We will not discuss or emphasize the importance of suspension for a car. This is as important a set of mechanisms and assemblies in a car, like any other. Let us only recall that the suspension (suspension system) plays the role of a link connecting the frame or supporting body of the car with the road. Structurally, the suspension is part of the car chassis.

How to diagnose suspension

There is no need to say that the serviceability of the suspension, its parts and components is safe movement, and movement in general. A malfunction of any suspension part leads to unpredictable consequences, or rather the consequences are the impossibility of movement or damage to the car body, and body repair is not a cheap pleasure. And if only - in the best case.

As always, several options are offered for your consideration. It should be noted that one does not exclude the other. And you can judge the effectiveness of any of them only after you try them.

DIY suspension diagnostics in a literal sense, this is an “old-fashioned” method that has come to us since the times of Zhiguli and Muscovites. This is when we rock the rear of the car and let it go. After this procedure, the body rolls 1.5 times, i.e. full up and slowly down. Therefore, we confirm. Old experts on the sounds of knocks and grunts in the area rear suspension, will be able to tell you what you need to pay attention to. Alas, this method of diagnosing suspension is in no way suitable for modern cars.

Computer diagnostics of suspension- This is high-tech work, but it is only applicable for electronic systems management. This means it is not suitable for outdated car models, of which there are still a considerable number on the country’s roads. This type of diagnostics involves reading data from sensors and gives recommendations in % of the factory parameters.

Vibration stand for suspension diagnostics- This is another way to check the condition of components in conditions close to road conditions. The trouble is that the stands of different companies are set to different parameters, but they always require one thing - before the suspension is diagnosed on a stand, the car must be brought into good technical condition.

Those. By comparing the results obtained from the vibration stand with the factory parameters of a particular model stored in the computer, we end up with completely useless information. And what’s most interesting is that the data can differ radically on different services.

How to diagnose the suspension yourself

The way out of the situation suggests folk experience. Please note that diagnostics of the front suspension requires special attention from the car owner. This is approximately the same as with the diagnosis of the anterior and. It is in front of the machine that experiences loads much greater than the loads on back auto.

Traditional diagnostics of suspension components

• First of all, we check the anthers and rubber covers. It is accepted that a part whose rubber cover is torn clearly requires replacement (repair)
• Check for signs of oil leaks. This primarily concerns the diagnosis of shock absorbers
• The degree of wear of the springs is visually determined by the height of the car body sag
• Ball joints - checked using a mount by rocking up and down. There should be no noticeable play
• Silent blocks should not have visual deformation, cracks or peeling. When pressed with a pry bar, they should not play. It is best to check ball and silent blocks on a raised machine with the ball mount to the lower arm unscrewed
• Bearings upper supports The suspensions have play when rocking up and down if they are faulty.
• The supports of the stabilizers and rods should not play during increased swinging.
• Steering rack failure is not a common occurrence. The serviceability of the guide bushings is checked by rocking the rack itself.
• The tie rod and tie rod end are checked by two people. Your partner turns the steering wheel left and right, and at this time you grab the part with your hand. Neither the tip nor the rod should have any play.
• The CV joint warns us of its malfunction with a characteristic cracking noise while driving, especially when turning.

12.09.2016

Good day, dear readers of the site. AutoAvenue, today I will tell you how to check the car suspension yourself, and understand which parts need repair or replacement.

In order to begin diagnostics, you will need a garage with a pit, a lift or an overpass. The goal is to be able to inspect the car from below. It will also be a good idea to get gloves, a crowbar or a pry bar. If this is the first time you see your car from this angle, there is no need to be afraid; despite the apparent complexity of the suspension design, it consists of standard elements.

Let's look at the most unreliable of them:

• Ball joints - used at moving T-joint points.
• Silent blocks and bushings are rubber bands inserted into bolted joints to dampen vibration and noise.
• Anthers are rubber covers that protect components from dust, water and dirt.
• Stabilizer struts - consist of steering knuckles, and serve as a connector between the ends of the stabilizer and the main suspension element
• Oil seals are rubber rings that are installed in units to hold oil in the place where shafts or moving parts rotate.
• Bearings, springs, and shock absorber struts.

