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A friend of mine has just broken down on the M6 in a 2000 Vauxhall Zafira. He says there was simply a loud bang (loud and sudden enough that he thought he had burst a tyre), but that he was able to drive safely off the motorway, and that there was no follow-up noises or smoke.
I know that, with little detail, it's a bit like asking the length of a piece of string, but what sort of thing could cause such an event?
He is wondering if he should have it towed down here to Cardiff, or just return home to the Northwest, and needs to decide before the RAC gets there.
Sorry can't help with diagnosis but don't the RAC normally diagnose first then ask where you want to go? I've phoned up and told them something fairly catastrophic has happened and they still insisted on sending out a van to try and fix before the recovery vehicle was called.
Could be all sorts, but I want broken coil spring, 1/2 a coil at the bottom so the car doesn't look wonky, in the sweepstake.
Was there a gun toting hells angel overtaking him at the time?
That would have been my guess too if the car is still running and driving as normal.
Edit: The spring not the Hell's Angels.
Pigeon
I broke a spring on my Vectra. That went with a hell of a bang.
A known weakness, but I don't know if it was on the Zafira too.
I'm going for the hitting debris on the road and there being nowt wrong with the car in the sweep stake.
Yep, itwas broken spring when it happened to me. Managed to dtive home, slow and avoided bumps etc. Luckily didnt knacker the shock. It was not too dear a fix either.
Our old zafira had something of an appetite for front coil springs - I understand they sit in a pocket which collects muck and water causing them to rust through.
causing them to rust through
As does the entire front sub frame. Though it would be noticeable if that went.
If the car still drives and runs fine then it's a spring.
What engine? Diesel? Was it smoking like mad afterwards (black, sooty smoke) and down on power or running OK.
If diesel, down on power and black smoke with a loud popping type bang, then likely to be an intercooler hose popped off somewhere.
If loud bang with no obvious change to engine performance, then as suggested broken spring or hit some road debris...?
Read this earlier - but couldn't respond as I was on the waaay owt.... I would look around the car for evidence of hitting debris OR could be the engine under pan coming off or coming undone & buckling under the car. A big backfire is possible on an older car - but I don't think modern cars do this anymore. The exhaust coming off should be obvious.
I would also check for any warning lights on the dash & if running Rev it up carefully to see if it revs through the range.
But ultimately the RAC / AA etc generally give v good advice on whether a car is well enough to proceed. They have even followed the wife's car a few junctions on the M'way to ensure things are OK when she had an intermittent fault.
Good luck anyway - & do let us know.....
I'd go with a spring too. Mine went randomly while it was parked. Gave my neighbour a hell of a fright as she walked past it 😀 And also gave me a fright when she knocked on to tell me that my 'car had just exploded'.
Mine was gone at the top of the strut so I was able to drive it for a bit until I got round to fixing it. If it's broken near the bottom it could possibly strike the tire which wouldn't be good.
Edit: If it's an old banger, and your mate likes a bit of spannering; I found it easier to just replace the entire strut with spring rather than mess around with large metal boingy bits in a spring compressor. Was relatively simple.