406oc.co.uk

When under full-force braking (just before the ABS kicks in) with the steering dead centre, the front end of the coupe likes to veer to the sides. First left, then after I've corrected it, to the right. It's been happening since I've had the car. Wheel alignment is perfect

Does this sound like worn front springs and/or worn front anti-roll bar or wishbone bushes?

Please say something cheap...

That would seem to indicate (ark at me?) something's going out of alignment under breaking, I'm not really sure how you'd spot it without stripping the suspension I suppose the wishbone bushes are the likely suspects, maybe you'll be able to see on the rollers today (and maybe you'll not see this 'til it's too late ). Fingers crossed anyway.

Every bush is nicely perished and looks like crap... Just like everything else on the car when I bought it Nothing struck me as being loose when I had it all split though, but the brakes can put a wee bit more force on stuff than my arm can

Is it only under braking, or do you get it on acceleration too? If so, is it the same way or opposite?

Just under hard braking, when the bumper's practically grinding along the road...

A quick and easy way to check your suspension bushes is to get a friend/wife/trained monkey to drive the car back and forward a few feet and JUMP on the brakes while you stand next to the wheel and watch. You'll see the wheel move forwards or backwards in the wheelarch if the bushes are bad. Check both sides and compare how much movement there is.

If there's nothing to bad going on there then it's probably a lazy caliper. 406's (like most cars) have the bushes aranged in a way that will counteract a degree of pulling while braking/accelerating for if one wheel is on a slippy surface and locks up/the abs cuts in. But eventualy, under very hard braking the bushes will run out of "give" and it'll pull anyway, which could be what you're getting.

or could it be the perished front brake hoses that I've just failed the MOT on?

Garage is going to do the work tomorrow because I need the car this weekend and can't get the hoses today. I HATE paying for labour


Also, it turns out the coupe has 4 rear sidelights, I've got one out and the other one decided to start working between when I checked last night and when it was tested, so I failed on that too

Why can't I have a 406 pass its MOT first time round?

I've had few cars fail mots, usually on stupid stuff too

I think I'd rather know about the brake hoses, expensive way of finding out but I can think of worse... Tail lights? Pffft

...and the garage bot the wrong parts in, and can't get the right ones until tomorrow. F**K! I'm supposed to be going away tonight

Oh jesus, always when you're on a deadline as well

mjb wrote:...and the garage bot the wrong parts in, and can't get the right ones until tomorrow. F**K! I'm supposed to be going away tonight

Oh poo.

Most cars squirm about a bit under hard braking because the adhesion of the tyres keeps swapping priority side to side.

Argh! I thought I was onto a winner when eurocarparts said they'd got the parts in stock... garage calls me and tells me they're the exact same wrong hoses!

So I'm taking the (still MOT'd today) car away tonight and putting it in my garage to fix up myself without the horrendous labour charges. Looks like I'm hiring a car

Hang on. You're allowed to drive a non-MOT'd car to a garage to fix... Wonder if the one next to my house would count...