Knocking over bumps, a bouncy ride, a broken spring, or steering that has gone vague? We come to you, check every corner and every joint, and give you a written price before a single part is fitted. Springs, shocks, track rod ends, drop links, bushes and ball joints.
Found, not guessed
The part that knocks, not the usual suspect.
Every joint levered, loaded and unloaded
Springs and shocks always done in pairs
Road-tested before you get it back
The honest bit
Most people think of suspension as comfort. It is not. It is the set of parts that keeps each tyre pressed onto the road, and every other system on the car depends on that. The brakes can only slow a tyre that is gripping. The steering can only point a wheel that is held straight. A tyre can only last if the wheel it is on sits square.
Suspension wears slowly, which is the problem. Shock absorbers lose their control a little at a time over years, so you never feel the day they went. A bush perishes, a joint loosens, and the car quietly gets worse at stopping and starts eating its tyres. The only sudden ones are a broken spring, which you hear, and a failed joint, which is rare and which we take very seriously.
The other thing worth saying is that the parts are not expensive on most cars. What gets expensive is what worn suspension does to the tyres, the brakes and the MOT while it is left. A knock is a cheap warning. Take it.
We lever every joint before we name the part. The knock you can hear is often not the only thing that is worn.
Symptoms decoded
None of these are a diagnosis on their own, and nobody can quote you a ball joint over the phone. But they do tell you how urgent it is, and two of them mean stop driving and call us.
The most common suspension complaint we get, and usually one of the cheaper fixes. A worn drop link, a tired anti-roll bar bush or a top mount will knock over speed humps and potholes long before anything dangerous happens. It gets louder with time, and it is worth sorting while it is one part rather than three.
Almost always a broken coil spring, and we see a lot of them after a winter of potholes and salt. If the broken end of the spring is near the tyre it can cut it, so if the car is leaning, do not drive it any further than you have to. Call us and we will come to it.
Worn shock absorbers. Their job is to stop the spring bouncing, and when they are past it the car keeps moving after every bump. It feels like comfort, but it is also longer stopping distances and tyres that wear in patches. Shocks wear so slowly that most people never notice until they are replaced.
Track rod ends, worn wishbone bushes or a ball joint with play in it. The steering is no longer pointing the wheels exactly where you tell it to. It is also the reason a car can eat a set of front tyres in half the time it should.
Usually a dry or worn top mount, ball joint or bush complaining as the load moves across it. Annoying more than dangerous at first, but it is a part telling you it is on the way out.
The tyre is the honest witness. Wear on one edge, a scalloped pattern, or two tyres wearing at different rates points at worn components or alignment that is out because of them. New tyres on old suspension just wear the same way again.
Rare, but this is the one to take seriously. A ball joint or a suspension arm that has failed can let the wheel move on its own. Stop, and ring us from where you are.
A broken spring or a leaning wheel means today. A knock, a creak or a bouncy ride means this week, while it is still one part.
The free check
The check is free because it is how we work out what to charge you, not a sales visit. You get told what we found either way, and there is no obligation.
Step 1
When it started, whether it is a noise, a feel or a look, and whether it does it over bumps, on turns or on the straight. That narrows it to a corner and a handful of parts before a wheel comes off.
Step 2
Each shock absorber checked for leaks and for how it controls the bounce. Springs checked for breaks and for the car sitting level. Top mounts and bump stops looked at while we are there, because they fail quietly.
Step 3
Ball joints, track rod ends, drop links, anti-roll bar bushes, wishbone bushes and wheel bearings, each checked for play with the weight on and off the wheel. Play you can feel with a bar is play the MOT tester will find too.
Step 4
Tread depth and the wear pattern across each tyre. Uneven wear tells us which components have been out of shape and for how long, and whether the tracking will need setting after the repair.
Step 5
You are told what needs doing now, what can wait, and what each part costs. If the tracking needs setting after a steering part is replaced we say so up front and include it in the job. The car is road-tested before you get it back.
The parts
A knock is the part you can hear. The rest wear silently, so we check all of it while the wheel is off, and tell you what is fine as well as what is not.
Shock absorbers, drop links, anti-roll bar bushes and track rod ends are done on your driveway or in your work car park on most cars. We bring the parts and the tools, and we road-test the car before we hand the keys back. All you need is somewhere flat and safe to work.
Coil springs need a spring compressor and are safer on the ramp. Wishbone bushes that have to be pressed in, and anything seized solid by salt, go to the workshop too. We collect the car, do it properly at Unit 6, Turner Street, Dudley, and bring it back.
Call and describe what it is doing. We will tell you which of the two yours is before you commit to anything.
Parts vary a lot by car, which is why we check first and then give you a fixed price in writing. Quality OEM-standard parts, pairs where pairs are right, and no phone call halfway through that changes the number.
12-month parts and labour warranty on everything we fit.
From the workshop
Real jobs off our ramps, described by the mechanic who did them.
This X3 came into the Dudley workshop for a fresh pair of rear shock absorbers. The ride had gone bouncy and it knocked when it hit a pothole, which is the classic pattern for shocks that have worn out quietly over a lot of miles.
