Coils Corroded - MOT Advisory - Time to replace after 28 Yrs? Suggestions?

Morning all, MOT showed the normal list this week .... headlight adjust, replacement cross member, seat belt welding, CV rubber, wipers, perished fuel pipe etc. All easy cheap stuff. But this time for the first time an advisory on coils.

Have considered a few times to do coils and suspension in general but never got round to it. Maybe now is the time. Any suggestions from those who have done it would be welcome.

What to replace with? Worth to upgrade a little? Is it an easy job? Not looking to be making any performance mods or spend a huge amount but anything that can improve handling in a gentle simple way with a bit of spend and without welding or cut out I'm interested in.

I can get away with it next time for sure but I do think it would benefit from some new metal and rubber. Interested in any ideas and experiences (or threads) you may have.

Thanks as always

  • Nearside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
  • Offside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
  • Nearside Rear Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
  • Offside Rear Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
 
Have you looked at them closely and have they failured you in doing there job have they snapped, if not try this, I brushed them to remove the dirt & surface rust. I then painted them with Kurust a very liquidity rust cure paint that returns rust into solid metal. I painted the coil springs all over and they passed my mot , without the very costly repair bill , as Kurust is £9.00 ( halfords) a large bottle.
Also have you used e10 petrol as I have never seen (perished fuel pipe )as a mot failure except when e10 petrol is used which will corroded rubber fuel pipes. Try using a e10 fuel additive which again you can buy from halfords for around £10 or use super unleaded

Yours Peter0003
 
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Have you looked at them closely and have they failured you in doing there job have they snapped, if not try this, I brushed them to remove the dirt & surface rust. I then painted them with Kurust a very liquidity rust cure paint that returns rust into solid metal. I painted the coil springs all over and they passed my mot , without the very costly repair bill , as Kurust is £9.00 ( halfords) a large bottle.
Also have you used e10 petrol as I have never seen (perished fuel pipe )as a mot failure except when e10 petrol is used which will corroded rubber fuel pipes. Try using a e10 fuel additive which again you can buy from halfords for around £10 or use super unleaded

Yours Peter0003
Hi Peter and many thanks for coming back on this one.

Strange normally this would be my sort of approach. Clean up and protect. And as the weather gets better I really should be taking that approach. There does not feel anything fundamentally wrong with each corner and indeed MOT hinted at nothing either.

Just bit short on car time last year and this year and getting lazy I think.

That said those are the original 94 factory fit items and wondered if I might get any advance in updating them?

But I think you are right, it's better to keep original if they have not failed. Did you take them off to treat them or did on car? Big fan of Krust ... does what it says.

On the fuel additive no I've not done that and to be honest had forgotten all about that. Interestingly (and could be coincidence) but they did have an advisory on the fuel pipe saying it showed signs of perishing but not leaking.

I'm going to try the additive for sure and this week. Is it an add-in each time you fill up job? Or just every now and again?

Also do we know if the pipe does need replacing, is there an 'E10 proof' type that can be sourced? Very strange, I nearly did the pipe replacement but had no thought about the E10 aspect. Good call.
 
Best thing to do with rubber replacement pipe is to contact manufacturers and as the rubber pipe would be over 20 years old in your car & mine, replacing it would be a good idea anyway. When reading instructions on additive bottle it states you add it per fill up if tank is empty but again read instructions carefully. And lastly I painted coils on the car also you could use hammerite finnagans no1 rust treatment (black paint). Peter0003
 
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Best thing to do with rubber replacement pipe is to contact manufacturers and as the rubber pipe would be over 20 years old in your car & mine, replacing it would be a good idea anyway. When reading instructions on additive bottle it states you add it per fill up if tank is empty but again read instructions carefully. And lastly I painted coils on the car also you could use hammerite finnagans no1 rust treatment (black paint). Peter0003

Think both those worth to put on the Summer car work list Peter. And the E10 additive definitively worth a try. Cheers Peter
 
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Best thing to do with rubber replacement pipe is to contact manufacturers and as the rubber pipe would be over 20 years old in your car & mine, replacing it would be a good idea anyway. When reading instructions on additive bottle it states you add it per fill up if tank is empty but again read instructions carefully. And lastly I painted coils on the car also you could use hammerite finnagans no1 rust treatment (black paint). Peter0003

Just had a look for some of the E10 additive in a can rather than the dreaded plastic. Found this on ebay. 4 x 500ml tins for £26 and also today ebay have a 15% voucher that can be used. Sounds ok. Voucher code if anyone interested is SHOP15 ..... also shown on the screenshot below if useful. But expires end of May 16th.

Make is Mannol. Don't know if they are any good but reads well.

4x500ml MANNOL Ester Petrol Ethanol Additive Stabiliser E10 E15 Fuel Economy


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I replaced my shocks and coils with Monroe oil filled shocks and high tensile springs and am very happy with the result. I had to install the springs on the front struts , easy enough with good spring compressors.
About £220 from an autofactor , it was 4 years ago
 
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