My Mondeo (1997 2.0i 121K miles) failed its MOT yesterday due to broken 
front suspension springs (both sides). The garage says the car should 
not be driven. Im OK with the advice, but the problem is the car was 
serviced by the same garage (a Ford agent, not a main dealer, which I 
have been using for the last 4 years) less than 4 weeks ago. I had it 
serviced before going on holiday to France and it was too early to get 
an MOT done at the same time.

I have driven the car since the service, and havent noticed any bangs 
that might have indicated the springs going, nor have I noticed any 
differences in how the car is handling.

So, a couple of questions:

1.	Should the garage have spotted the broken springs during the service? 
The car has been serviced twice by them since they did the last MOT. At 
the last service they also changed the tyres so the wheels were off the car.
2.	What is the likelihood that both would have broken in 4 weeks and 
approx 1000 miles of driving without me noticing?

The cost of replacing them is not an issue  its more about the 
inconvenience of having the car off the road for a couple of days, and 
more importantly having driven the car to France and back in a 
potentially dangerous state.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

Cheers

Kevin

Kevin  wrote:


> My Mondeo (1997 2.0i 121K miles) failed it's MOT yesterday due to broken
> front suspension springs (both sides). The garage says the car should
> not be driven. I'm OK with the advice, but the problem is the car was
> serviced by the same garage (a Ford agent, not a main dealer, which I
> have been using for the last 4 years) less than 4 weeks ago. I had it
> serviced before going on holiday to France and it was too early to get
> an MOT done at the same time.
> 
> I have driven the car since the service, and haven't noticed any bangs
> that might have indicated the springs going, nor have I noticed any 
> differences in how the car is handling.
> 
> So, a couple of questions:
> 
> 1.    Should the garage have spotted the broken springs during the service?
> The car has been serviced twice by them since they did the last MOT. At
> the last service they also changed the tyres so the wheels were off the car.


Depends where it snapped. If it snapped in the 'cup' where the spring is
bolted to the chassis, then it's unlikely they'd have noticed unless
specifically looking for it - as they do on the MOT.


> 2.    What is the likelihood that both would have broken in 4 weeks and
> approx 1000 miles of driving without me noticing?


This could well have happened, you wouldn't always notice as the spring
is under compression, so depending on where the spring broke (see above)
it may well not have 'twanged' out of place.

I didn't notice a broken spring on our Alfa 75, until I was told it was
broken, then I paid more attention to the way the car was driving and
could detect it.
-- 
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Alfa 75 TSpark
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark Lusso - Passat 1.8 Turbo SE -  COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

Kevin wrote:


> 1.    Should the garage have spotted the broken springs during the 
> service? 


Yes. However an MOT tester has to show at least a basic competence to
do the job. A main dealer service monkey could've left school yesterday.


> 2.    What is the likelihood that both would have broken in 4 weeks and 
> approx 1000 miles of driving without me noticing?


Vanishingly small.


> The cost of replacing them is not an issue  its more about the 
> inconvenience of having the car off the road for a couple of days, 


Couple of days? I did my Mondeo springs in less than an hour for each 
side. And that's with cheapish spring compressors. The 400odd quid
ones Ford have makes the job even quicker.

John

> 
> Couple of days? I did my Mondeo springs in less than an hour for each 
> side. And that's with cheapish spring compressors. The 400odd quid
> ones Ford have makes the job even quicker.
> 
> John


John - I don't feel like having a go at this myself, even if it appears 
relatively straightforward. The garage is 2 men down this week so the 
earliest they can do it is Mon along with the re-test. The guys doing 
the MOT also do the servicing.

Cheers

Kevin

In article <43201ce1$1_2@news4.prserv.net>, Kevin says...

> > 
> > Couple of days? I did my Mondeo springs in less than an hour for each 
> > side. And that's with cheapish spring compressors. The 400odd quid
> > ones Ford have makes the job even quicker.
> > 
> > John
> 
> John - I don't feel like having a go at this myself, even if it appears 
> relatively straightforward. The garage is 2 men down this week so the 
> earliest they can do it is Mon along with the re-test. The guys doing 
> the MOT also do the servicing.
> 

You can take it to absolutely anywhere to have them fitted. It's one of 
those jobs that you have to work really hard to screw up.