Recommendations on how to check your car's suspension yourself.

The diagnostic procedure is standard and quite simple, but let’s talk about everything in order:

1. First, conduct a visual inspection; the left and right parts of the suspension are assembled symmetrically, so when comparing them, pay attention to whether all the parts and fasteners are in place. If something is missing, then driving such a car is very dangerous.
2. Rock the suspended wheels in the vertical and horizontal planes; there should be no knocks or play; if they are present, check whether they are tightened well hub nut. Then firmly grasp the wheel with both hands and begin to slowly turn it, while shaking it slightly. This is how the wheel bearing is checked for wear; if there is even the smallest play, or rotation occurs with wedging, the bearing needs to be replaced.
3. Inspect absolutely all the anthers of the front and rear suspension, they should be intact and elastic, if you see cracks or tears, then such anther needs prompt replacement(if this is not done soon, it will be necessary to replace quite expensive components, such as internal or outer CV joint etc.).
4. Necessarily check brake hoses, no cracks or leaks are allowed if these defects have been identified, required urgent replacement failed elements. The brakes of sloppiness do not forgive.
5. Pick up a pre-prepared crowbar or pry bar and use it to check ball joints. A little theory– the working part of the ball consists of a body, a pin and plastic liners; during operation, it is the plastic liner that wears out. Your task, using multidirectional efforts, is to understand whether there is wear or not. No need to apply to check great effort, and during rocking there should be no backlash or knocking; if there is any backlash, the ball must be replaced.
6. The next objects of our close attention are silent blocks and bushings; if they are not in order, then a dull knock will be heard when driving over uneven surfaces, sharp acceleration or engine braking. Checking them is quite simple; first, inspect them visually for cracks and tears; there should be none. Then insert the assembly into the connection and carefully try to push the silent block. The new silent block is quite difficult to press through.
7. Now we evaluate the condition of the oil seals; they are installed in the main components of the car. For example, in an engine, gearbox, gearbox or steering rack, and are responsible for retaining lubricants at the exit points of rotating or moving parts. If you see traces of oil leakage from the unit or fogging where the oil seal is installed, it needs to be replaced.
8. Finally, inspect the shock absorber struts and springs. The springs must be intact and equal in number of turns on the left and right, and the struts must have intact boots and no traces of oil leakage. If their condition is suspicious, then you should undergo a check at a car service center at a specialized stand, or show the car to a qualified mechanic. Remember that worn shock absorbers can cause a serious accident when maneuvering or braking hard on uneven roads.

   

Summarize:

Try to do suspension diagnostics every six months when preparing your car for winter and summer season. This will not only identify and eliminate breakdowns in the early stages, but will make travel by car safer and more comfortable for you and your passengers.

All articles

An important step in getting to know the car you want to buy second hand is checking the car's chassis. The chassis is a large set of mechanisms, some parts here are consumables, since this part of the machine is movable, and its elements are directly responsible for contact with the road, steering, and much more.

Even if the car is legally clean, and everything is in order with the main units like the engine, this is not a reason to rush out and buy it - look under the bottom, there are also enough vital elements for the car.

Those who are not ready to spend money on diagnostic services in the service, while reading, thought about how to check it themselves chassis car? We will tell you about this in detail.

Self-check of the car chassis

If you decide to check the car yourself, including seeing what is under its bottom, it is important to know what to look for - the car has four wheels around the perimeter, in the middle most often there are crankcase protection sheets, but this does not mean that you should not look there for what.

First of all, faulty elements suspensions give themselves away with extraneous sounds. If extraneous sounds are heard below, the culprits requiring replacement or repair may be:

• Shock absorbers are an element that absorbs all the bumps and impacts from road potholes;
• Strut springs are constantly loaded, over time they inevitably “get tired” and require replacement;
• The CV boot - as the name suggests, protects the part from dust. If it is dirty or torn, replacement is required;
• The support cups of the racks - by and large, simply must be intact and not deformed;
• Silent blocks - what they connect various parts pendants. Represents two metal bushings with a rubber insert in the middle. If, when driving, there are strong vibrations from the suspension elements, and the car is not very stable, questions should arise primarily to this element;
• Various backlashes can affect many chassis elements at once, be it CV joints, tie rod ends and much more.

