Vauxhall weak suspension design

[insanitybeard]

I've been corralled into trying to fix a 'friend of the family's' '15 plate Vauxhall Corsa VXR. After apparently hitting a kerb at fairly low speed, the thing was undriveable and had to be recovered due to something being bent in the NSF suspension. At a cursory glance it looked like the strut was bent and that the wheel was rubbing against it, making it impossible to drive. After using a cheap alloy wheel spacer ring to offset the wheel sufficiently so that it didn't rub against the strut I gently drove it from where it's been parked up for weeks back onto the drive to assess the damage, and I have to say, what a crap (IMO) front suspension design! I'm used to substantial wraparound clamp type wheel knuckles as found on the Galaxy (and most vehicles I've worked on to date) where the strut base slides into a split clamp on the knuckle. The design on the Corsa means that all of the load and suspension force is transmitted from the knuckle to the strut by a comparatively small lug at the top of the wheel knuckle which is clamped by two bolts between a couple of pressed steel 'wings' projecting off of the bottom of the strut. I'd hoped that just the strut was bent being that there was no obvious damage to the wheel, track rod, lower arm etc but upon stripping it down today it's apparent that the wheel knuckle will need replacing as well because the lug where it couples to the strut is also bent. So a new knuckle (and possibly bearing) and strut at minimum are required to repair a low speed impact which hasn't caused any significant damage to the alloy wheel! 


Bent strut:
[attachimg=1]


Those two clamp bolts below should be parallel- which they clearly aren't!
[attachimg=2]


Side view showing how under-engineered the wheel knuckle lug that the strut bolts to is:
[attachimg=3]


The opposite (i.e, not bent!) side in it's assembled form:
[attachimg=4]

[Mirez]

Another great design from the company that bought you instant zafira fire heaters 

[insanitybeard]

I've not heard of that one, pray tell! Was it some self immolating device?!

[Mirez]

Oh they have had massive issues with the zaffy catching fire. It was recalled and then recalled again

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36330439

[insanitybeard]

Yikes! 

Well, if this quality of engineering is typical of Vauxhall then my dislike of them and reluctance to ever buy one is well founded! What rubbish.

[johnnyroper]

Having spent 5 years of my life working in a vaux dealer I can confirm they are utter garbage......
I remember doing cylinder head after cylinder head! Injection mounded plastic on metal bearings don't on the cheap for belt rollers failing at as little as 20k.

[insanitybeard]

I can believe it! I know Ford have had their issues with stuff but if this is typical Vauxhall then I know which one I'd rather have! Not wishing to offend any Vauxhall owners out there but I'm not impressed.

[johnnyroper]

I have only ever had 1 Vauxhall and that was enough I got a 3.2v6 signum for peanuts,engine was cracking everything else around it was utter crap. Had a real let off with it skidded on some black ice wrote off in to a cctv post. Ended up in profit with insurance payout.

[insanitybeard]

In profit after an insurance payout? That's an almost unheard of concept! 

Well this little prang is going to cost matey dear. As it's such a new car Euro et al don't list any dampers for it, so genuine it'll have to be...... front damper Ã,£216, wheel knuckle Ã,£125, wheel bearing (as it doesn't come with the knuckle and I'm not even going to attempt pressing the bearing out of one knuckle and into another one) Ã,£55.... prices PLUS VAT...... 

[johnnyroper]

I know it is totally in heard of but I was grateful for it,made up for the fact I endured a crap Vauxhall for a month or so...

Oh dear that does sound an expensive little job,don't forget to add your bit on aswell

[insanitybeard]

Yeah, gotta be worth a hundred quid in my pocket I reckon, especially as I'll end up having to organise the parts as well!

[johnnyroper]

Yes definitely worth Ã,£100 for the work you got to put in,would have cost more than that at a garage.

[badders1954]

You know what they say if your going to have an accident hit something soft like the grass verge or a modern Vauxhall!!!!

[johnnyroper]

Lol...... my signum was a mess 10mph max at time of impact it took out the off side leg,wing,door,bonnet,bumper and the rads. Offside sill also looked deformed.
Glad it wasn't high speed impact that's for sure as they are made of chocolate

[Mirez]

lol

I had an astra as a company car once A 1999 which was bought new and lasted 27K miles before the engine was replaced due to a crack in the block. It did another 30K before failing its first MoT on (IIRC) 9 items including welding of the rear subframe and sill corrosion which was some of the lesser fails by comparison to my colleagues at the time!
The company changed to Mondeos and Focus that year

[johnnyroper]

Not the best of cars are they? The 2.0 and 2.2 diesels were particularly poor engines,used to be known as 2 strokes in the dealer where I worked as they consumed more oil than diesel. Oh and that crap injection pump they had the vp44 didn't like going over 50k miles.

Only good thing was older ones could change clutch with box left in situ,half hour job ✅

[insanitybeard]

Welding at less than 60k?  My l'il Ford Ka made it to about 90k before welding was needed which still wasn't brilliant IMO as I'd owned it from new and looked after it, it was around 9 years old at that point though.

Clutches that could be changed without dropping the 'box? That's a new one on me, how did that work?

[Mirez]

Yeah it was a shitebox that car, the "new car" factor wore off as I drove it away from the dealer as the steering wheel used to creak when you turned it

Presumably the same as the old Escorts, there was just enough room to slide the gearbox over on its mount points.

[johnnyroper]

Remove end cover on the box and there Was a clip and small bolt to remove the shaft could then be drawn out which pulled first motion out of clutch plate.
Remove 3 bolts holding inspection plate off under clutch assembly,use prybar or helper to press clutch pedal so pressure plate was compressed you then fitted some metal clips to hold it like that. Turn engine so you had 4 clips on. It was then a case of undoing the bolts through the hole as you rotated engine. Once all out drop clutch down out of the inspection hole,release bearing could be done through the hole also. And if memory serves correctly flywheel could also be changed?

Putting back in refit couple of bolts loosely then push the gearbox shaft in so lined up with clutch then torque everything before removing clips and refitting covers etc. That was for cars up to Astra f and cavalier it all changed with later ones.
You can even whip the whole geartrain out and change gears,bearings etc with box in place,ring of bolts on end,top turret off then slide it all out. Done a vectra f18 strip down and changed layshaft bearings on my drive in couple of hours.
Apart from that they are sh..e cars.