Hyundai i30 2008 issues after repair
Hi all, first time posting here so please bear with me.
Last year while learning to drive I bought a 2008 Hyundai i30 1.4 petrol 5 gear manual. I passed my test in January and have been driving it regularly since, doing about 1000+ miles between mid-Jan and mid-Feb.
A few weeks into driving it regularly and getting used to how the commute and the roads feel), the car suddenly started feeling very off while driving. On a dual carriageway it felt almost like driving over the moon / a speedboat. I also noticed:
- Slight thumping from the front (possibly left side) especially when cornering
-Clunking underneath when going over bumps or on rougher roads
- A squeak from the rear right side, especially over bumps or when stopping
I checked my tyre pressures and despite being the tiniest amount under, I topped them up and it didn’t solve anything. I took it to my usual garage ASAP and after inspection they had found 2 main reasons for the clunking;
- Front driver’s side shock/strut was completely worn so that was replaced with new.
- Top mount on the front drivers side shock had also in their own words “disintegrated”, which was also replaced with new
- Front anti-roll bar D-bushes were badly worn so replaced with two new ones
They checked all the other shocks and the rear right control arm (which looked rusty) but said everything else was fine.
After the repairs the car felt much smoother and like a completely different car. However, the rear right squeak was still slightly there.
The next day on my commute everything felt great, I arrived all okay and left all okay, until about halfway home when the car suddenly started feeling off again, similar to before:
-Slight thumping on corners
- Steering felt the tiniest bit looser again
- Bumps feel harsher
- Rear right squeak is louder again
It’s definitely still much better than before the repairs, but something still isn’t right.
The car is booked back into the garage on Tuesday for another test drive/inspection, and a friend who’s a trainee mechanic is also going to take a look beforehand to check they haven’t missed anything.
I know it’s hard to diagnose without seeing it, but does this sound like anything specific that might have been missed or worked loose? It’s due to have its MOT in less than 3 weeks at the same place and I was so positive that it would pass and be absolutely fine, now I am worried. I don’t get why it’s felt bad again. I get it takes time to wear them in but it shouldn’t have felt suddenly bad again 🙃
Posted Mar 8, 2026, 1:09 PM UTC