I have a 2002 , 52 plate Vectra C . Rear suspension noise is driving me crazy , the car has done over the warranty mileage so have to pay myself now . While driving over speed ramps all is fine , but when driving over a bumpy road surface such as potholes etc........im getting a loud crack noise from the offside rear wheel .
I have heard that the Vectra C from 2002 had problems , what on earth is it thats causing this !!!
Rear shocks are new , and all bushes seem fine .
Help please b4 I drive it off a cliff .
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Check the antiroll bar bushes.
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Simplicate and add lightness!!
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Having looked at the anti-rollbar bushes , they seem to be OK. But then again im not to sure as to how to check them for being broken ?
Sorry to sound dull , but im not mechanically minded unless im told how to check .
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Had an intermittent cracking noise from the rear suspension of an old car of mine and couldn't trace it, depite many searches, until I found small stone in the cup holding the bottom of the spring. Only cracked when the spring bottomed out.
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Is it more of a clanking metalic noise or a noise more like someone thumping the rear floorpan area with a rubber mallet.
Metalic noise - check the very bottom of the suspension springs. I had one break once, took me all day to track it down, last bit of the spring broken off and rattled the metal retaining cup. Clanged when going over big bumps.
Knocking rubber mallet noise - rear anti roll bar bushes. Give the anti roll bar a good tug while watching the bushes, any movement within the bushes and you found you problem (like me).
Neither should take more than a couple of minutes to check / rule out.
DFTD
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Its a metallic noise , had the rear suspension checked out at my local garage , and could find nothing wrong . The rear of the car just feels like a jelly sometimes , and when going over potholes that are larger than usual a terrible noise from the nearside rear wheel.
What I can remember last year when the car was still under warranty I had to have one offside rear shock absorber . I asked why shouldnt you put the pair on , the dealership said that the other one is fine .
Could this have upset the other ? But this noise has only become audibal in the last 3 months .
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Just a long shot.....
Have you got steel wheels or alloys.
Once had same sort of noise over big bumps and when coming to a stand (sometimes). Turned out to be the greese cap off the hub had fallen off but was trapped by the wheel trim cover, hence only moved / rattled over larger bumps etc.
Simple to fix too.
Got to be worth a look if you have steel wheels with hub caps if the garage cannot find anything wrong with the suspension / springs etc.
DFTD
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I have alloy wheels. Just to update the problem , I had the car rechecked at a local mechanics and noticed that when levering the osr wheel up and down with a long bar , compared to the NSR wheel the one seems stiffer to move up and down . Also noticed that the side that the noise is coming from , that when pushing up and down on the car I hear a shhh shhh shhhh shhhh noise seems to come from the shock absorber , but when checked it looks like it hasnt been leaking oil at all .
HELP.....
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A shock absorber does't have to have a leak to go faulty, it sounds as if the internals have failed. The shhh noise could be oil going where it should't. I don't know the Vectra setup, but it may be possible to remove the shocker and drive a short distance without it. BUT I do not know for certain, PLEASE check before you do!
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All points to the shocks, how much would it cost to replace both rear ones?. If its not too much, then that would be the best way forward.
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UPDATE , had the rear Pair of shockes changed today and to our surprise both where knackered .
The one that was replaced last year was even broke , the side that i was getting the noise from , wel that one was well and truely caput !!! Its wasnt smooth on pushing it in , and made a terrible squish squish noise . They have been replaced by genuine Vauxhall shocks , but to my amazment these are gas as apposed to oil that where on the car originally .
Whats the difference between gas and the oil filled shocks ?
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Damned car this is driving me nuts now , I have replaced both rear shocks and the noise (creak crack ) is still there . Apparently now I need a top stabiliser arm . I noticed that the out bushes move around when new , why on earth do they move as I thought bushed where supposed to be solid .
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