It’s worth dwelling on some points in more detail to clarify the details, especially if many of these words have become something new for you.

Shock absorbers are the simplest thing; no special skills or abilities are needed here, and anyone can check their condition on the spot. To do this, just try to rock the car; if it rocks more than twice, the shock absorbers need to be replaced. To make sure that they are faulty, you can lift the car and inspect them from the side for any leaks.

With springs it is somewhat more complicated - the fact that the springs have “sagged”, unfortunately, may not be visible to the naked eye. But it is very clearly visible if the spring is broken. And the height of the car’s suspension will give a hint if something happens - if the car is too low, then it’s worth paying attention.

With anthers everything is simple - if they are whole and clean, then we move on, if they are dirty or torn, or all of them - we change them. The part is not too expensive, even cheap (what can be expensive in a piece of rubber?), so torn and dirty boots can only be a cause for concern if the owner has been driving with them in this condition for a long time.

Buying a used car with self-diagnosis assumes that you will have to get your hands a little dirty and inspect the car from top to bottom. Some parts of the chassis need to be checked more carefully and in several stages, since it will no longer be possible to determine the problem “by eye”.

For example, silent block. Here everything is a little more complicated and you will have to tinker if you want to know everything for sure. If you checked the car while driving and noticed that the car is “pulled” to the side while driving, then the algorithm for checking the silent blocks is as follows:

• Raise the car with a jack, or better yet, drive it onto a inspection hole;
• While the car is suspended, remove the ball joints to get to the silent blocks;
• Check the condition of the parts working in conjunction with the silent block. This is a suspension arm that you can swing and check that it springs back. Check the bushing; it does not rotate relative to the lugs. After this, check the silent block itself for knocking;
• It is important to check the element for play and mechanical damage. If the element is too mobile, or it is damaged on metal parts or rubber, you should consider replacing the entire element.

If you are not afraid to take on the installation, you can check the condition of the stabilizers while under the car. If you insert the assembly between the subframe and the bushing stabilizer and wiggle it, you will understand whether the elements are working properly or not. A bushing that is too old due to deformation will cause the stabilizer to “walk.” This indicates the need for replacement. However, this procedure still requires a lift; if you have one in mind, use it, but it would be better to go to a service center, where the procedure will be carried out for a modest fee.

In the case of the brake system, everything is simple if the car has cast or forged discs. If you are considering a simple option with “stampings”, you can’t do without removing the wheel and studying the elements of the system.

The condition of the brake pads is important - they must not be rusty or worn out. Otherwise, they need to be replaced. The same applies to brake disc, and here a caliper may come in handy, since for different cars The installed thickness of the brake disc varies, and the easiest way to determine the condition is by regular measurement.

The last thing I would like to mention cannot be attributed to any specific element; it concerns many elements at once, and in some cases can lead to serious consequences.

Examine the chassis for a variety of backlashes. To do this, you need to find out how movable certain suspension elements should be, and check with your own hands how movable they are on the car. Any play above normal needs to be eliminated, and for some parts big play(for example, in the steering) can be dangerous both for the car and for the people in it.

Contacting service

Another, simpler, but less economical option for checking the chassis of a car before purchasing is to pay for chassis diagnostics at a car service center.

The advantage here is not only that you don’t have to crawl under the car yourself and check the elements for play, but also that the diagnostics are usually comprehensive, and they will tell you not only about the chassis, but also about others important details And technical points car.

If you want to thoroughly know everything about the car’s chassis and suspension after checking, then ask the technicians to check the chassis point by point to get information about its most important elements:

• Shock absorbers;
• Levers;
• Steering pins (knuckles);
• Ball joints;
• Springs;
• Anti-roll bar;
• Stabilizer's pole.

From the state of these chassis elements, conclusions are already drawn and a decision is made. The cost of comprehensive diagnostics in the service is about 2-3 thousand rubles, and in this case the specialists will lift the car on a lift, examine the suspension elements, and inform you about what to replace and what repairs the car and its chassis require.

