Excellent start to the year!

[RobTurbo]

I stopped at my girlfriends' last night, went to go home this morning, got in the car, as soon as I started to pull away I heard a crunch/boing! I got out and had a look around but couldn't see anything wrong, got back in and tried driving again and it just didn't feel right, I was thinking the suspension top mount might have given up, drove to the end of the street and could smell burning rubber, got out and had a look again, now the front is very low and the N/S/F spring is visible through the spokes on the wheel and is rubbing on the tyre

I only live up the road so carried on driving and put the car on the drive, I can't see it properly but it's fairly obvious the spring has snapped, so I'm stuck with no car! I was going to buy lowering springs soon but that's going to mean waiting for them to be delivered and I need the car, so it looks like I'm going to have to buy a normal spring, mess around changing it, then do it all over again when I get lowering springs.

My brother works at motorworld so I've phoned him and he's going to get a price for a spring tomorrow, hopefully get it in the same day then drop it off for me.

If only it was a 306, I have loads of spares for them, but this being my first 406 I haven't had chance to build up a collection yet!

[Bailes1992]

Go to a scrappy and buy a cheap strut for now. Just swap the struts over until you can afford lowering springs. Keep the old shock as the chances are it will be better than the one you get from the scrappy.

[RobTurbo]

With the scrapyards around here it'll be cheaper to buy a new spring, and I'd have to take it off the car myself, while sat in an oily muddy puddle!

I took the broken spring off the car earlier and found the top mount bearing is almost non-existent, so I'll get a pair, the other one is more than likely going to be the same, the steering has always been smooth, light and noise free though, so it's quite a surprise to find the bearings in such a state.

[RobTurbo]

£20 for a new spring (with my brother's discount!) £56.40 for a pair of top mount bearings from ECP, I was going to order them yesterday when they had a sale on but waited for the price from motorworld instead, but they were £62 a pair.

I went and bought some new spring compressors while I was out, there was no way the ones I had would do the job, these springs are huge!

I hope this little incident wasn't a taste of things to come this year!