-- 
Conor

"You're not married, you haven't got a girlfriend and you've never seen 
Star Trek? Good Lord!" - Patrick Stewart, Extras.

Kevin  writes

>My Mondeo (1997 2.0i 121K miles) failed it’s MOT yesterday due to 
>broken front suspension springs (both sides). The garage says the car 
>should not be driven. I’m OK with the advice, but the problem is the 
>car was serviced by the same garage (a Ford agent, not a main dealer, 
>which I have been using for the last 4 years) less than 4 weeks ago. I 
>had it serviced before going on holiday to France and it was too early 
>to get an MOT done at the same time.
>
>I have driven the car since the service, and haven’t noticed any 
>bangs that might have indicated the springs going, nor have I noticed 
>any differences in how the car is handling.
>
>So, a couple of questions:
>
>1.     Should the garage have spotted the broken springs during the 
>service? The car has been serviced twice by them since they did the 
>last MOT. At the last service they also changed the tyres so the wheels 
>were off the car.
>2.     What is the likelihood that both would have broken in 4 weeks 
>and approx 1000 miles of driving without me noticing?
>

I had a 1999 1.8 Mondeo, and had both front coil springs break within 
about a nine month period, and the car had done less than 40,000 miles.
On neither occasion did I notice a difference in handling, and one was 
discovered at an MOT test, and the other during a service, (both main 
dealers).   The first break was discovered a few weeks after hitting a 
deep pothole, but there were no incidents before the second discovery.

On the second occasion I was so incredulous that I insisted on being 
taken to see it, and it had broken almost at the upper anchor point.
The guy in the overalls was looking a bit askance at me because I had 
come to check, so I thanked him for his thoroughness and asked whether 
road 'humps' might be a cause of it.   Both he and the foremen shook 
their heads and said "Wear and tear".

I was bemused at this.....
-- 
Gordon Harris

The message 
from Conor  contains these words:


> You can take it to absolutely anywhere to have them fitted. It's one of 
> those jobs that you have to work really hard to screw up.


So, that rules out KwikFit then?

-- 
Skipweasel.
In the beginning was the word.
And the word was Aardvark.

John Greystrong  writes

>Kevin wrote:
>
>> 1.    Should the garage have spotted the broken springs during the 
>>service?
>
>Yes. However an MOT tester has to show at least a basic competence to
>do the job. A main dealer service monkey could've left school yesterday.
>

The 'Service Monkey' who found one of mine at a service was an 
experienced guy about 40 years old, at a guess.     ;-)


>> 2.    What is the likelihood that both would have broken in 4 weeks 
>>and approx 1000 miles of driving without me noticing?
>
>Vanishingly small.
>

It happened to my Mondeo within about 4000 miles.
-- 
Gordon Harris

"Kevin"  wrote in message
news:431feab3$1_2@news4.prserv.net...

> My Mondeo (1997 2.0i 121K miles) failed its MOT yesterday due to broken
> front suspension springs (both sides). The garage says the car should
> not be driven. Im OK with the advice, but the problem is the car was
> serviced by the same garage (a Ford agent, not a main dealer, which I
> have been using for the last 4 years) less than 4 weeks ago. I had it
> serviced before going on holiday to France and it was too early to get
> an MOT done at the same time.
>
> I have driven the car since the service, and havent noticed any bangs
> that might have indicated the springs going, nor have I noticed any
> differences in how the car is handling.
>
> So, a couple of questions:
>
> 1. Should the garage have spotted the broken springs during the service?
> The car has been serviced twice by them since they did the last MOT. At
> the last service they also changed the tyres so the wheels were off the
car.
> 2. What is the likelihood that both would have broken in 4 weeks and
> approx 1000 miles of driving without me noticing?
>
> The cost of replacing them is not an issue  its more about the
> inconvenience of having the car off the road for a couple of days, and
> more importantly having driven the car to France and back in a
> potentially dangerous state.
>
> Any thoughts would be welcome.
>
> Cheers
>
> Kevin


It's one of the most common faults on the mondeo,for some reason they snap
at least once while you own the car.
If your'e doing it yourself remove the whole leg(disc)still on the strut as
99 times out of 100 the pinch bolt will snap that holds it onto the strut
and cause you a whole new load of grief.