Broken coil spring question.....

[outlaw biker]

How long can you drive with a broken coil spring? I've just spent £700 on a service inc new pads, discs etc and afterwards noticed the rear drivers side spring is rattling and creaking - which suggests its broken. Always seems to happen after its been up on the ramps! I could really do with not spending another £300 to fit new springs this month....so how long can I get away with driving on a cracked spring? Is it likely to cause any other damage to the car or be dangerous? It doesn't feel like the handling is affected....but I'm no engineer.......

[outlaw biker]

Hmmmmm...all of a sudden I'm not feeling quite so lucky I'll get it booked in.

Yes it is the BMW. Thats the second time its happened (and on the same spring) in two years! I blame the speed ramps at work

[outlaw biker]

off_again said:

Quick question on springs though.

What are the tell-tale signs that the spring is broken or needs replacement? The wife's Golf has a bit of a ping sound from the front of the car when you turn the steering. I thought it would be something that is rubbing, but I guess it could be the spring. Any clear and simple way of telling?

From my experiences the first telltale sign is the car making creaking noises when you get in and out. Other than that you probably wouldn't notice a thing. Until that is, it goes up on garage ramps (or gets jacked up) with the wheels hanging unsupported....after that the broken part of the spring will probably become dislodged and you may start to hear the loose spring bouncing up and down on bumpy roads, making the pinging noise you've described. Thats the noise I've been hearing for the past week....until today. Possibly I've hit a bump and the loose broken part of the spring has wedged itself back in, as there has been no noise and no creaking at all today. In fact you wouldn't have the slightest clue anything was wrong.

And yes, they need to be replaced in pairs.

I could do with some titanium ones or something! The roads I have to commute on every day are unbelievably potholed.