by default, or do we need to mention it specifically ?

3. Considering this a critical piece of work, should we source parts OTC at MASS and get it done by any reputed FNG or at MASS itself ?

Thanks in advance !

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Hello bhpians,
Service center has quoted 22000 including labor. Now my questions are :

Answers inline:

1. Considering 70 % Highway and 30 % city usage, is this the normal "life" of shocks ?

Quite possible. There would still be a % of usage on "bad" roads as well in all its life time and a little bit of abuse may be.

2. Will lower arm be changed by default, or do we need to mention it specifically ?

You are exposing yourself and writing a blank cheque to service center if you ask them just to fix the suspension issues whatever it costs. Try asking question, what exactly has gone, Can it be repaired (MASS will not budge to repair though).. etc. Fixing a simple "thud" doesn't mean you have to change all parts around there. It could be as simple as a replacing a bush or various other components. And if you believe the car was never abused, then very unlikely a major issue.

3. Considering this a critical piece of work, should we source parts OTC at MASS and get it done by any reputed FNG or at MASS itself ?

Going to a good FNG is the best thing you can do for cars as old as yours. I bet you can fix this with half the price at an FNG.

MASS will not give you just the parts OTC. You have to either get it from authorized MGPP distributor. But the MGP parts price will be the same at MGP distributor or bought at MASS. But through FNG you can buy the same part from and OEM which will be as good as MGP or if not exactly the same, but way cheaper.

There is a dedicated thread for suspension, check out some posts there. I have recently done something on that:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ml#post4698080 (Suspension Overhaul)