Can anyone recommend an engineer who could determine how long a car suspension part had been cracked?

Question

The rear suspension on car snapped but the break point showed rusting for more than half of its length.

Answer 1

contact the institute of diagnostic engineers website and request they list their members ie midiag.e and fidiag.e whos specialist field is automotive engineering this engineer will get the necessary tests conducted on your behalf and supply a comprehensive report if for example court action is contemplated

Answer 2

when most things are created they will always have slight imperfections, i.e. cracks, bubbles, ect. With time, stress and the help of rust, those imperfections can become the cracks that you see. So it is hard to prove how long it has been there, but they may be able to tell you how long it took to get as bad as it is now. Like what was said before, most university labs might be able to tell you, or a private lab. Either way it may cost you more to find the answer than to replace the part, if thats what your doing.

Answer 3

Any insurance adjuster is reasonably qualified to answer the question at heart. However, knowing that unprotected steel begins oxidation very rapidly, visible within 24 hours, you should be able to guess how long by the amount of rust visible on the shiny part, comparable to the rest of the break after 1 or 2 days.
Sounds to me like the makings of a legal dispute. My suggestion is to ask a lawyer who would be a credible expert in court.

Answer 4

Why? There's a good chance you bought the car as-is and the previous owner would not have known about it so cannot be held liable anyway, if that's why you want to find out.

Just fix it. It'd cost more to have someone inspect, test, and give you their opinion than to just replace the broken part. I find it difficult to believe that the subframe, lateral links, axle if it's rear wheel drive or any other parts just snapped and/or fell out. There's a plethora of connections under there to hold the rear end suspension together.

Answer 5

Take it to a Department of Transport Testing centre get them to have a look, or a University that has a metal Stress lab.

Answer 6

Maybe there's a manufacturer recall. Check http://www.mycarstats.com for similar owner complaints and manufacturer recalls and Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs). Check your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) history for records of accident damage.

Answer 7

You should contact a metallurgist. They would be able to give you a better estimate of how long it had been cracked. I imagine there would be a listing in a large town for a laboratory that could do this for you.