Knocks and bangs are one of the most annoying problems that motorists can have. Not only are they annoying, but they are often a strong indication of a looming problem that will certainly get worse as time goes by. This 2007 Zafira 1.8 had just such a knock from the front suspension. The owner knew that this would not only get worse, and could also possibly be causing further damage.

When the vehicle was brought to my garage, I jacked up the offside and soon discovered that the top mount on the strut had rotted through the centre, allowing the strut top to bang around. The rubber strut top tends to go like jelly when it begins to fail, and there were signs of this jelly like substance on the thread of the strut. Thankfully, once the top nut was removed the thread cleaned up without issue.

With the new top mount fitted and back together, my only task was to convince the owner that the nearside would probably be in the same condition and was worth changing before it also started banging around.

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