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Coil springs are one of those parts that never get talked about until the car starts riding rough, sitting low, or clunking over every little bump. They just sit there doing their job, mile after mile, keeping the vehicle level and helping your suspension soak up the road.
When they start to give up, though, you will feel it in more ways than most people expect.
Coil springs support the weight of the vehicle and set its ride height. They work with your shocks or struts to keep the tires planted, absorb bumps, and stop the body from bottoming out. The spring holds the vehicle up, the shock or strut controls how quickly it moves.
When springs are healthy, the car sits at the correct height, corners feel predictable, and body movement over dips and bumps is controlled. Once a spring starts to sag, crack, or break, that balance disappears. Suddenly, you may notice the front diving harder, the rear squatting more, or one corner sitting visibly lower than the others.
Springs live a tough life. They flex every time you hit a bump, pull into a driveway, or load the trunk. Add years of road salt, moisture, and corrosion and the metal slowly weakens. In some cases, the very bottom coils start to rust and break, usually where dirt and water collect.
High mileage, heavy loads, and rough roads speed this up. If you tow, haul tools, or keep a lot of gear in the vehicle, the springs spend more of their life compressed. Over time, they can lose some of their original height, which is why an older car sometimes looks like it is “squatting” even when it is empty.
Springs do not usually fail all at once. They give you clues first. Common signs include:
You might also notice the headlights pointing higher than normal, or the rear sagging with even a modest load. When our technicians see uneven ride height or fresh marks where parts have been contacting the bump stops, we start looking closely at the springs.
A slightly tired spring can be annoying. A badly sagging or cracked spring turns into a safety concern. As ride height drops, the suspension geometry changes, and tires do not sit on the road the way they were designed to. That can hurt braking and cornering, especially in the rain.
If a coil breaks, the broken piece can dig into a tire or shift out of place and cause serious damage. We have seen vehicles where a broken spring cut into the sidewall without the driver realizing how close they were to a blowout. Any time you hear a sharp snap followed by a sudden change in ride height or noise, it is smart to park the car and have it inspected.
A lot of people replace shocks or struts and are disappointed that the ride still feels off. If the springs underneath are worn, brand new dampers are fighting an uphill battle. The spring decides how high the vehicle sits and how much it moves. The shock or strut just controls that movement.
On higher mileage vehicles, it often makes sense to look at the whole suspension as a system. If the car has well over 100,000 miles, and the springs are original, pairing spring replacement with new struts or shocks can transform how it drives. We have seen plenty of cars where doing both at the same time gives a far better result than throwing parts at one piece at a time.
Most coil springs are not something you “fix” with a quick patch. If a spring is cracked, badly rusted, or sagging, replacement is usually the right move. The real decision is whether to replace just one corner, both sides on an axle, or all four.
We generally recommend replacing springs in pairs on the same axle so ride height and handling stay balanced from side to side. If you are already investing in major suspension work and plan to keep the vehicle for years, stepping up to fresh springs on all four corners is often worth it. That is especially true if you want to correct a long-term sag or you regularly carry more weight than average.
During an inspection, we will usually compare your current ride height to spec and talk through those options with you instead of guessing.
If your vehicle sits low, feels harsh or bouncy, or makes new noises over bumps, worn coil springs could be part of the story. We can measure ride height, inspect springs, shocks, and struts, and put together a suspension plan that fits how you drive and what you expect from your car.
Schedule coil spring replacement in Maple Valley, WA with Rainier Automotive, and we will help your vehicle sit right, ride better, and stay safer on the road.