Checking the chassis will tell you both about its condition and how the car was cared for in general. Not a single motorist who cares about his vehicle will never allow serious damage in the chassis and will not “start” it. Cracked springs and torn boots are a sign that the car has not been looked after, and may be a reason to refuse to buy a car.

And don't forget to check the car's history before purchasing. This can be done using the Autocode service by state. number or VIN. The check is carried out using 16 official sources: traffic police, RSA, EAISTO, Federal Tax Service, Federal Customs Service and others. In 5 minutes you will learn about all the problems that the car has: incorrect mileage, traffic police restrictions, being wanted, on credit or under arrest, and much more.

If the online check is positive and the car is legally in in perfect order, we recommend that you study its technical component in more detail. To do this, it is best to use the services of an on-site car inspection. A specialist will arrive at the appointed time at the appointed place and inspect your car using special equipment. In this way, even the smallest hidden damage will be identified.

The chassis of a car is a frequent topic of conversation among car enthusiasts. It is especially relevant in the light of our “fairytale” roads: sometimes a hole under a puddle, sometimes a bump on a bump. “Fun”, in one word. As a result of all this, we begin to notice that there is a knocking and creaking somewhere, the car does not obey the steering wheel, and it begins to pull to the side. If anything is wrong, you should immediately check the chassis, because your safety on the road directly depends on its serviceability. Contact a service station and do a quality diagnostic of the chassis.

Why do you need chassis diagnostics?

It doesn't matter what kind of car you have: brand new or with a solid mileage. Diagnostics of the chassis is necessary in any case for your own peace of mind.

If you observe any strange things, contact the service station immediately:

1. On a bad road, a hum or knock appeared - this could be a malfunction in the suspension elements.

2. On high speed the car has become unstable and the steering wheel play has increased - this most likely indicates a faulty steering rack or wear on the steering rod mounts.

3. The car tilts when cornering - be suspicious incorrect operation chassis stabilization systems.

4. When braking, the car pulls to the side, or the braking distances– the brake pads or drums may soon fly off.

Diagnostics is considered a method of prevention. This is why it is needed so that you can prevent unwanted moments on the road in time and save the lives of your passengers and random pedestrians.

What refers to the elements of the car chassis

The chassis includes: frame, front and wheels. During movement, the main load falls on them, which is why they are subject to frequent wear.

Did you know? In driver's slang, a shock absorber is called a “marter”.

If you decide to inspect the chassis yourself, drive it into the inspection hole. During the inspection, pay attention to:

- support cups under the springs and the springs themselves for elasticity.

Are the shock absorbers leaking?

Cylinders if the car has air suspension.

Silent blocks.

Plays on rod ends, CV joints, ball joints.

Brake system: pads, drums, hubs, discs, tires, integrity of brake hoses.

If during the inspection you find a defect in any part, replace it immediately.

How often to diagnose the chassis

You don't need to do this every day. But twice a year (for example, when changing tires “winter - summer”) it is necessary. And if the mileage of your car is more than 10 thousand, then it’s definitely time to do comprehensive diagnostics chassis.

It is recommended to carry out diagnostics regularly. It is not necessary to count 10,000 km, “thanks” to our bad roads preventive examinations should be carried out more often. Often there is a need for emergency diagnostics after a “visit” to a hole hidden under a puddle. As a result of such a mechanical effect on the chassis, a hum, knocking, play in the steering wheel may appear, and the car may begin to roll or pull to the side.

Remember! In any case, don’t delay visiting a mechanic at a service station.

Checking the condition of the front and rear suspensions

The parts take on all the impacts on rough roads. This is why it is very important that they are in perfect condition. A suspension malfunction will immediately make itself known by the appearance extraneous sounds. Suspension diagnostics are complex measures:

1. Shock absorbers are checked with a special device that determines the degree of wear.

2. The springs are constantly under load (both when driving and when parked), so over time they lose their elasticity.

3. The spring support cups must be free of flaws and damage.

4. Play in ball joints, CV joints and tie rod ends is also an element of diagnostics of the vehicle chassis.

5. The boots on the CV joints must be intact.

6. Silent blocks (or other chassis components) in poor condition provoke instability and disruption of the smooth running of the car.

