Technical Help. Suspension problem in Panda MOT advisory

[MountainRunner]

Hi
I've just had my 2007 Panda MOT'd

I got an advisory saying front 'Macpherson strut has Slight movement in upper support bearing assembly on both nearside and offside."

(Car has only 44697 miles on the clock)

Anticipating them possibly failing in 12 months time Is it an expensive job to repair it in a garage? How much would it cost?

Or
Is it an easy job to do at home?

Has anyone else had this experience?

Thanks

 

[murfman53]

Hi,

Here's a video link that will give you some idea of what is in involved.



Just be careful when pulling the drive shaft towards you, not too much, when taking out the suspension strut, otherwise you'll remove the other end of the driveshaft from the gearbox.

Hope this helps you to make a decision. Good luck.

John.

 

[AB100]

Hi
I've just had my 2007 Panda MOT'd

I got an advisory saying front 'Macpherson strut has Slight movement in upper support bearing assembly on both nearside and offside."

(Car has only 44697 miles on the clock)

Anticipating them possibly failing in 12 months time Is it an expensive job to repair it in a garage? How much would it cost?

Or
Is it an easy job to do at home?

Has anyone else had this experience?

Thanks

Yes. Same advisory for the past two years. When the car's jacked up there's some movement which doesn't exist when under its own weight.


That is to say - probably nothing wrong.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi
I've just had my 2007 Panda MOT'd

I got an advisory saying front 'Macpherson strut has Slight movement in upper support bearing assembly on both nearside and offside."

(Car has only 44697 miles on the clock)

Anticipating them possibly failing in 12 months time Is it an expensive job to repair it in a garage? How much would it cost?

Or
Is it an easy job to do at home?

Has anyone else had this experience?

Thanks

Hi,
the mileage here isn't as indicative..as the age of the rubber components

IF you wish to get it replaced ..it's probably best to do the entire front suspension , so @£500 , new wishbones , new droplinks, new dampers, new upper bearings.
they ALL have an element of load-bearing rubber.which are between 9 and 12 years old on your vehicle.

I've done it all on my 2004 over the last couple of years - apart from bearings - which were just lubed at the damper change in 2013-@80K

Charlie

 

[SB1500]

My 2005 Panda, at 103,000 miles had the following replaced;-

two new springs
two new struts
two new bearings
two new bushings
two new drop links

I have a thread showing some photos on here Plenty of good answers too from members on here who made it a very easy process.

Very smooth and comfortable now compared to before. I used all parts from Shop4Parts, great supplier of Italian car parts and England based.

Your car seems to be at the age and mileage to need them replaced, and never do one side without doing the other as this can cause issues

 

[portland_bill]

Firstly, the top mounts on the front suspension are not fixed to the car. They are held in place by the weight of the car, and prevented from falling down too far by the large cap on top.
When the car is lifted to allow the wheels to drop, the top of the suspension will drop to the retaining cap. Lifting the bottom suspension arm will show the free movement of the suspension in this condition. Whilst quite a few cars are now made this way, many MOT testers do not understand and interpret this movement as a fault. Been there, had the argument.
When the top mounting is getting old, the rubber gets soft, and the clearance between the car and cap gets bigger, when the car is sat on its wheels. That is how to determine a dead mounting.
So, before changing them, have a good look and see whether they really do need replacing.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Had all this guff myself. I changed the struts at about 8oooo miles and they were actually fine and good for more miles. The top bushes were not worn enough to cause any concern and visibly in great condition. I should worry onl if wear becomes excessive or tyres start to wear unevenly. You can get a reliable tracking check by STS centres who have the right gear and know how to use it. They even improved the rear suspension settings on my 100HP with a bit of cunning and muscle power. I worried about this advisory for 2 years and still regret spending prematurely. These top bushes mainly affect camber angles, but unless worn significantly have minimal affect on driving or steering performance. Get a second opinion. I have a Seat Leon with VW Audi parts that was properly worn at the same mileage with dampers that were 99% shot, SO much then for German quality engineering. At least that was money well spent as the car was much better afterwards.