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      02-18-2020, 04:39 PM   #1
yakudi
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Rear coil spring

On a recent repair we found out the that the left rear coil spring is broken. The shop advises replacing both - although they said its not super urgent since its broken at the bottom turn. I took a look...and its true.

I'm a bit surprised since the car is driven carefully, over good surfaces and I do wash the undercarriage on occasion. However this is Massachusetts...

Question for the learned - Is this a DIY job?
I can imagine a carefully attempted repair in summer but only if it's doable. I have beginner to intermediate diy ability - I did the front breaks last year.
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      02-18-2020, 06:09 PM   #2
pungo
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Right, but if you're in the snow belt, the long winters of salted roads takes it toll on parts due to corrosion. I power wash the undercarriage and suspension parts really well once winter is over. Those springs will hold a lot of crud toward the ends and cause premature corrosion, therefore breakage (it's common for northern locations in the US).

Last edited by pungo; 02-18-2020 at 06:26 PM..
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      02-19-2020, 11:19 AM   #3
najnad
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I would not recommend DIY unless you have the proper tools to safely handle springs as well as the means to check/adjust the alignment after the replacement.
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      03-04-2020, 04:16 PM   #4
Marty in NY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yakudi View Post
On a recent repair we found out the that the left rear coil spring is broken. The shop advises replacing both - although they said its not super urgent since its broken at the bottom turn. I took a look...and its true.

I'm a bit surprised since the car is driven carefully, over good surfaces and I do wash the undercarriage on occasion. However this is Massachusetts...

Question for the learned - Is this a DIY job?
I can imagine a carefully attempted repair in summer but only if it's doable. I have beginner to intermediate diy ability - I did the front breaks last year.
It can be a DIY job. You need to take the inside wall covering off from the cargo area to access the nuts at the top of the shock tower, then just a couple of bolts at the bottom of the shock area and you can pull the entire strut out. If you are uncomfortable with compressing and removing the spring, just take the complete strut along with the new parts you want to install to a service garage. They can remove the old spring and install the new one and then you can install the strut back into your car.
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