7. Included in suspension diagnostics is checking the wheel hub bearings.

8. Testing brake pads, discs, drums, hoses.

Presence of steering play

Backlash (or freewheel steering wheel) steering is needed to control the movement of the car. We allow play from 10 to 25 degrees, depending on the design of the car and the presence of power steering mechanisms on the steering wheel.

There should be no interference, jamming or jerking - all this makes it difficult to rotate the steering wheel and can provoke an accident. The tie rod ends are subject to the greatest wear. These are spherical hinges. If they wear out, you can completely lose control of steering because the linkages will fail.

For a detailed inspection of the tips, the car is jacked up and the wheel is removed. We find the tip on the steering rod, press the hinge from above (we press our fingers against the nut from below). If as a result of such actions it compresses and you feel play, then it’s time to change the hinge. Sometimes the steering wheel needs to be turned in different directions to determine play.

How to replace a tie rod yourself

If you know where the tie rod is located, you can replace it yourself. There is nothing extremely complicated about this.

1. Raise the car with a jack.

2. Remove the wheel.

3. Pour WD-shku into the place of the tip (this will make the process of unscrewing easier).

4. Turn the steering wheel all the way in any direction (this will make it easier to remove the hinge) and unscrew the entire steering mechanism.

5. Using pliers, remove the cotter pin from the hinge nut and unscrew the fixing nut.

6. Press the pry bar (puller) onto the swivel nut so that the tip bolt comes out of the seat.

7. Unscrew the joint from the steering rod clockwise (count the number of revolutions made so that later there are no problems with wheel alignment).

8. Place the new tip on the rod counterclockwise (the number of turns should be the same as when unscrewing). Tighten the nut well.

9. Insert the cotter pin.

Condition of front and rear wheel drives

The drive directly depends on the condition of the equal joints angular velocities(can last up to 100 thousand km). Drive hinges are internal and external. A malfunction of the outer joint is indicated by clicking sounds in the hub. front wheel on sharp turn or a characteristic constant crunching sound when moving on a straight section.

The external drive joints wear out more often due to poor-quality roads, interference with the suspension structure itself, and damage to the protective rubber covers. If the cover is leaky from old age or torn as a result of mechanical stress, then water, dust, snow, dirt, sand, and clay easily get inside the hinge. Thus it is washed away protective lubricant, and the hinge becomes unusable within a few kilometers.

If you discover the damage in time rubber boot, but the hinge itself has not yet been damaged, then the cover can be replaced. In this case, the hinge is disassembled, washed, and placed in it new lubricant

and put the new cover in place. If the hinge is already pretty damaged, then replace it with a new one. Attention!

The brakes should always be in good shape. Diagnose the brake system yourself every day to notice problems in time. Under no circumstances should you indulge in long journey with faulty brakes.

What we can do ourselves:

1. Without starting the engine, press the brake pedal. It should stop almost immediately and you will not be able to squeeze it. If there is a feeling of “jamming”, this is an alarming signal.

2. The pedal “stuck” when pressed slightly - its travel is too short. You will have to adjust the compensation hole in the master cylinder.

3. The pedal has a large free play - there is air in the system. Look for the leak and bleed the brakes.

4. Press the pedal several times, leave your foot on the brake pedal and start the car. If the brake pedal “falls”, then the vacuum brake booster is in order. If there is a hissing sound in the cabin, it means that the vacuum booster will have to be replaced.

5. For check hand brake raise the handbrake lever 3 - 4 clicks up. The light on the instrument panel should light up warning lamp. Put the car in neutral (the handbrake lever should be up) and try to manually move the car. If the car is moving, it is necessary to adjust the parking brake cables. If the adjustment is made and the car continues to move, you need to replace the brake pads.

