The clonky suspension on the Ignis never really went away and its got a bit worse although not by much.
Its clonking on short sharp bumps and when it goes down steep speed humps ( but not up them ). Ive had a look under the car and every bit of rubber I can see looks the same age so prob original and the sudden jump in miles has likely shown up some aged bushes.
Theres quite a few different ones but there are two that are fitted to what I assume is the anti-roll bar ( goes from one side of car to the other underneath radiator ) which are screaming at me because the turn-in isnt as sharp as it was and they look a little mishapen.
I remember on WheelerDealers when they did the Range Rover it had a myster clonking and it was these same type of rubbers that needed changing - they look extremely simple to do, just 4 bolts for each clamp seems to be all that hold them in, so is it worth a punt just to whip on a new pair to see if it cures it?
Im half tempted to leave it because the car still feels planted ok, just a tad less than it used to, is it a safety issue or just annoyance? Everything is very firmly bolted down, I couldnt find any play anywhere.
I also wondered if this was the time to get poly bushes instead as Im sure you can get them for the car from somewhere?
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Get it fixed, noise means wear and damage. It will only get worse.
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>> MOT fail .
>>
..at some point. I've passed MoTs with clonky suspension for years on various bangernomics Vauxhalls.
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>>MOT fail <<
Nope, passed its MOT with the clonking. My old Nubira also passed its MOT with clonky suspension. If theres no visable wear or play, it will pass as theres no test drive.
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>> I also wondered if this was the time to get poly bushes instead as Im
>> sure you can get them for the car from somewhere?
>>
I can recommend them for sharpening up a cars steering but would not recommend them for any engine mounts as they transmit every vibration.
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Right thanks for the tip, might stick to stock items then, its not like it handles badly anyways.
Anyone think those rubbers I mentioned before are worth changing as a shot in the dark? Im assuming they cant be more than £50 for the parts ( he says looking to the gods ).
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Assume £8 per bush from a dealer.
Amazing how they mount up. (Yaris has 4 per side.. £64. Aftermarket £24)
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Cheers, gives me a rough idea, lets hope the factory that makes them didnt wash away recently or they are on a shelf over tehre, I expect they are somewhere.
I think Im going to start with these two simple ones because I think I can do them myself, so theres little lost doing the work, they prob need doing to an extent anyway, then ill know its only one of 3 or so left on each side should it not work. My next best guess is the droplinks but we shall see.
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you really need it off the ground and troubleshoot the problem otherwise you'll end up changing all the bushes and spend a load of money you could have saved.
can you get it on some proper axle stands and get a crow bar to the linkages
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I'm not familiar with the suspension on your car however, if it were me, I would start with the drop links. So much easier to check and replace. Bushes will be worn but unless they are cracked more likely to be play in the drop links.
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Not worth the time/money/hassle unless they are shot.
Any change in handling you feel is more likely due to tyre wear, or steering geometry out of line, perhaps from one-too-many potholes.
If you really need to spurt your/someone else's hard-earned on needless repairs then go for it.
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Well I figure if its cheap and I can do it myself, its worth it and it certainly wont do any harm.
Tyres have plenty of tread and it tracks dead straight despite the roads round here so both of those can be ruled out. I will be going into different tyres when the time comes though in the hope of something more compliant.
Its really the clonking that id like to solve, the handling itself is fine really, it just doesnt change direction quite as sharply as it did when I bought it and id rather like to get that back. Its a minor change and it still makes other cars feel like a boat, but I notice it because I drive it every day.
I do drive it with enthusiasm around the bends and I did take one bend a little hard hitting some very rough tarmac under a high load mid-bend - its never felt quite the same since.
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>> I do drive it with enthusiasm around the bends and I did take one bend
>> a little hard hitting some very rough tarmac under a high load mid-bend - its
>> never felt quite the same since.
>>
Ah, fessed up, you broke it. :-)
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£50 stu, are they gold plated :-P
If they're easy to get to, I'd do them. I'd still try to get a pry bar on the anti roll bar and force it down / up to prove the idea but if you've not got a suitable bar that'll fit, you'll be cheaper just replacing the bushes than spending £15 on a bar.
Getting the new bushes onto the bar can be a pain but nothing fairy liquid and some swear words wont sort!
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>> Getting the new bushes onto the bar can be a pain but nothing fairy liquid
>> and some swear words wont sort!
>>
He'll need a bucketful of swear words if going for the poly bushes...
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My money's on Stu getting a new car in the very near future.....
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Mus be pushing 9 weeks...and counting.
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is there anything you can spray on bushes to
a: quieten them down
b: prolong life
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Best ask Joanna Lumley...
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is there anything you can spray on bushes to
a: quieten them down
b: prolong life
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We heard you the first time...
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>> a: quieten them down
>> b: prolong life
Don't know about restorative properties but as a preventative, cleaning the salt / oil / whatever off them must help stop them perishing a bit. I don't think UV damage would be a concern for suspension bushes but if it was then a skoosh of 303 might help.
Think they perish under repeat compression no matter what you do though.
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New car my eye. Still very much a love-in with this car, stuck 4k on it since I got it, no regrets. Helps that its not in any way boring :-)
I may keep it a while, never know. I always keep cars I like.
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>> Tyres have plenty of tread and it tracks dead straight despite the roads round here so both of those can be ruled out.
Mis-aligned steering geometry doesn't always track left or right.
"New" clonking will likely be from a single worn component - try to find it before replacing everything from bushes to engine mounts to bent dampers to broken springs to etc etc
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>> He'll need a bucketful of swear words if going for the poly bushes...
They might be OK for anti roll bar mounts but for anywhere else they do increase noise and vibration despite what the manufacturers say. He's already mentioned buying different tyres to increase comfort. I had them on the front wishbones and rear trailing arms on my previous car - they transform turn in and cornering (as long as your dampers are good), increase tyre life due to less camber change under stress and are very durable but the downside is less comfort. Best for the track really, unless you can put up with it, but after a few years I found it a bit wearing.
For some cars like the Alfa 156 they might make sense because they eat the standard bushes.
Last edited by: corax on Mon 30 May 11 at 10:49
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>>the turn-in isnt as sharp as it was
To improve that, you need to stiffen the rear end and vice-versa. Don't believe me, read any suspension tuning book.
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Of course there is an alternative line of thought.
The clonking is still the same, but now you notice it more because you are listening for it.
The turn is as just as sharp as it used to be, but now you are used to it, you are subconsciously looking for more.
All entirely possible.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 30 May 11 at 10:10
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Possible of course Zero, but Im fairly sure what has happened is that the rubbers were fine when I bought it and may have continued as such for years had it continued doing 2-3k a year that it had done up till then, but Im piling on the miles ( 4k since I bought it ) so any perished parts will soon take their leave - I suspect thats whats happened.
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Based on my leggy Vectras etc. then suspension bushes don't start clonking until 100K+ miles, so a few K here and there shouldn't make the slightest bit of difference unless Suzuki make their suspension bushes out of cheese or summat.
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Your Vectras prob dont have suspension akin to a skateboard though do they. Mine does and it certainly takes a hammering on local roads.
Rubber perishes over time, not just miles.
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Find which is worn and replace.
If you can't find any that are shot, leave them alone.
Simples.
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Fix now or leave it? - Old Navy
