rear suspension

6562 Views 10 Replies 4 Participants Last post by pdman, May 28, 2014

pdman

Discussion Starter · May 22, 2014

Hi all I have recently bought an 2011 antara and it has a tow bar fitted by a reputable company the problem that I have is that my cars rear appears to be 2inches higher than a 2014 antara which a supposedly the same size etc and a consequence of this is that when I have loaded car and my folding camper the camper seems to be high on the hitch where it should be level or slightly nose down, have contacted towbar company and they are making me a bracket not drop plate which will lower the ball by 2inches, I have been in contact with Vauxhall and they do not know why the rear end is high if tyres etc have been changed for correct size, the question I asked them and am asking you is there any fault/reason that would cause the rear to sit highKeith

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Dave47

· #2 · May 22, 2014

Hi pdman,Interesting problem, but good of the towbar company to offer to rectify it.
Is your car fitted with self leveling rear suspension?
If it is and there is a fault with the system when you get it fixed you could end up with a tow ball that is 2" lower than it should be. I think I would investigate before I get a non standard tow bar fitted.
Good luck with your problem.
David

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pdman

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 22, 2014

Hi David thanks for the reply do not know if I have self levelling suspension, if I have and the towball is too low I will still have the original bracket etc to put back on, Vauxhall cant come up with a solution even though they did not have the car to have a look and did not mention self levelling or what could be done about it if it were faulty, my problem is from the ground to the centre of the towball is 20 inches unladen which means when I load the car and attach my camperthe camper is sitting hitch up instead of level or hitch down I cannot add any more weight too the camper,towball when laden should be thirteen and threequarter inches to sixteen and a half inches high and to get the back down 4 inches is nigh on impossible
Keith

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murphy1

· #4 · May 22, 2014

Hi, with self levelling suspension it doesn't matter how much weight you put in the back or on the towing ball, when you have driven a short distance the suspension adjusts itselfto its normal ride height.

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Dave47

· #5 · May 22, 2014

Hi Keith,If I remember correctly the self levelling suspension was a feature of the SE spec, which was one of the reasons I bought this model in 2012, the same model also has HID headlights.
You don't say what model yours is but if it is an SE that's a good starting point. I assume that the tyres are the correct size, again the SE has 19" wheels. Have you had a look at the rear suspension as it may have spring assisters fitted, especially if someone has been towing a heavy caravan, these can raise the ride height slightly whenunloaded. If all else fails back to dealer I think!
David

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pdman

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 23, 2014

Hi all I have the basic antara with 17 inch alloy wheels until I get the log book from dvla cannot confirm model etc, it does not have spring assisters fitted, been in touch with the dealer and they do not seem to know any more than us said it may have been like it from productionKeith

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Keeff

· #7 · May 23, 2014

Keith I think the standard ball hight is about 430 to460 mm from floor for a caravan.

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pdman

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 23, 2014

Hi all thanks for the info, tow-trust who are the towbar suppliers have kindly made me another bracket (not sure of terminology)that the towball fits on this has dropped the towball height by 2 inches it is now 18 inches from ground to the centre of the ball so in theory when I hitch the camper it should be level or slightly nose down, if the weather holds will hitch the camper up and see over the weekend, I have kept the original bracket just in case I get a heavier van in the future, as an add on I contacted Vauxhall who replied with an email stating they could no longer discuss my problem in written correspondence with me and I should get in touch with the dealer or supply Vauxhall with the dealers name etc and Vauxhalls technical people will discuss the problem with them not holding my breath as the dealer said he had already spoken to the technical dept. I am at this moment happy with the car it seems to pull like a train proof of the pudding will be when I tow.
Apologies for length of the post Keith

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pdman

Discussion Starter · #9 · May 28, 2014

Hi all been in touch via email with Vauxhall head office they say they do not know why suspension as it is, I googled troubleshooting self levelling suspension and a chap with a bmw had said that he jacked the front of his car up and started the engine and this caused the back suspension to raise up and not go back down, the answer was disconnect the battery look for a red and a blue hose remove the top and release some air , replace top and battery lead drive for a bit and the suspension returned to level, now I`m not saying it would work with mine might be completely different suspension but could the jacking/starting car cause this on the antara ie in in the garage workshop as previous owner towed a caravan and his levelled on the tow bar so something has caused it to raise, how do I know if I have self levelling and how does it work etc book is next to useless on subject

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Dave47

· #10 · May 28, 2014

Hi Keith,As I said before, I thought that when I ordered mine early 2012 the self levelling system was only fitted to the 4x4 SE model. However the vx site appears to indicate that it is fitted across the range now. Back in 2012 finding an Antara to look at was nigh on impossible, brochures were non existent except on line and they have long since been updated, so checking is difficult.
Unlike the Citroen system where you can watch the rear of the car rise and fall the Antara does nothing until after it has been driven for a short distance so again checking is not easy. I guess you could measure the towball height, then load the rear of the car so that the height decreases then drive the car for a short distance (not sure how far) and measure again. If you are back to normal you have SL suspension I guess. Surely vx or the dealer should know if it is fitted or not.
As to how to fix it, sorry my knowledge of car mechanics stopped when they started fitting computers I am ok with my MG and can just cope with my MX5.
Good luck
David

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pdman

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 28, 2014

thanks David

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