ZT front springs, the garage can't compress them. Bit urgent.
 

Just had a call from the garage where my car is to have it's front springs replaced and I am a little perplexed.

The mechanic (a guy I have known a bit for years, he lives in my street) called and and told me he cannot get the springs to compress enough to remove them from the struts. He says he has never seen springs so thick before, he has tried the heavy duty hydraulic compressor and a set of basic compressors but can't get it done.

He is a very experienced mechanic, not a young guy, I remember he worked in the local Saab dealership in the 80s, so I trust him but this seems a little odd to me. I am pretty sure the springs are the originals and ZT springs shouldn't be much different or harder to compress than something like an E46 BMW with a heavy diesel engine (he drives a diesel 3 series tourer, in fact).

Can anybody shine any light on this situation and advise, any tips and special techniques?

When I changed mine I used standard spring compressors with no issue, make sure you clamp as many coils as possible. Strange that a time served mechanic is struggling? :shrug:

All I can online is people doing it in their garage or on their drive, sometimes with cheap, nasty spring compressors. I can't understand how he can't do it either.

I think the springs are the original factory fitted items, the condition of them looks about right for 14 years and 100k miles but can't be sure. I thought they would maybe become a bit softer and easier to compress with age.:shrug:

He says the springs are thicker than any he has seen before, odd thing is, the place is an Xpart dealer, MGRover and Chinese MG and classic specialist so should have some decent equipment to do this, he won't be using cheap dangerous compressors.

Is he trying to compress them on the car? (As that would mean he would unlikely be able to mount the compressors).

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No, he has them off the car.

I thought taking the car to a garage to have it done would save me a lot of stress, it just seems to be creating more.

Never heard of anything so bizarre!
A trained mechanic, who has the strut off the car and professional tools.

I, like many others have done this job on the drive with ordinary compressors and socket sets?

Are your springs original? (edit , sorry just re read your post) must be worth a trip to the garage to see this first hand.

Hi Adam.
Get the mechanic to take a look at this thread it may give him an idea, as stated already if he as the struts off the car then it should be easy to change the springs :shrug:

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...=102722&page=2

I have a spare strut in the shed I will pop out and see if I can remove the spring and post up photo's

Exactly, this is why I can't understand it.

i don't have a car to get me to the garage right now for some reason ;)

Hopefully I can get a lift a bit later.

Thanks,

If I can get a lift to the garage, I will show him that thread.

That thread is the most infuriating thing at the minute, it's right there on the first page shouting at me about how simple this should be for an experienced mechanic while I have to post here about how my guy can't seem to get it done. :duh:

He only lives about 100 yards up the road so I will be able to talk to him tonight if he can't get it done today and I can't get there.

Am trying to think outside the box here. Do you have tyre protectors on? I am wondering if he thinks the tyre protector is the spring cup, and then he is using the actual spring cup of the strut and the top mount to compress (although this should still work to a degree). Am clutching at straws to imagine someone not familiar with our cars, being presented with it.

Suggest to him to compress the central 2 or 3 coils . this should give enough to remove the top mount (although it may still be under a little tension, and will likely 'pop' off if done this way , so suggest it is done pointing away from anything and anyone! - this of method IS dangerous)

Does he not want to do the job perhaps?

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