Coil Spring replacement & repair made easy

The main purpose of coil springs is to ensure the wheels are in good contact with the road surface whilst providing absorption from uneven surfaces.

Coil springs are often also known as road springs or even suspension springs.

Whilst there are difference between vehicles, there are some basic processes across most;

• The mechanic will raise the vehicle and inspect the suspension system and coil springs in detail.
• If necessary, the mechanic will replace the front or rear pair of coil springs.
• The mechanic will advise if other components need to be replaced.
• The mechanic will check the suspension again and test drive the car.

Unless you are a qualified mechanic with the required skills, training and equipment to do the job, we strongly recommend a coil springs replacement is only carried out by a professional mechanic. ClickMechanic can help get you a vetted and local mechanic to carry out the work. Just enter your postcode and your car's registration number at the top of this page and select the work needed to get an instant fixed price up front.

Usually, you can notice something is amiss with a coil spring as some of the conditions are quite noticeable such as;

• The vehicle is noticeably lower on one side
• There is uneven steering, or even veering off to one side
• There are rattles and knocks when going over uneven road surfaces.

However, there are occasions where a coil spring has broken right at the bottom and it’s therefore not always that obvious. It has also been known for the coil springs on both sides to break within a short time of each other, especially if the vehicle has been parked up for some time, so the obvious leaning to one side isn’t quite so evident.

A front coil springs replacement on average takes around 2 hour, but can take anywhere from just over 1 hour to 3 hours. A rear coil springs replacement takes on average 1 hour, but can take up to around 1.5 hours. Ultimately, the time that the job will take will depend on a number of factors, like your vehicle's make and model, year, as well as other factors. Select your car at the top of this page for information on job time and cost for your vehicle through ClickMechanic.

As soon as you are aware that a coil spring has broken, it must be replaced - and BOTH sides will need to be done at the same time.

As coil springs get older, their strength decreases and therefore the function of both absorbing the uneven surfaces and keeping the wheels in contact with the road surface is reduced. Whilst this factor isn’t of major significance when both springs are of the same age (as they will be even on both sides, if you only fit a new spring on one side it will unbalance the vehicle. This will result in significantly upsetting the handling and road holding, and can cause a major issue under braking resulting in the car veering to one side.

With worsening road conditions and heavier vehicles, coil springs are subjected to more strain now than they were 20 years ago. Therefore coil spring replacements are a regular occurrence these days.

Whilst there isn’t much you can do on a day to day basis about rough road surfaces, pot holes etc, taking care over traffic calming measures and avoiding anything that will give the car a jolt will improve the lifetime of a coil spring.

Vehicles do not like being left stationary for a long period of time. This is very much the case for coil springs, which tend to break more frequently when left!

No, driving with a broken coil spring is dangerous and could lead to a loss of control of the vehicle. If you experience any untoward characteristics in the handling of your vehicle, or if you suspect there is any issue with the coil spring or there are concerns about its age or condition, book a diagnostic inspection immediately and do not drive the vehicle.

Yes, suspension springs should always be replaced in axle pairs. It is dangerous to replace just the single spring as one side will have a weaker spring than the other side (the new side). This can lead to an imbalance under braking making the car swerve to one side and will impact overall handling of the car which means you could lose control over the vehicle.

No, under no circumstances should you just replace a single spring across the axle, both sides (the axle pair) will need replacing at the same time. As springs age, their strength reduces, so if you only change one side, the result will be that the force in which the wheel on the side with the new spring, will be forced onto the road with more pressure than the other side with the weaker spring. Under braking, especially in the wet, this can result in the car swerving to one side or even spinning. It will also have a detrimental effect on the handling and general road holding of the vehicle for the same reasons.

There is usually no set replacement interval for coil springs, however they do deteriorate over time and can snap. How long the coil springs last will depend on a number of factors like the quality of the part and how the vehicle is used.