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MG MGF Technical - Leaning to one side

Hi. Haven't driven my car for a week, and i've now just noticed that the nearside rear wheel is a lot closer to the wheel arch than the offside! Basically I can only get 2 fingers between the tyre and arch on the nearside, compared to 3 on the offside.

The front ride heights are about the same, so i'm assuming it's not hydragas, so i'm guessing it's a problem with the suspension?

I'm planning to take this into MGR next week (got MOT booked anyway), so i'm just wondering roughly how much I can expect to pay?

Also, are there any mg specialists around Kent that people can recommend, as looking through the archives it seems people have been recommended to go to those rather than their main MGR dealer. Brown & Gammons is quite a long way for me to go, plus it'd be a real pain trying to get it there in the week seeing as I commute into London by train.

Thanks for any help. Bryan.
bryan

Bryan, seems like you have a potentially dangerous problem but ... how can the ride height be the same on both sides if 1 wheel arch is closer to the wheel than the other side?
sprinter @home

Hi, it's only leaning to one side on the back axle - the front wheels are fine, that's why I thought it was rear suspension. The lean doesn't appear too obvious at first - only when you take a closer look.

I'm also wondering whether this is a good time to get some modifications done? What would people recommend? :-)

Thanks, Bryan.
bryan

Bryan, abject apologies - I completely missed your reference to rear wheel in your original post.
sprinter @home

Any thoughts on what the problem is and roughly how much I should expect to pay? I'd like to get it booked into a garage soon and would like to be able to explain the problem a bit more technically :-)

Thanks for any help, Bryan.
bryan

Bryan, B&G are probably your best bet to be honest. Either that, or use Paul's dealership guide to choose a locally recommended local dealer.

I assume that the suspension height has been measured with the car on a level, flat surface? Daft question I know, but obviously, the standing surface can have quite an impact on ride height measurements.

Why might your car be low in one corner? Two possibilities spring to mind:
1. The hyragas sphere is failing
2. The suspension knuckle has collapsed.

Removing the road wheel and inspecting the suspension, looking at the condition of the rubber boot over the knuckle, for evidence of fluid leakage etc can be productive, but doesn't guarantee that you'll identify the problem. Might be one for an MG specialist to diagnose I am afraid.

Fingers crossed that the problem is found and sorted quickly and cheaply!
Rob Bell

Rob, thanks for those suggestions. Yep it is on a level surface. I'll also doublecheck that the fronts really are the same, in case it really is just a lack of pressure on that side, but am pretty sure the fronts were the same...

I've no reason to believe that my local MGR dealer won't do a good job. I was just a bit worried in case costs start to escalate as they may not be the cheapest solution.

Are those possibilities you mentioned big (read: expensive) jobs would you know?

I'll have a closer look tonight. Thanks, Bryan.
bryan

Checked the fronts last night - about 1cm difference on the front, 2-2.5 cm difference on the back. Both the same side, so it does sound like it's hydragas that needs a pump-up, rather than anything else... (fingers crossed). Thanks for all the suggestions. Guess i'll find out at the w/e.
bryan

Bryan, it does sound like a hydragas pressure issue in this case - but keep an eye on the ride height for a while just in case there is a slow leakage of fluid...

Fingers crossed!
Rob Bell

Not very bright, are you b-b-b-Bryan?
Vanessa Britt

This thread was discussed between 13/03/2004 and 17/03/2004

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.