Driving over small bumps, or driveway Edge is a hard jolt

Tiny
HILLDAISY
  • MEMBER
  • TOYOTA COROLLA
I just bought a 1999 Toyota Corolla, 117,296 miles, 4-cylinder engine. When I back out of my driveway and drive over the little edge at the street, or when I drive over bumps in a road, or the little reflectors in the middle of a the road, there is a strong "bump" noise and feeling. It feels like the car fell off a much high bump, such as 8" or so, but these are 2" and 3" bumps in rough spots on roads. I think it is the front end. I didn't notice this when I test drove the car. Otherwise, the ride is very smooth and nice; no dips or sways, no shakes or rattles (just a very slight vibration when idling, very very slight). Do you know what might cause this, and how much it might cost to fix? Thanks very much.
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Friday, April 27th, 2007 AT 6:40 PM

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Tiny
PRABOS
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I had the same problem, and my diagnosis was spot on. It was the coils. Although, mine was a second hand car, and the previous owner had replace the original coils with sports version and they were too soft. The coils were hitting each other when there is significant movement. So get the coils checked. Cheers
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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 AT 6:01 AM
Tiny
HILLDAISY
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Hi Prabos,
Thank you for your reply. I'm confused though, because I'm wondering maybe you are giving the name of "coils" to "springs?" I thought the coils were the voltage things, with wire coiled around. Are the "coils" or springs part of the suspension? I had the suspension checked at a couple places. But your point is good, and if I still hear the noise, I'll ask them to check the coils (springs) for how soft they are.

But a lot has happened since I posted the question; I have found some answers. I took the car to a shop (and to a 2nd dealers for a 2nd opinion) where they showed me that the front bumper was not attached on the left front side, so it rattled and banged over bumps. Also the right front headlite was not fully attached, and it pivoted and bumped over bumps. They also discovered that the car had been in a wreck--the tie-on bar had been bent a little on the driver's side in front. The connecting pieces on the bumper and car (left front) were all mangled up due to a wreck. There had been an attempt to use epoxy to make the light assembly stay in place.

I took the car back to the dealer's where I bought it, and they are attaching the bumper and putting in a new light assembly, re-checking the frame, re-checking the car for safety, etc. However when I test-drove the car, the salesman had me drive over a route I was unfamiliar with that avoided all the railroad tracks and went on smooth roads, so when I test drove it, I avoided all bumps in roads.

This has all been very distressing.
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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 AT 10:46 PM

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