The low-speed ride on my 100,000-mile 2007 is terrible on rough roads.  It has brand-new Continental TS850 winter tyres, inflated to the recommended 35 PSI front / 33 rear and the ride on smooth roads is very good.

But I am very disappointed by the ride on rough roads, stony farm tracks or even ordinary potholes.  It crashes and bangs, even when going carefully and slowly.  There doesn't seem to be a particular corner where the bangs come from and as far as I can tell it isn't any particular suspension bush or shock-absorber mounting which needs attention.  It seems quite general, although there is a distinct "knock" or "clunk" from underneath each time I hit a bump.

Are they all like this, or is it fair wear-and-tear for a 100,000-mile car?  Are there any suspension bushes on these cars which are particularly prone to wear?  Would it be worth considering replacing the dampers with new or different ones?  Does any one have any experience of donig this?  Are the dampers different on a 4x4 (not a Scout) to a FWD estate?
   
Perhaps I'm spoilt by the way my ancient Cirtroen BX glides along over even the roughest and rockiest surfaces on its hydraulic suspension, but on poor surfaces my Ocatvia is distinctly worse than a perfectly ordinary car like a Ford Focus or my Mazda MX-5.  Seems rather unsatisfactory in a 4x4 which people buy to use on less-than-perfect roads.  I'm not talking about "off-roading" here or going up and down mountains or around quarries; just trying to travel on stony farm tracks, over speed-humps or along tarmac roads with potholes.

I'd be very grateful to hear the experience and views of other 4x4 owners!  

My 4x4 has done 80k miles and I wouldn't describe it as crashy.  Though I do suspect it has had some work done on the suspension before I got it (I've done 20k miles in it so far).

My 4x4 has done 73k miles and I don't think it's crashy. I don't do farm tracks but the single track tarmaced road to the village is very rough and uneven and I notice it  bounces a bit ( but that's compared to the rock hard ride in my Impreza...!).

Just out of curiosity what was the tyre wear like on your rears?

I ask as I've a 2006 FWD estate 114,000 miler with the sport option suspension.

There is a noticeable knock from the rear, mostly the left and a slight stepping out sensation which coincides with wear on the inner shoulder of the tyre.

I have not been able to locate the worn component and it spoils an otherwise smooth but firm ride.

MOT is due in a couple of months so I'm hoping they'll pinpoint the source then.

Could be worn anti roll bar drop links

3 year old/66K on the clock and no rough ride - just one rear spring broken (replaced under warranty) and also had dealer fit MAD Helper Springs to the rear...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWqzddX82Ow

The Scout and 4x4 share suspension components, I believe, with the Scout's larger tire size giving the difference in ride height between the two.

My Scout is less than a year old and is pretty smooth and quiet over uneven roads, in fact a friend who was a passenger in the car with me recently mentioned what a good ride it was, so I would assume you have some worn components. I would suspect drop links worn as well, my old car had this problem and it sounded like someone hitting the underside with a club hammer when travelling on slightly uneven bumpy surfaces. I had the drop links and ARB bushes done and it fixed it, a relatively cheap fix.

The BX suspension is fantastic, I still miss mine.

 

FWIW at 100k the shocks on my Octy were worn and got changed at about 115/120k miles.

At that point the front and rear shocks had no push back in them at all and were totally shot.

 

It's worth looking at the springs too though, as they can go rusty at the bottom and fail.

I have tried pushing down on the corners of the car when parked - N/S front seems slightly softer than the O/S front.

Rear is very much stiffer than the front - almost solid.  I presume this is normal?

Has anyone fitted different dampers, rather than simply replacing the standard ones?

I have tried pushing down on the corners of the car when parked - N/S front seems slightly softer than the O/S front.

Rear is very much stiffer than the front - almost solid.  I presume this is normal?

Has anyone fitted different dampers, rather than simply replacing the standard ones?

 

Bilstein B12 kit.

 

Stunning improvement in handling and ride comfort. I can't recommend them enough.

or just Bilstein B6 dampers if you not wish to lower but want better performance dampers

Jack it up, get under the car with a pry bar and have a mooch and a pry to find what is worn. As said probably the ARB bushes, an easy fix.

 

 Whatever it is it will probably need new bushes somewhere but it won't be anything major.

 

 New Bushes  

 

or just Bilstein B6 dampers if you not wish to lower but want better performance dampers

 

The thing is the eibach pro-kit springs in the B12 kit make a huge difference in improved ride over the OEM, so I'd not bother doing just one.

