The owner asked me to have a look at their 2009 Renault Megane Dynamique 1.5 diesel, to find the cause of a vibration problem. I discovered that the vehicle had two reasons for the one complaint. The vibration was occurring at speeds of above 50 MPH, and was then amplified when braking. My first concern was that the problem may have been due to a suspension fault, which can often be the cause of both symptoms.

After checking the suspension joints and bushes, all of which appeared to be good, I moved on to check the brakes and the tyres. Both the brakes and the tyres were found to be defective. The rear brake discs had corroded badly, and the rear tyres were both worn and misshapen and were showing signs of internal failure.

The remedy wasn’t cheap, as the brake discs on the Megane come complete with the hub bearing, but brake discs and tyres were necessary to rectify this vibration problem.

Once all repairs were finished, the owner remarked that it was like driving a different vehicle, and I am sure it was a lot safer.

You can download this story as a PDF, as well as other technical tips at TechTips.ie.

There are lots more Tech Tips to view, and they are all searchable, on TechTips.ie.