Road Spring Failure

[Fab 1]

Just had a road spring go on my 8 year old Fabia! And 4 months ago on our Golf GTI. 1. Can springs work-harden?

2. Is this noted with greater frequency on VW group cars?

[rum4mo]

Hum, the front spring on my wife's old 2002 Polo broke at exactly half height reversing out of the garage on New Years Day when that car was just over 4 years old - now that was very annoying as we were just going out to a New Years Day concert!  My old 2000 Passat 4Motion broke its front spring on a flat/level/smooth section of motorway in late Spring when we were travelling down to Oxford to collect my youngest daughter on route to go to my sisters funeral, not nice, things were touching a drive shaft going round roundabouts but we did reach our destination and the AA man sourced a new spring and replaced it in time for our 500 miles trip back home!  My daughter's late 2009 Ibiza broken its front spring when we were near the start of a journey to the airport to go away for a weeks holiday in May this year, it was only the last "half turn" of the spring that broke away and fell on to the road, I went back to check how much had broken off so that I could either continue that journey being very concerned or just being annoyed, depending on much had broken off that spring.

 

So yes, car springs can fail, normally at really inconvenient times, one reported issue is corrosion related micro pitting leading to cracks when they join up and ultimately shear.  Only positive thing to say could be that Audi and others have probably started using carbon fibre springs, so there will now be a different reason for them to fail in the future, I'd guess the carbon fibre reinforced springs will have a "rubber" covering to prevent chipping stone chipping.

 

Edit:- in the mean time I try to keep all these road springs free from stone chips in the paint in a bid to fend off the next spring breakage for a bit longer.

Edited 26 December, 2017 by rum4mo

[KenONeill]

@Fab 1

I did some metallurgy at college, so informed comment:-

1) Yes, definitely.

2) With VAG spring designs there seems to be a weak point up at the pig tail.

[Ootohere]

Common enough within the 3 year warranty period, or within 5 years, 

Yeti rear springs being an example, and also Fabia Mk2 vRS front springs, drivers side right hand drive cars.

 

Funnily the Dealer Fit Option springs and after market ones fitted from new have less of a failure issue as the OEM (Cheap Factory fit crap.)

[cheshire_cat]

factory =crap   go for Lesjofors     they have an online application guide

[DEL80Y]

Onto my third set of rear Springs from Skoda for my Superb 4x4
First rears at 35000 then 75000 then at 11000 
Fronts replaced AT 55000 then 87000 
Going aftermarket next time

Edited 26 December, 2017 by DEL80Y

[rum4mo]

On ‎26‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 15:29, cheshire_cat said:

factory =crap   go for Lesjofors     they have an online application guide

 

Yes it does seem so, a bit like the standard discs fitted at factory, it was Lesjofors - who I think make their own spring material from bought in steel, that was fitted to my old Passat when it needed a new spring - bought from GSF by the AA guy and fitted to the removed "leg" by a proper VAG indie round about Daventry I seem to remember.  I thought that I had read somewhere that it is probably Lesjofors that supply some other aftermarket suppliers with springs if you use their trademark method of identifying the springs as evidence. 

 

Edit:- also I don't think that Lesjofors make any other products like jam or pies or beer, just coil springs, so they know what they are doing.

Edited 27 December, 2017 by rum4mo

[Ootohere]

There is a reason that VW Group give 2 year or 3 year Manufacturers Warranties and extra Warranty costs, 

and they can not do a 7 year Warranty.

They source cheap, fit cheap and hope people are going to accept that if buying the VW Group branded cars that are not Porsche, Bentley etc.

[cheshire_cat]

as they used to say in Vietnam " these are the finest weapons you can buy---made by the contractor who submitted the lowest price"