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Old 23rd July 2021, 19:09   #1
newhavenhibby
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Unhappy Front springs and tyre protectors

I know this topic is mentioned a fair bit on the forum so decided to write about my thoughts on them.

In the last 30 months I have now had 3 front springs and one rear fracture. When the first front one went I decided to replace both sides along with new suspension struts, top plates, bearings etc. I purchased these from Rimmers along with some tyre protectors and thought once fitted I would be OK for a few thousand miles.

Unfortunately this has not been the case! 12 months ago just prior to the MOT I suffered another spring fracture. The difference this time was I had fitted the tyre protectors and it meant I didn't have to pay out for a new tyre.

Move on 12 months to this week and the MOT was due again. I knew I needed some new tyres, so got my garage ( ML Motorsports nr Rosewell, Edinburgh) to fit and balance these along with a service prior to them taking it for an MOT. Their MOT station they use is a couple of miles away and sometime between fitting the tyres where everything was OK and going up on the MOT ramp yet another spring fractured


image003[45271] by Ann Edwards, on Flickr

As can be seen from the photo, fortunately the tyre protector did its job which is great news with a new tyre just fitted. I think much of this has to do with poor quality manufacturing in India / China etc. I had been around the underneath of the car prior to the MOT and certainly checked the outside of the spring and could not see any breaks in the outer coat or rust.

So my conclusion is, if you haven't fitted them please do so.


An unfortunate downside to this is I am losing / have lost confidence in the Rover 75 and found myself last year checking the springs everytime I went to drive it. ( the first two certainly went whilst the car was parked up and not moving) Therefore I can see me selling the car soon which is a shame as I like the cars ( have had 3 75's and a ZT) but this has certainly changed my attitude towards them
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Old 23rd July 2021, 19:30   #2
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Default Broken spring

Looks like a new clean break, depends where suppliers get there springs from? I fitted lesjofors spring to my 75 and spring protectors and not had any bother a good few years ago, I did paint them with por15 as well tho, herd of a new Ford Focus with 600 miles on clock that called out break down recovery as it went through tyre and when they looked as other side that was broken as well, not just our cars that break them, poor manufacturing like you say
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Old 23rd July 2021, 19:42   #3
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Looks like a new clean break, depends where suppliers get there springs from? I fitted lesjofors spring to my 75 and spring protectors and not had any bother a good few years ago, I did paint them with por15 as well tho, herd of a new Ford Focus with 600 miles on clock that called out break down recovery as it went through tyre and when they looked as other side that was broken as well, not just our cars that break them, poor manufacturing like you say
All a bit of a lottery if you ask me. I fitted a pair of Lesjöfors springs to the rear of my saloon, one lasted less than 2 years, although I did get a refund on one after a six month wait. And here's the real joke - Lesjöfors springs cost twice as much here as in UK. Anyway I replaced them (both) with a set of cheapies from Carparts4less and they've lasted. As I say ... a lottery.

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Old 23rd July 2021, 21:25   #4
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Hi Newhavenhibby. I knew from your username alone that your location was going to be Edinburgh! I would think its worth noting/keeping in mind that the roads here are genuinely terrible. I know a lot of towns and cities complain about potholes and road surfaces but I'm convinced Edinburgh could win if anyone put on a worst roads in the UK competition...

Maybe this has contributed to your spring woes?

Edit: I have had springs go here on the Rover and my old Nissan.

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Old 23rd July 2021, 21:43   #5
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probably not the cause but when you did the suspension overhaul on the front struts etc , did you renew the droplinks ? if so were the threads reduced in length before bolting to the struts ? this is the norm now as most of these links supplied have far too long a thread and need cutting down in length. its not just to assist in fitting but also they can protude into the spring base cup. you think that they clear the base of the spring when checked visually but as the spring turns they can foul on the thread when cornering. this happend to me with a long threaded set i bought. fortunately i found out before the spring broke. the rear springs are also prone to breaking. please dont think that this is an mgrover unique problem as it is a universal problem these days on nearly all cars. do some digging on line on other makes and you will see we are not alone. !!!
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Old 23rd July 2021, 21:55   #6
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I would be returning that spring, from what i can see from the picture, the break looks to be a clean one.

The position of the break suggests a defect in manufacturing, most of the broken springs on our cars occur right on the end of the bottom coil.
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Old 24th July 2021, 08:43   #7
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Hi Newhavenhibby. I knew from your username alone that your location was going to be Edinburgh! I would think its worth noting/keeping in mind that the roads here are genuinely terrible. I know a lot of towns and cities complain about potholes and road surfaces but I'm convinced Edinburgh could win if anyone put on a worst roads in the UK competition...

Maybe this has contributed to your spring woes?

Edit: I have had springs go here on the Rover and my old Nissan.
Hi Andrew, this thought has crossed my mind because as you say the roads are the worst I have known. This is especially so down Salamander Street which I often travel, where I have to slalom along to miss the worst! You wouldn't think it was a main road into the North of the city and Leith.

Think I may send the above pic to the council with a photo of one of the potholes and claim off them.

Thanks for the tip "xsport" but the threads are / were clear.

Thanks Trikey, Last year I did contact my supplier Rimmers re the quick break but they did not want to know so gave up........perhaps a little too easily Its down in Norfolk in a couple of weeks so be prepared for a call to come and change a broken spring!
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Old 26th July 2021, 08:07   #8
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Hello Ashley,

From your photo it looks as if the spring seat is severely deformed in an upwards direction, necessitating a replacement. Would you agree?

Did you choose genuine X-Part branded springs (made by Suplex) from Rimmer's?

Simon
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Old 26th July 2021, 08:51   #9
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Spring seat was OK........think the photo is misleading with the isolator being dragged up making it appear that the seat was deformed. I've replaced the whole lot again in any case.

Springs were the X-Part brands from Rimmers.

Thanks for the comments.
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Old 26th July 2021, 09:53   #10
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I’m having no end of trouble with our front end. Drop links, track rod ends, springs replaced a couple of years ago. The roads in Lancashire certainly contribute to untimely wear and tear on steering components. I may end up swapping the car for a chieftain tank….
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