Would you say this damper is leaking..?
 

:D

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...4913Medium.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...4914Medium.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...4916Medium.jpg

Seriously though, could this have been the cause of a big UNEXPECTED oversteer moment recently after driving through torrential rain, ie could this have got on the tyre tread..? :(

Looks like a leaking AST damper? Probably best to get it rebuild to the latest spec. I think they now run double pistons and revised bearings to deal with the side loading on the rear dampers.

A monotube damper that has cavitated does not work properly anymore. So the car could present some un-expected behaviour as the energy from the suspension is not controlled as the design intended.

Ah, hadn't thought about the obvious mechanics of the damper not doing it's job and thus effecting handling..:brickwall

Well spotted :cool:, yes they're AST, nearly 4 yrs old.

I've spoken to Curtis and the cars booked in for Thursday to have all 4 rebuilt..:) IMO I might as well, to save the possibility of the fronts going anytime soon and having to pay to have the alignment done again, iyswim..?

Ah well another dip into the kids Christmas prezzy pot..:D

4 years is good going for a coilover set, without rebuilds. You'll notice a big difference with fresh oil and clean shims :-). It's like having new dampers again.

Hopefully yes, that would be nice..:) Suppose the deterioration sneaks up on you without notice. That and the fact that the wife drives it more than I do lol..:)

All sorted, thanks to Curtis (AST UK)..;)

Went for a set of updated rear springs too..:)

Turns out the leaking damper had a 'mark' on the shaft, which is what likely caused the leak, so new shaft fitted too.

Got back late and being mainly mainly motorway haven't 'tested' things out yet, but initially feels better already..:)

Looks wise they've certainly scrubbed up well..:D


Lookout, thanks for the heads up..;)

Glad you got it sorted.......... I just wish I had taken your tip and painted my AS Performance rear disks which are the same as yours. Mine look terrible because of the rust :(

Shaun

Ah Shaun, I wasn't sure they'd be too bad TBH, but as I had the time (and like to tinker..;)) I thought I'd paint them. The oe disc's had a black coating too, which lasted very well.

Try something like Krust..?

Hammerite Kurust 90ml from Halfords Price £4.69

It's what I was planning on doing had I not painted them and they then rusted. It should at least turn the surface a neater satin black/grey, it does work quite well and lasts from my experience of using it on rusty looking bolt heads etc..;)

Back to my refurbed AST's, had a bit of a drive last night, trying out various damper settings and the car does feel sharper, especially on turn in. The revised rear springs are very good too, they feel a lot 'smoother' over the bumps and completely quite without any compromise in performance. Anyone thinking of getting their AST's refurbed I'd certainly recommend having them at £35 each..;)

In fact, anyone with AST's that are getting a bit tired 3+ yrs old, I'd recommend having them refurbed. It's like having a new set of coilovers for ~£400 and when you consider that includes full alignment it's a bargain IMHO..:)

Oh and BTW, I've redone the underseal under the arches as I hadn't realised how patchy it had gotten until I looked at the above pics..:D