Clobbered a pothole on the A9 coming back from Edinburgh tonight. An almighty bang that made me say a bad word.

 

Quick systems check after it and car was steering fine, brakes fine and no lights.

 

Pulling off the main road onto a lumpier road on some of the bumps at lower speed <30 I could hear an odd knocking noise. I can only describe at as the noise of a scaffolding pole knocking off something but more plastic. A Hollow sort of noise.

 

Still nothing wrong with how the car drove.

 

Got home and had a proper look  rounf and under the car. Thought I saw some damage to the passenger front wheel arch liner at the bottom. Although I thought the thump was on the drivers side.

 

Took the wheel off for a prope look. Liner was a but loose with a little rip but no damage behind it and no evidence of anything damaged or that had been hit.

 

Went round the rest of the rest of the underside and rattled and tapped everything. Nothing loose, no evidence of any damage at all.

 

Haven't been out again yet.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Not ruling out crap in the boot now but I don't think it was that.

Edited 1 April, 201412 yr by Aspman

I driving up the A9 tomorrow, where about is this bad pot hole so I don't hit it.

Consider that all the road tax goes straight to westminster and they only spend around 2% of that on the roads.

 

I am a biker also so the state of the roads is one of the things that really annoys me.

I driving up the A9 tomorrow, where about is this bad pot hole so I don't hit it.

 

North of Stirling just a little after the Keir Roundabout in the overtaking lane.

 

Noise still there this morning. Car drives fine.

Only apparent when any of the driver side wheels hit a bump. Can't really tell where it's coming from. One minute sounds like it's under drivers door next it's further back.

Current guess is a heat shield or a cover of some sort but it's a guess.

Certainly not there all the time, takes a decent knock to make it happen.

 

 

I'll need to get it in I think.

Edited 2 April, 201412 yr by Aspman

Be worth check who is responsible for maintaining the A9 - being a major route it may be down to central government.

It'll be Bear Scotland.

 

Chances of getting a picture of the pothole would be minimal. Probably not worth the effort.

 

I don't think it was even that big I just hit it at 70 not seeing it until it was too late to react.

Check the coil springs, just changed one on the neighbours 3 year old fiesta with 35k on it! same symptoms

Check the coil springs, just changed one on the neighbours 3 year old fiesta with 35k on it! same symptoms

 

Anything in particular to look for?

 

I did have a glance at the front springs and shocks all looked the same on both sides but I can't say I was looking very closely.

 

I've read about the pigtails on the rears is that the sort of thing?

holy smokes batman, Saturday I was coming down the same road and developed similar problems!!!!

 

got down to about 30 mph when of the A9 and I heard a similar sort of metal noise, but more tin like (it was at that point I knew it wasnt going to be expensive it wasnt a thud). then it became a constant noise a screech as I drove a long.

 

I spent an hour on Saturday night under the car pushing heat shields checking for stones etc then I found the ****er. my dust sheild on the back disc had came loose (probably when I was getting new tyres fitted at the weekend the guy has bent it by resting the wheel on it and its popped out and became ****ed) it wouldn't re-seat back into place as the mounts had been torn to ****. No idea how long id been driving like that with music on it drowned it out. but good chance at least 50 miles.

 

anyway got the shield cut off and the noise went.

 

not saying that this is what your problem is but might be

Unfortunately I know it's not the dust shields. I had one replaced not long ago along with the hub due to the abs ring going snafu. Actually I think I knackered a nearly dud ring when trying to cut off the rattling shield.

 

spring might make sense since the noise did sound more like something hitting the car than a normal pothole noise.

Edited 2 April, 201412 yr by Aspman

My front springs have both snapped, half of the very top coil. But also a rear drop link has gone on mine recently and that made a similar noise to the one you describe, before it went completely, then it rattled all the time. It would just make a thud over a harsh speedbump or similar and then over time it started to rattle at the slightest bump. So could have damaged a front drop link? They're less than £20 each from Mister Auto for Delphi items. Word of caution though, make sure you have an angle grinder at the ready, they don't like coming off.

 

Should add I have no direct in Mister Auto, it's just was the cheapest I could find a decent make for, recently.

 

Chris

Edited 2 April, 201412 yr by kissifer

Cheers. Will take a peek at spring and drop links tonight.

 

Won't be me doing it, car will be into my tamed VW indy.

Cheers. Will take a peek at spring and drop links tonight.

 

Won't be me doing it, car will be into my tamed VW indy.

Won't be me doing it, should mine go again. The money saved is not worth the stress, pain and time it has taken me to do mine.

Mystery solved, hopefully nothing else.

 

 

Get it booked in for spring.

Looks like some rust through the spring maybe the pothole was just the last straw.

 

Actually quite hard to spot.

 

Does it need two at the same time?

Edited 2 April, 201412 yr by Aspman

Yes, change suspension components in pairs.

Wish mines was a couple of springs you were lucky. How about hub drive shaft ball joint wishbone and alloy lol

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

Yay I win, did an Audi A3 2005 today at work, was a bit of a pig as the strut didn't wanna come out of the hub but the spring had snapped in same place. seams to be a common thing these days.

I hope you don't have the sports suspension, the springs are OEM only at £90 each!

Did a corsa the other week, £13!

VRS.

 

So yes, not looking cheap

Mystery solved, hopefully nothing else.

 

 

Get it booked in for spring.

Looks like some rust through the spring maybe the pothole was just the last straw.

 

Actually quite hard to spot.

 

Does it need two at the same time?

when i thought my spring had went at the weekend I was thinking, why the **** dont they make them yellow like my bikes.

 

its near impossible to see a cracked spring thats compressed under load when painted black

You would be as well just changing all 4 springs - Eibach maybe. The rears will probably be rusty and weakened also. Rears are usually very quick and easy to do.

You would be as well just changing all 4 springs - Eibach maybe. The rears will probably be rusty and weakened also. Rears are usually very quick and easy to do.

 

Don't know how much longer I'll be keeping the car so I'm just going to do the necessary with OEM parts.