Suspension Often Forgotten But Much Appreciated When Replaced | Joe & Tony's Service Inc.

In my role at the repair shop I don't often road test vehicles before and after repair procedures, but I have found that I really enjoy driving one that has had suspension work performed on it. To me there is nothing that improves the driving experience more than the sense of control and ease of handling that renewed suspension parts offer the driver.

Insidious degrading- The gradual wear process that occurs in the suspension of a vehicle accounts for the reason why these parts are often neglected until a noise or a catastrophic failure occurs. Over time, the rubber bushings in control arms and ball joints degrade. They are of course susceptible to load driven wear and tear, but contaminants like oil and road grime take their toll as well.

Attention grabbing sound- The first sign that makes the driver aware of a problem is usually a "clunking" or "banging" sound. As those rubber bushings go away after years of driving, two metal parts that were previously separated by rubber begin to contact each other when the vehicle's suspension is stressed by going over irregularities in the road like a speed bump or a pothole. This produces the noise that alerts you to the failure.

Clicking noise- One part of the suspension that can produce a "clicking" noise when it fails is the sway bar links also called stabilizer links. These parts connect the front or rear (if so equipped) sway bar to the suspension. When the links break a vehicle may lean more on turns and signal its condition with a rattling sound.

As we pointed out in our previous post the senses are important when evaluating the condition of your vehicle. In the case of suspension problems, hearing plays a very important part in your ability to convey what ails your vehicle to the service facility. Try to describe the type of noise, where it is coming from and when it is evident such as when going over a bump or when the brakes are applied.

Failed Control Arms (Complete Arm & Failed Bushing Views)
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Road Salt & Your Vehicle | Joe & Tony's Service Inc.

We're always talking about rust and corrosion created by road salt and other chemicals used to de-ice the  roads in the winter. Most of the references are about the damage to brake and fuel lines and undercar suspension parts (trailing arms etc.). But recently a 2004 Chrysler Sebring with 74,000 miles on the odometer came in with a complaint about a "banging" sound from the rear and it demonstrated how pervasive and insidious these chemicals are.

As this photo shows salt (white discoloration) had gotten to the very top of the left rear strut and weakened the bracket that holds the strut to the vehicle. A broken piece of the strut bracket is visible in the picture. The failure was creating the noise that our customer's passengers who were riding in the rear seat complained about.

This kind of damage is never seen, but makes even experienced repair people wonder how much other automotive infrastructure has been compromised in the yearly effort to keep the roadways passable. Maybe it's time for a new standard for the materials used in vehicles or better yet some R & D on non corrosive chemicals to combat ice and snow.

Salt Damaged Rear Strut
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