You've noticed the car sits lower on one side, or there's a dull thud over bumps that wasn't there before. Maybe it leans more in corners than you're used to. These are all signs your springs may need attention. The tricky part is that springs wear out gradually, so drivers get used to the change and don't notice it until it becomes obvious.
What springs do and why they wear out
Springs are the suspension component that carries the entire weight of the car. Every time a wheel hits a pothole, a bump, or an uneven surface, the spring absorbs that impact and prevents the force from transferring directly to the body and the passengers. Without springs, driving would feel like riding a horse cart.
On the roads in BiH, springs take an enormous beating. Potholes, damaged shoulders, uneven patches, railroad crossings, and gravel roads are an everyday reality, especially outside the cities. A car with 150,000 to 200,000 kilometres on the clock has been through hundreds of thousands of such impacts, and the springs have gradually compressed and lost their elasticity over that time.
Another factor many people forget is corrosion. Road salt in winter eats into the metal coil and creates a weak point. That's exactly where the spring usually breaks - typically on the bottom or top coil where stress is greatest.
Symptoms of a sagging or broken spring
A sagging spring shows itself when one side of the car sits visibly lower than the other. The difference doesn't have to be dramatic. Sometimes 1-2 centimetres is enough to throw off the wheel alignment, which accelerates tyre wear on that side. Drivers often don't notice because it happens gradually over months and years. A typical giveaway is when you swap your tyres and the technician tells you the front left ones are unevenly worn.
A broken spring gives clearer symptoms. The most common one is a distinctive metallic thud or clunking over bumps, caused by the broken section of the coil hitting adjacent coils or the body. That side of the car sits visibly lower, and with larger breaks you may also hear creaking when turning the steering wheel if it's a front spring.
Other signs to watch out for:
- The car sways excessively in corners or when changing lanes.
- A feeling that the car "floats" on uneven roads, especially at higher speeds.
- Tyres wearing unevenly, particularly on the inner or outer edge.
- Under full load (full boot, four passengers) the car drops much lower than it used to.
Why springs are always replaced in pairs
When a spring on one side weakens or breaks, it's tempting to think replacing just that one is enough. However, springs are always replaced in pairs - both fronts or both rears. The reason is simple. The old spring on the opposite side has covered the same mileage under the same conditions. Even if it looks fine, it has already lost some of its elasticity.
If you fit a new spring on one side and keep the old one on the other, the car won't sit level. The height difference between the left and right sides creates uneven handling in corners, disrupts wheel alignment, and accelerates tyre wear. In practice, the money you save on one spring comes back many times over through faster tyre wear and the need for another alignment.
Springs and shock absorbers - why they're done together
A spring and a shock absorber work as a pair. The spring absorbs the impact and returns the wheel to the road surface, while the shock absorber controls how quickly that happens and prevents the wheel from bouncing. If the shock absorber is worn, the spring works uncontrolled - it compresses and extends too many times and wears out faster. The same goes the other way around. A new spring paired with a worn shock absorber won't last long because the shock absorber doesn't dampen its movement enough.
That's why the recommendation is to check the shock absorbers whenever you replace springs, especially on a high-mileage car. If the shocks are nearing the end of their life, it pays to replace them at the same time. The disassembly and reassembly work overlaps, so the labour cost is lower than doing it in two separate visits.
It's worth mentioning that spring replacement requires a spring compressor - a specialised tool that compresses the coil while it's being removed from the shock absorber. A compressed spring stores enormous energy, and if it slips free, it can cause serious injury. This is not a job for a home garage. Spring replacement should be done in a workshop with the proper equipment.
When springs fail a vehicle inspection
During a vehicle inspection in BiH, the ride height of the car and the difference between the left and right sides are checked. If the difference exceeds the prescribed value, the car fails. A broken spring is an automatic fail because it's visible to the naked eye and directly affects the stability and handling of the vehicle.
But even a sagging spring that visually looks intact can cause problems. If one side sits low enough that the wheel alignment falls outside the prescribed limits, the vehicle won't pass. Many drivers show up for the inspection surprised because the car "drives fine", when in reality the spring has been out of tolerance for months.
When we remove a shock absorber in our workshop, we always visually inspect the spring and measure the ride height before and after. A sagging spring that looks healthy often explains why the tyres went crooked after just 10,000 kilometres. It's better to catch that during a regular service than to wait for the inspection to tell you something you could have sorted out earlier.
If you notice any of the symptoms described above, come by the workshop. A visual inspection of the springs is quick, and catching problems early saves both money and headaches.