Repairing Suspension Turrets repair?

[Glasgow]

Hi - we have recently had our second hand X reg Vauxhall Corsa serviced for the first time and note that on the sheet it says:

"Advise: Rear suspension turrets rusting through also rubber seals are perishing"

Can anyone advise whether this is a repairable problem and, if so, what sort of cost might be involved please?

Many thanks.

 

[Burnerman]

I'd like to hear others comments first but as far as I can remember, the Corsa has simply a coil spring sandwiched between the axle and the bodywork, and a separate shock absorber.......not really a turret as we know it.
With things like these, I like the garage to point out the problem to me when the car is on a hoist. Can you possibly post a picture?
If its a shock absorber problem (rubber seals) or bushes then the repair is cheap and simple.....if the body requires welding then much less so.
John

 

[Glasgow]

Thanks. I'm afraid I'm not in a position to post a picture unless I can take it myself from ground level and I know exactly where to point the camera!

 

[Burnerman]

A suspension turret is typically the part of the bodyshell that a MacPherson strut locates into....a MacPherson strut contains the coil spring complete with a shock absorber and hub mounting in one unit.
The turret therefore is a strong steel box, open on only one side and with a reinforced top to hold the power of the spring.
Your shock absorbers locate in a sort of a turret - albeit a very small one - and they have a rubber bushing top and bottom to resist noise.
As far as I know, the springs locate within the axle and body with no rubber cushion.....but lets hear what others say!
John

 

[kbdiy]

Replaced the rear springs on my daughter's '54 plate Corsa a year or so back. Springs just locate between the suspension arm and the body. Shocks are located in a turret with bushes top and bottom - separate from the spring.

If the turret is rusting it will be a pig to weld in a repair in my opinion as access is gonna be tight. You really need to consult someone who is very familiar with welding to MOT standard otherwise a poor repair could still end up a failure.

 

[Glasgow]

Thanks - sounds scarily expensive!

 

[Mursal]

They seem to rust there, a friend had one a few years back, MOT (NCT that's what we call it) failure. He had to cut his losses (got rid for parts), but if he had to rust proof the area and repaint/reseal before going in for the test, it might have passed.
As it was, they just could not pass it, on visual inspection alone. It just looked to bad.

So if the rust isn't to severe you may not need welding (only surface rust), or did the garage say it needed welding?

Yes, optimistic but worth a try

Edit 1:
Having read your first post again, "rusting through" doesn't sound good. But definitely worth a look to see how bad it actually is, before you go for the test.

 

[Glasgow]

The garage didn't say whether welding was required. I have contacted them twice but yet to have call returned!

Should I be able to see this rust without putting the car on a hoist?

 

[Mursal]

Well if you take the wheel off and support the car on something solid, like an axle stand. You could have a wee look up into the cavity the shock goes into.
A torch might help, just don't stick the screwdriver through the rust patch, like my mate did.
Just give the car a good shake before you take the wheel off, to ensure its supported well on the solid stand.

Have a wee look on U-Tube there maybe a video on the problem

This isn't a Corsa, but might help a little

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRrhiAj5wQc

More links

http://www.youtube.com/results?sear...36.2022.2j10j3.15.0...0.0...1ac.1.kwRIWFMK6p4

 

[Glasgow]

Thanks

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Its not much different to reinforcing the turrets if you were to fit coil over dampers.

If they were really shot then welding them up would be the only solution, either by grafting ones from another corsa from the breakers or cutting out and replacing a bit like this, albeit a nova, http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showthread.php?153447-Turreting-the-rear-of-a-nova

A good bodywork welder would eat this but then it depends how much the car is worth.



A corsa thread here: http://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/weld...463399-pictures-your-rear-turrets-please.html

http://www.corsasport.co.uk/board/viewthread.php?tid=549327