Peugeot 208 Drop link

Author
Discussion

Buzz2016

Original Poster:

1 posts

64 months

Thursday 8th November 2018
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Hello,

I need some advice before I go in and see my "mechanic" on saturday

Basically a very long story cut short, a lot of work apparently needed doing on my 2012 208
Alternator
Air con compressor
Wishbone
Drop link
Rear brake pads
Front tyres


I took it in and had all the work except the drop link done, instead this was first diagnosed as being the wishbone.

My car since around Jan has been making an awful creaking/squeaking when going over bumps or large pot holes.
The "mechanic" "checked" my car and said it was the drivers side wishbone, this was replaced in July and still my car is making the noise, I have taken it back and they have said that it never made that noise when they were working on it, it is a recent thing and now the drivers side drop link needs replacing.

Firstly, would the wishbone cause my suspension to creak and squeak?
Secondly, if it had been checked properly would they have picked up on the drop link needing replacing
Thirdly, how long normally would it take for the drop link to start making the noise? would it be immediate or would it work up to the insane squeaking over a speed bump?

Honestly, my car knowledge isn't that great. The mechanic has already screwed me over with my alternator and air compressor which has cost me close to £1000
I have had another £400 worth of work done before having the drop link repaired.

Help, please!

colmech

5 posts

90 months

Thursday 8th November 2018
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I'm not going to try to solve your problem because I haven't worked on your model car, but I can help you understand the terms a bit. Both the wishbone and the drop-link are solid bits of metal. The wishbone is a "Y"-shaped forging that has both the top ends of the Y attached to the car and the leg of the Y attached to the wheel support. There are usually two wishbones - one at the top of the wheel plate and one at the bottom, and they pivot on bearings at all three points. These bearings can be bushes (and if they wear out, they will cause squeaking), or they can be rubber bushings, and if the rubber tears, it will cause unpleasant, typically clunking noises in the suspension, and probable wheel misalignment. It's a bit of a job to change them because the suspension has to be dismounted, and there are strong springs to support the weight of the car.
The drop link is a simple steel bar with a bearings (probably rubber bushings) at the top and bottom of the bar. It is usually a low-cost part (if there is such a thing on a car), and relatively easy to change. There again, if the bushings have packet up, you can expect mechanical noise when you go over bumps.
The noises you are hearing could come from either one, and unless the workshop has a machine to exercise the suspension, it would be difficult to diagnose. If a mechanical handyman had to do it, he would have to reproduce the fault on a bumpy road and guess at the cause. He may be able to prove something by trying to move the bushings with a lever (eg. crowbar), otherwise, it would be down to changing one of them, seeing if the noise was gone, and if not, changing something else.

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

254 months

Tuesday 13th November 2018
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Balljoint style drop links (which I think the 208 uses) typically cause a rattling noise when they wear out. I've never heard these squeak, but it's possible I suppose.

Squeaking noises over bumps are more often caused by the rubber bushes that hold the anti-roll bar.