Both rears were replaced together so the two sides behave the same, and the car went back with the settled handling it left the factory with.
Worn shocks are not just a comfort thing. They stretch your braking distance and chew through tyres faster, and they are a common MOT advisory that turns into a failure the following year. Worth sorting before they cost you elsewhere.
Springs, shock absorbers, every joint and bush, and the play in each of them are all on the test. Suspension is one of the three most common reasons a car fails, and a broken spring or a leaking shock is a straight fail. Advisories for "slight play" are the tester telling you what next year's fail will be.
If the test is coming up and the car knocks, wanders or sits oddly, it is cheaper to have it checked and sorted first than to fail, pay for the work anyway, and then pay for a re-test on top.
MOT testing with a pre-check firstBroken springs, bent track rods, knocked-out tracking and buckled wheels are what potholes do, and we repair the lot. If the road was to blame, our partner Fixtyer is a self-service tool for claiming the cost back from whoever looks after that road. No solicitors, no commission.
Photograph the pothole and the damage if you safely can, keep our written quote and invoice, and the claim has what it needs.
Visit Fixtyer (opens in a new tab)In their words
Brilliant service from Elliot at YourLocalMechanic. He is a genuinely trustworthy, friendly and reliable man. He came to my house, ran diagnostics and quickly identified and fixed the issue, making the whole process completely hassle-free. The pricing was fair and reasonable, and the service was excellent from start to finish. I would definitely recommend Elliot to anyone looking for an honest and reliable mechanic.
A Smith
Verified customer
Really fast and good service. The guy was really kind and understanding and I was happy with the service.
Carlos Arango
Verified customer
Second time ive used this garage for my cars over the years, both times it was a big job and both jobs it was sorted seamlessly and to a brilliant standard. So very happy. Great communication throughout and excellent service 👏
Christopher Ellis
Verified customer
We'll always tell you honestly if someone else is a better fit.
We check and fit at your place, and collect for the jobs that need a ramp.
Workshop: Unit 6, Turner Street, Dudley, DY1 1TX. Open seven days, 7am to 5pm.
55+ years between them. 12-month parts warranty. £5m public liability cover.
Every job is carried out by Elliot or Keith - the mechanic who quotes your job is the one who works on your car. No call centres, no subcontractors.
Lead Mechanic & Founder
Founder of Your Local Mechanic. City & Guilds Level 3 qualified with 15+ years experience, specialising in modern diagnostics and hybrid vehicles across the Black Country.
Senior Mechanic & MOT Assessor
Senior mechanic at Your Local Mechanic with 40+ years Vauxhall main dealer experience and a fully qualified MOT assessor, known for honest, careful work across the Black Country.
Before you call
Shock absorbers, drop links, anti-roll bar bushes and track rod ends are done on your driveway or at work on most cars. Coil springs need a spring compressor and are safer on the ramp, and bushes that need pressing in go to the workshop too. We tell you which yours is when you describe the symptom, and collection and return is part of the job.
What a mobile mechanic can and cannot do on a drivewayNine times out of ten it is a worn drop link or anti-roll bar bush, and it is one of the cheaper suspension repairs. It can also be a top mount, a ball joint or a loose exhaust mount, which is why we lever every joint rather than replace the usual suspect and hope. You get the actual cause and a price for it.
Not far, and not fast. A broken spring drops that corner of the car, upsets the handling and, if the broken end is near the tyre, can cut it. Because we come to you, you do not need to drive it to a garage. Ring us, and springs are always replaced in pairs so the car sits level afterwards.
Yes, across the axle. A new shock next to a worn one gives you two corners that behave differently under braking and in bends, which is worse than two evenly tired ones. Front and rear are separate pairs, so if only the rears are gone, you only pay for the rears.
A vibration that comes in at a steady speed and fades above it is usually balance. A pull, a wander or uneven tyre wear is usually a worn joint or tracking that has gone out because of one. A knock over bumps is suspension. If you are not sure, the free check covers all three and tells you which it is.
Yes. Suspension is one of the three most common failure categories alongside lights and tyres. A broken spring, a leaking shock absorber, or a ball joint, track rod end or bush with visible play is a fail, not an advisory. If the MOT is coming up and the car knocks or wanders, it is cheaper to sort it first than to fail and pay for the re-test.
MOT testing with a pre-check firstThe check is free, labour is £65 an hour, and you get the full figure in writing before anything is fitted. Parts are what vary: a pair of drop links is a small job, a pair of springs or shocks is bigger, and the price depends on the car. We show you the worn part, tell you what needs doing now and what can wait, and nothing is added without a phone call.
Get it checked before the tyre wears or the knock turns into a second part. Potholes break springs, bend track rods and knock the tracking out, and the damage often shows up a week later as uneven wear. We check the suspension, steering and tyres, quote the repair, and if the road was to blame our partner Fixtyer helps you claim the cost back from whoever maintains it.
Tell Elliot or Keith what the car is doing. You'll get a straight answer on whether it is safe to drive, what it probably needs, and a written price before anything is fitted.
We usually respond within the hour.