Faulty Drive Shaft

[wilsonator]

Hi

I have recently purchased an L reg Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Merit.

On the motorway above 55mph the steering column begins to shake and up to 70 mph can be quite violent and can be felt throught the seats and the whole car begins to shake.

My first thoughts where that the 15" alloys that had been put on it may need balancing and the tracking corrected.

I went to the garage and had the tyres, tracking and balancing sorted, but the problem persists.

It has been suggested that the left front wheel may have received a severe knock like a pothole or kerb.

They concluded that it could be the drive shaft is damaged, but they didnt carry out this repair and said I must go elsewhere for second opinion.

I will add that up to 45 mph the car feels normal and you may only feel a slight wobble as you reach 45 - 50.

Is it likely to be the drive shaft and on average what is the cost of repair, is it major?

Regards

Clive

[Impret-Sir]

Where did you buy the car from? If it was a dealer then you should take it back to them pronto, if it was privately then did you take a test drive?? This car sounds dangerous to drive at all, just because it feels normal at lower speeds does not mean it is safe, I would also suspect a wheel bearing, another potentially dangerous scenario if it fails whilst you are driving. Replaicing a drive shaft is not a major job, about a couple of hours for a skilled workshop, plus the cost of the parts. But I would definately not drive it again untill you are driving it to the garage to get it fixed, and then very slowly!

[wilsonator]

I bought it privately so I have no chance of returning it.

Does it sound like a drive shaft or wheel bearing.

Its definately coming through the steering wheel and is intermittant 10 seconds shake 10 seconds normal thereabouts.

[stanleyman]

Could be a badly worn track rod end or bottom swivel, suspension rubbers, loose steering box, bearing or could be a CV joint or brake problem. Take it for an MOT test and if it is anything serious they should find it.

[stanleyman]

Could also be wheel shimmy caused by the large alloys, they can alter the steering geometry especially if they have spacers. Try standard wheels.

[Toureman]

Stanley is right again, I had an astra that had non standard alloys fitted, I had them balanced a few times but it did not cure the vibrations. In the end I purchased a set of steel wheels from a scrapyard, good condition and cheap, the vibrations dissapeared after they were balanced,

[wilsonator]

In your experience with garages will they be able to find out exactly what it is that needs fixing or am i likely to get a list of possibilities and a large bill on completion of checking and changing everything?

[stanleyman]

Quite possibly but you can eliminate the alloys yourself just by trying ordinary wheels on the front. If you still then have problem get an MOT to find out if there are any major problems, that is what it is for and will only cost you around �35 and you get a new ticket if ok. If you still have a problem it would probably be balancing, somewhere, don't forget the back.