Hi,

I have a 04 Fabia VRS.

Like a lot of people on hear i seem to have bought one that likes making lots of weird and wonderfull noises:

The latest one is a single clonk/clunk type sound when im moving at low speeds with some lock on. For example turning into a normal parking space. It will clunk once about halfway through the turn. Although recently its started doing it at slightly higher speeds eg on a small roundabout. It seems to be coming from the front suspension and i think it comes from both sides. I've read a few posts about drop links and i think this might be the cause. What do you think? If it is this or anything else please could you give me a idiots guide of what to check and how to check it.

Thanks you for reading and any advice that you give.

Ben

Droplinks I think would be the usual diagnosis. The Fabia is of course notorious for eating suspension bushes, but this tends to reveal itself by creaking over speedbumps rather than clonking. I don't know how you'd check them other than having a look at them. They're mentiond a few times in TeflonTom's guide to replacing the front ARB, although you don't have to take the wheel off to see them - just apply full lock...

HTH

Thanks. I dont seem to have any noises going over speed bumps as yet. I've had a look at the drop links but i dont really know what im looking for. They are still there and and are still in one piece. (i'm assuming that they are the the new metal strut connected to the end of the ARB in the last picture!)

Yup. I'm no expert, but it's my understanding that they wear at the ends which allows a bit of play - hence the single clunk...

Does anyone know how much these cost and how much it should cost in labour to replace them. Or is it a easy diy job?

Well just went to my local friendly mechanics who could hear the noise but after a good 30mins poking around apparently couldn't find anything obviously wrong. I asked him about the drop links and he reckoned they would cause more of a rattle than a metallic clunk. He suggested that the rear bushes on the wishbone had some play in them but that wasn't likely to be causing the noise either. HELP!!!

I had something similar on my Octy VRS and it was a broken suspension spring and only made the noise on almost full lock.

They tend to break right at the top of the spring.

I might be wrong but sounds similar to my symptoms.

HTH.

the link rods don't always have play in them when they make the clonk noise , so if your mechanic was looking for obvious play to cause a noise , it may not of been there

thanks. But I don't understand why they would clonk if there wasn't any play in them? Surely the clonk has to be the product of some sort of movement or is it just that u might not be able to replicate that movement by hand??