Brakes, tyres and suspension
Suspension Repairs in Brisbane
Clunking over bumps, a car that keeps bouncing after a speed hump, or one corner sitting lower than the rest all point at worn suspension. We diagnose and repair shocks, struts, springs, bushes, ball joints and links at our Moorooka workshop, and we check the whole corner rather than replacing the first part that looks tired.
Warning signs
What worn suspension feels like
Suspension wears slowly, so most people adapt to it without noticing. It is usually a passenger who says something first.
A knock or clunk over speed humps and expansion joints. A car that floats over undulations and takes two or three bounces to settle instead of one. Nose dive under braking that is worse than it used to be. Body roll in corners that has you slowing down more than you once did. One corner visibly lower than the others when parked on level ground.
A rattle from the front over rough bitumen at low speed is very often a sway bar link and one of the cheapest fixes on the list. Then there are the tyre clues. Cupping or scalloping around the tread is a classic sign of shock absorbers that have stopped controlling the wheel.
What fails
What actually wears out
Shock absorbers and struts
They control the movement of the spring. A dead shock lets the wheel keep oscillating after a bump, which increases braking distance and lets the tyre skip across the road. Oil weeping down the body means the seal has gone and the unit is finished.
Bushes
Rubber mounts that locate control arms, sway bars and trailing arms. They perish, crack and eventually collapse. When a control arm bush goes soft, the wheel moves under load and the alignment changes every time you brake or turn.
Ball joints
They allow the suspension to move while the wheel steers. Play in a ball joint is a knock at low speed and a serious safety item, because a ball joint that separates drops the corner of the car onto the road.
Springs
Coils crack and break, usually near the bottom, and that corner sits low. Common on older vehicles and on anything that carries weight.
Sway bar links
Small, cheap and the most frequent cause of a light rattle over rough surfaces.
Top mounts and bearings
On a strut vehicle these carry the load and let the strut rotate. Worn ones knock over bumps and can make the steering notchy at parking speed.
How we find it
How we diagnose it
The car gets driven first with a technician in it. Suspension noise is usually load and surface dependent, and it will not present itself on a hoist with the wheels hanging. Then it goes up for a full corner check: play at ball joints and links, bushes levered for movement, shocks checked for leaks, springs for cracks, mounts for perishing, and the tyre wear pattern examined.
Replacing in pairs
Why shocks come in axle pairs
Fitting one new front strut against a tired one on the other side gives you a car that behaves differently on each side under braking, which is worse than two evenly worn units. Bushes and ball joints are different — replace those where they are worn, though if one lower control arm bush has collapsed at 180,000km the other side is rarely far behind.
Any repair that disturbs the geometry also needs a wheel alignment afterwards. Skipping it is how people ruin a set of tyres within a few months of paying for the repair.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my shock absorbers are worn?
The car keeps bouncing after a bump instead of settling, it dives more under braking, and the tyres develop a cupped wear pattern. Oil down the side of the shock is a definite answer.
What is that clunk over speed humps?
Most commonly a sway bar link, a worn bush or a ball joint. It needs finding on a hoist rather than guessing, because the cheapest and the most serious causes sound similar.
Do shocks have to be replaced in pairs?
Yes, per axle. Mismatched damping side to side makes the car behave unpredictably under braking.
How long do shock absorbers last?
It varies with roads and load. Many are noticeably tired between 100,000km and 150,000km, and rough roads or heavy loads shorten it.
Will worn suspension fail a safety certificate?
Yes. Play in ball joints, leaking shocks, collapsed bushes and broken springs are all fail items.
Does a suspension repair need an alignment afterwards?
If the repair disturbed the geometry, yes. Otherwise the new parts will chew your tyres.
Can worn suspension cause uneven tyre wear?
Yes. Soft bushes and worn joints let the wheel angles move around under load, and the tyre records it.
My car sits lower on one corner. What is that?
Usually a broken coil spring, sometimes a collapsed spring or a failed air suspension component on vehicles that have it.
Do you work on four wheel drive suspension and lifted vehicles?
Yes. Bear in mind that lifts outside the allowable limits will not pass a safety certificate.
How long does a suspension repair take?
Many are same day. Some European vehicles need parts ordered in, so we will tell you when we quote.
Book a suspension check
Road test first.
Quote before we start.
Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 3pm. After-hours key drop available. All major cards and cash.