Does your steering pull and wander when driven?

Is there a creaking noise or does there appear to be play or movement in lower arm? Is your upper suspension joint worn? Autoexperts Medway in Gillingham can repair or replace all suspension components.

Lower Suspension Control Arm:

In a vehicle’s suspension a control arm is a hinged suspension link. It connects between the chassis and the suspension upright or hub that carries the wheel.
The inside (chassis) end of a control arm is attached by a single pivot, usually with a bolt through a rubber bush. It can therefore control the position of the outer end in only a single degree of freedom, maintaining the radial distance from the inner mount.
This single bush arm does not control the back and forth movement, this motion is restricted by the use of a separate link or radius rod.

Wishbone:

Another type of lower arm is a wishbone. Wishbones are triangular and have two widely spaced inside bushes. These bushes stop the outside end of the wishbone from moving back and forth. It does this by controlling two degrees of freedom without requiring additional links.
Most control arms form the lower link of a suspension. A few designs use them as the upper link, usually with a lower wishbone. The additional radius rod is then attached to the upper arm.

Common Faults:

Both types of suspension arms have a bush that can become worn or can split over time, The ball joint on the outside can loose its grease if the rubber boot splits. The vehicle may begin to wander and the joints may creak, rattle or begin knocking. The wheel will have more play and can cause uneven tyre wear.

Worn bushes or ball joints if not replaced, allow the arms to transmit noises and small vibrations through to the chassis of the vehicle when driven and when turning corners.

Macpherson Strut:

Control arms are most commonly encountered as part of the Macpherson struts independent front suspension. The anti-roll bar also acted as the radius rod in Macpherson’s original design. This requires the bar to be attached through a ball joint, so as to also provide longitudinal control. In most contemporary designs, still commonly termed Macpherson struts, the radius rod and anti-roll bar are now separate, with the anti-roll bar mounted in a sliding bush.

Why Choose Autoexperts Medway?

We at Autoexperts Medway have established a superb reputation for high quality repair services. Refer to our testimonials from our customers from Chatham, Gillingham and Rochester on our testimonial page.
On many occasions when carrying out a diagnosis a partial strip down is necessary. Should you agree to have any necessary work completed at this time, this initial diagnosis becomes free due to the fact that your vehicle has been partially stripped down already.
So if your vehicle has a knocking noise or a rattle when driven? If it is creaking when cornering or wandering, then the suspension arm may need replacing. Come to Autoexperts Medway we are close to both Chatham and Rochester in Medway making us the idea garage to use.