 

For me I'm glad I went the full kit, otherwise I think I'd have just gone OEM and saved the cash.

Thanks for the responses!

But regarding my crude "push-down-on-each-corner" test - on a 4x4 estate, is the back end normally almost solid compared to the front?  Or is one or both of my front dampers knackered?  

Thanks for the responses!

But regarding my crude "push-down-on-each-corner" test - on a 4x4 estate, is the back end normally almost solid compared to the front?  Or is one or both of my front dampers knackered?  

 

I will go and bounce my car up and down in the morning and let you know.

I finally got around to having a look at mine today.  I would say the back was very slightly harder than the front.

Thanks for that - thank you for taking the trouble to report back.

On mine, the rear is very much firmer than the front, and the near-side front is very slightly softer than the off-side front.

I guess that suggests that I need to replace my front dampers as a pair.  With any luck it should be possible to identify and rectify any worn / loose / damaged suspension joints, damper mountings or anti-roll-bar drop link bushes at the same time.  My primary decision will have to be: fit repacement standard Skoda dampers or fit something else, perhaps Bilstein B4s?  Thus my question in this other thread:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/303408-standard-replacement-dampers/

Edited 3 February, 201412 yr by Stuarted

Does anyone know, please - from first-hand experience - are the Bilstein B4 dampers a direct equivalent to the standard skoda dampers?  Do that have the same stiffness and offer the same ride quality?

Assuming the prices quoted (just over £50) are per each damper, not for a pair (although you'd need to fi them as  pair), it is interesting to see that the Bilsteins appear to be slightly cheaper than stock Skoda dampers.

Yes b4s are often known as oem replacements and personal i feel the quality is better than skoda oned as they are made in germany and bilstein are renowned for the quality of their products. The reason why skoda ones are more expensive is the mark up to cover dealer overheads

Thanks.

So: do Blistein B4s have the same damping characteristics as the standard Skloda ones, or are they a bit firmer?

Thanks.

So: do Blistein B4s have the same damping characteristics as the standard Skloda ones, or are they a bit firmer?

.

This seems to answer my question:

http://www.motorsportworld.co.uk/

Quote: "Bilstein list their B4 shocks as OE (Original Equipment) but they will appear slightly uprated over the standard items on your vehicle."

_ _ _

Update: dealer has checked the car and agrees that the dampers, while not worn out and apparently not leaking (and therefore not likely to be an MOT failure and possibly not even an 'advisory') are indeed slightly 'tired'.  With one front damper being very slightly softer than the other, both ought to be replaced.  He also accepts that it would be sensible to replace the suspension bushes at the same time.  He says he usually replaces the Skoda bushes with more robust Audi ones if he's going to replace them anyway.

We have agreed that we will each pay half of the cost of the dampers, and that he will fit them and replace the bushes without charge, which seems perfectly fair to me.  He is happy to fit Bilstein B4 dampers which Motorsportworld will supply for a lower price (offer price £52 each, front, inc VAT + delivery) than either he or I can get Skoda dampers for, even from skodaparts.com (offer price £54 inc VAT + delivery).

I am hoping that when this is done it will transform the ride on rough surfaces (it's already fine on smooth surfaces) and I will report back when the dampers have been deivered and the work has been done, although it might be more convenient to wait and have this work done while the car is in for its MOT in March.

Does anyone know, please - from first-hand experience - are the Bilstein B4 dampers a direct equivalent to the standard skoda dampers?  Do that have the same stiffness and offer the same ride quality?

Assuming the prices quoted (just over £50) are per each damper, not for a pair (although you'd need to fi them as  pair), it is interesting to see that the Bilsteins appear to be slightly cheaper than stock Skoda dampers.

 

Direct, but I believe better built.

 

If you want OEM, you can get economy shocks, which are fitted to cars over a certain age.

Very little if any difference from the originals, but £25 each last I looked.

 

Since they're going to have the front apart, I'd look at replacing the top mounts/bearings and check the condition of the front springs.

If you're not paying labour rates, it's well worth taking the hit to replace the lot in one go.

 

It's also worth checking the rears to make sure the tails have not rusted and snapped on the springs.

Thanks.  Have you got a link, please, to an illustration which shows the top mounts/bearings and any other parts which would be worth renewing?

I don't have a link, however the top mount and bearing is where the shock absorber mounts at the top.

 

The dealer will know exactly what you mean.

The spring, well it sits over the shock absorber at the front.