Maruti Wagon-R Front Suspension Overhaul

[ameyam]

Hi,
I have a Wagon R 2008 vxi. Its preowned two different mechanics & the service center told me that the front suspension needs work. Being a new driver, i cant really tell. But the car does wobble a bit at very low speeds & the ride is a bit noisy. My regular mechanic told me the job is not urgent. So my question is, how do i know when its time to update the suspension?

Ameyam

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Dose the suspension make any noise when you turn the steering to full lock while driving? Does it make any noise when the wheels go in a pothole? Does the car track straight on a straight road when you take your hands off the steering wheel? Are the front tyres wearing out evenly? Put the car on the jack so that the front wheels are off the ground and try to yank the wheel(s) forwards and backwards - if there is a significant motion then yes the car needs a suspension job.

How many km has your car covered? You are saying that you are a new driver, so assuming that yours is a new car, a suspension job seems highly unlikely.

Answer all the above questions and then we shall proceed further.

 

[ameyam]

The suspension makes a grunting sound when taking the car out of full lock, especially during parking. It also makes a bit of rattle going over pot holes. At about 70kmpl the left front starts to vibrate. Something also rattles around on rough roads but I am not entirely sure where that sound is coming from. The car does drive straight though and the wheels seen to have even wear

My car is nearing 40K km. Its not new, its 2nd hand. I bought it last November but only got the confidence to take it out on the highway in May. Thats why I am not sure. But my mechanic is sure it needs the suspension overhauled.
Since I bought the car, I have spent a bit getting it mechanically sound- gear box and aircon mainly. So my mechanic is suggesting that I run it as is for some time it it really gets worse. I also need to change the tyres soon because the tyres on the car are the same vintage as the car- 2008 and so are quite hard. Problem is, I wont really understand when that time is

Ameyam

 

[Sam Dinkar]

The suspension makes a grunting sound when taking the car out of full lock, especially during parking. It also makes a bit of rattle going over pot holes. At about 70kmpl the left front starts to vibrate. Something also rattles around on rough roads but I am not entirely sure where that sound is coming from. The car does drive straight though and the wheels seen to have even wear.

Yes, the suspension needs to be overhauled - take a quote from Maruti authorised service centre and also from your mechanic.

I also need to change the tyres soon because the tyres on the car are the same vintage as the car- 2008 and so are quite hard. Problem is, I wont really understand when that time is

Change the tyres after you are convinced that the suspension work has been carried out satisfactorily - not before that. You can try the one rupee coin test to know when the tyres need to be replaced. Use any search engine on the internet to find out more about it - type "one rupee coin test for tyre tread".

 

[ameyam]

Hmm...what I am going to do is wait a bit. When I had the gear box serviced, the car was at 37k something and the MASS told me that the tyres would easily take another 5000km. Since then I have driven to around 40k. I am not an aggressive driver, so the types should do for now. There is tread there, just that the original owned didnt do too much driving, so the rubber has gone hard. I will take a call in a couple of months
The rattle I am getting seems to be coming from the driver side door. Will have someone look at that first. Today I held on to the door panel while driving over a short cobbled stone paver block road and its coming from there but not from the panel I thought. So I will see that first. At the least, I am thinking I will have the periphery of the panel lined with double sided foam tape so that it stops rattling against the door frame. This rattle started when I had the panel removed to redo the central locking and some packing placed there by the original owner fell off then.

Suspension work will be seen later. MASS is quite expensive and my mechanic is quite reliable. He had told me that once he opens the suspension, there will be a minimum expense of 10k, so drive it till it lasts. Thats what I am going to do

Ameyam

 

[ankit024]

see i also did the same, atleast you are aware that its suspension when i took my first car i didnt even know what the sound so i kept on driving and my tires started to worn out quikly.
i showed to MASS they quoted my 5K taxes extra.

i finally when into market survey and took decision of doing outside.
all maruti suspension equipment costed me around 1700 and labour was 500 to 600.

all work done for 2200. i still know the exact price.

 

[ameyam]

Is there something specific I need to do when I get the suspension done? A specific brand of shock or something like that. Something that will add longevity or handling? Or should I stick to the stock parts?
Ameyam

 

[ankit024]

i think the brand use by maruti is gabriel if i remember but not sure...!!