electricjay
Member
Hi,
I recently upgraded the suspension on my 2011 Leaf, and while doing so, I noticed something that looks like a serious design flaw that could cause future issues.
I discovered that the drains below the windscreen channel water straight onto the top of the front suspension struts, where it is caught and trapped by a dish-shaped plate / washer / spacer on top of the strut, thereby creating a lake in which the nut sits (that's the one large nut which holds the whole spring and strut together). The car was parked outside when I first noticed this, and one side was actually brim-full of water. Both sides showed surface rust on the nut and bolt.
Here's a photo showing what I mean:
It looks like this would be an issue if you live in any rainy climate. At best, it will just make future replacement of the struts difficult since the bolt will be rusted up. At worst, the bolt and nut could eventually deteriorate to the point where it came apart. At that point I think transient shock absorber loads would tend to pull the strut out of the through-hole, and then bad things could really happen...
Anyone else observed this? Nb: If you want to check, pull out the clip-in plastic cover at the left and right sides just below the windscreen, to reveal the top of the struts. I temporarily "fixed" the issue by wiping the bolt with "Lanox" (spray on protective lube) then covering the whole 'dish' thing with wide sticky PVC tape to keep the water out. I've now changed the struts anyway, and the new ones don't have the water-trapping dish.
I recently upgraded the suspension on my 2011 Leaf, and while doing so, I noticed something that looks like a serious design flaw that could cause future issues.
I discovered that the drains below the windscreen channel water straight onto the top of the front suspension struts, where it is caught and trapped by a dish-shaped plate / washer / spacer on top of the strut, thereby creating a lake in which the nut sits (that's the one large nut which holds the whole spring and strut together). The car was parked outside when I first noticed this, and one side was actually brim-full of water. Both sides showed surface rust on the nut and bolt.
Here's a photo showing what I mean:
It looks like this would be an issue if you live in any rainy climate. At best, it will just make future replacement of the struts difficult since the bolt will be rusted up. At worst, the bolt and nut could eventually deteriorate to the point where it came apart. At that point I think transient shock absorber loads would tend to pull the strut out of the through-hole, and then bad things could really happen...
Anyone else observed this? Nb: If you want to check, pull out the clip-in plastic cover at the left and right sides just below the windscreen, to reveal the top of the struts. I temporarily "fixed" the issue by wiping the bolt with "Lanox" (spray on protective lube) then covering the whole 'dish' thing with wide sticky PVC tape to keep the water out. I've now changed the struts anyway, and the new ones don't have the water-trapping dish.