6. Check the level with a dipstick brake fluid(must be up to the top level border) in expansion tank brake system.

7. Inspect the hoses and housing vacuum booster. They must be dry. If they leak, change them.

8. If there are oily smudges on the inside of the wheels, look for the cause in the working cylinder of the brake system: there should be no condensation on the cylinders, the hoses should be dry, there should be no rust on the tubes, there should be protective caps on the brake bleeding fittings, the hose should be attached to brake hose mounting bracket.

9. Brake pads It’s better to check at a service station or when changing wheels at a tire shop.

10. During a test drive, the car should not pull to the side when braking. If something is wrong, it is better to contact a specialist at a service station.

Remember!High-quality diagnostics of the brake system can only be carried out at service stations on special stands. Reliable brakes are your safety!

One of the most common car problems in Russia is suspension failure. The undercarriage parts are not designed to withstand the roads, obstacles and riding styles of the area. Therefore, sometimes you have to contact specialists and repair the car for further use. Sometimes problems occur that do not require professional intervention at all. It is quite possible that the knocking noise in the suspension comes from a loose wheel or a loose hub mount. In this case, you need to remove the wheel and carry out basic diagnostics. Everyone can do this without any problems. If you have a little time and the desire to find out what exactly is wrong with your car, you can carry out this procedure. If the suspension is knocking, it is not necessarily the chassis parts that are to blame. Very often the culprit is the gearbox or even the engine mounts.

Therefore, diagnostics are often delayed; it is necessary to open the hood and manually move all the parts that may loosen the fasteners and knock while driving. This applies to every element, including power unit. Problems with engine mounts are quite common. When they fail, the power unit begins to wobble in its mounting location and make very unpleasant knocking noises while driving. All fastenings in the chassis should be tightened. The upper shock absorber mount may be loose, which will cause an outright knock in the suspension even on a flat surface. The hub nut must be properly tightened, which is responsible for properly holding all suspension parts in place. Let's talk in more detail about all the audit processes.

We tighten all the nuts and bolts if the suspension starts to knock

There are many cases when, after repairs in a garage workshop, the chassis begins to actively knock. It often turns out that the craftsmen's hand was not very professional. They did not tighten one of the fasteners or did not tighten it correctly. As a result, the part knocks loudly when traveling or quickly fails. In this case, you need to put the car in the pit yourself and carry out several important works:

• climb into the pit under the engine area and use your hands to feel all the suspension parts for play and knocking, check Special attention on bushings and silent blocks, fastenings;
• the lower shock absorber mount may drop a little, causing a certain sound, as if something is about to fall off when driving on an uneven road;
• steering tips and rods must also be tightened well enough, as well as other parts; if play is detected, you need to try to tighten the element;
• if it is impossible to tighten it, you should go to specialists and change the part, since further operation often turns out to be very dangerous and undesirable;
• You can also tighten it under the hood top mounts struts, they often loosen and start knocking even on a flat road when accelerating or decelerating.

A knocking sound on a flat road is especially incomprehensible to a car driver. If the suspension rattles when accelerating or braking, you should pay special attention to the struts. If jerking and knocking noises occur immediately when you press the gas or brake, pay attention to the external and especially internal CV joints. They can be checked by holding the axle shafts with your hand and checking for play. They often turn out to be a major suspension problem that needs to be fixed immediately.

We check all the suspension parts with our own hands - how to diagnose?

Self-diagnosis of any car elements, including the suspension, is quite possible, but it brings a number of difficulties. First, you will need a pit to mount the car and have a convenient inspection opportunity. Secondly, you need to know everything you need to diagnostic work according to your car model. There is a certain universal range of tasks that can be used to diagnose a car:

• First, place the car in a hole and go under engine compartment to access the front suspension, carry out a manual examination of the axle shafts for play;
• inspect all the anthers to find everything possible problems with CV joints or ball joints, then take a pry bar and check the condition of the bushings;
• to check the bushings and silent blocks, simply pry them gently with the flat edge of the mount and shake them; if there is a knock or too much movement, you need to replace them;
• also, below the car, look at the fastening of all other parts, which will help you make sure that it is the suspension that is knocking, and not a loose engine;
• on the rear suspension, you should pay special attention to the silent blocks of the beams or to the levers, which depends on the design of the chassis in your car; diagnostics are simple.

If you conduct such a research in the car first, you will be able to find the main problems and malfunctions without much difficulty. Some parts can be easily repaired yourself. But sometimes it turns out that do-it-yourself repair impossible. You need to contact a quality service and order a replacement for a specific part, which will cost less than diagnosing and identifying the problem, and then only replacing it.

What problems cannot be put off until later?

Driving a car with a broken suspension is a bad idea. The driver must understand that he is exposing himself to a certain danger. There are many solutions that can be used in the most different situations. If you find a simple problem, but don’t have a lot of money for repairs, you can temporarily install cheap Chinese spare parts and give yourself a few months safe operation auto. But it’s better not to joke with the following breakdown options:

• everything related to the racks and their fastenings - failure will completely prevent you from operating the car, and may also damage some surrounding parts;
• CV joints and their fastening mechanisms - they should be changed immediately after the knocking starts, since their complete destruction will lead to the fact that movement is impossible and the torque will not be distributed;
• steering system, ends and rods - these should also be replaced as soon as you discover problems, since failure to replace them will put you in danger;
• the braking system does not tolerate any delays, so it is worth repairing and restoring it immediately after diagnosing and detecting any breakdowns;
• Rear suspension parts, as a rule, can wait, but if this does not concern the wheel bearings, these parts should be changed in a timely manner to avoid various troubles.

Check work wheel bearing incredibly simple - you just need to accelerate to a speed of 90 kilometers per hour and try to hear the hum from the front and rear suspension. If there is a hum, you can safely change the bearing on a certain side. If there is no hum, nothing needs to be changed. You can also jack up the wheel and try to spin it as much as possible to obtain information about the bearings and their condition.

What is impossible to diagnose independently in the suspension?

There are car suspension parts that cannot be diagnosed independently. Often, even with a detailed inspection of each element, it is very difficult to find the necessary problems. This does not mean that you can continue to drive the car without paying attention to the knocking noise. It is especially worth contacting the service if the knocking gets stronger and its occurrence becomes more frequent. In this case, the following parts may be to blame:

• directly the racks that have failed, it is almost impossible to check this, unless during a visual inspection you will see leaking oil on the racks;
• ball joint - it is simply impossible to check it during visual inspection machine, so it is necessary to carry out an inspection when disassembling the chassis parts;
• the brake system, which is hidden far enough from the driver’s eyes and has a rather complex design, so it’s not worth repairing it yourself;
• support bearings - it is extremely difficult to determine that they are to blame for the fact that your car knocks on bumps or when turning, this is complex part pendants;
• stabilizers and others important elements suspensions, which can only be checked on bushings, the mechanisms themselves are quite difficult to check; for this you will have to go to a service station.

A good service will give you a reliable inspection of every detail and draw professional conclusions. But we are talking only about complex things that really turn out to be unpleasant for the car owner. You can use the most different features diagnostics, but the use of a master’s hands is difficult to replace with anything else. If you discover a complex problem, you should immediately fix the problem and install quality parts. We invite you to watch a short video with suspension diagnostics and the usual steps for this process:

Let's sum it up

There are many unusual and rare problems that can actually be quite complex for any car. The suspension suffers from many impacts from unexpected potholes and from driving on an initially poor-quality road. You can find a whole list of reasons for failure, among which will be normal wear and tear. Therefore, you should not look for reasons, you just need to eliminate the problems that have arisen and make high-quality, long-lasting repairs. Without this, operating the car will be impossible; you will have to constantly drive and think that the suspension may fall apart at any moment.

Particular attention should be paid to suspension parts that have failed. At the service center, you should ask for an explanation of the reasons for such a breakdown in order to avoid making such mistakes in driving a car in the future. It often turns out that the car simply begins to break down, one part after another comes out. This happens when the factory-guaranteed resource of all spare parts ends. In this case, you will have to repair the machine for a long and expensive time. However, after installing the original quality spare parts you can forget about the problem for many years. Have you ever spent self-diagnosis chassis of the car?