Struts and mounts

[n00b on demand]

ok so i have a big issue.....theres this clunking noise coming from my drivers side front wheel.....i went to Mavis discount tire and they took me for a ride in the car and put it up on the lift and said nothing is wrong except the struts look original and look like they have never been replaced.....the ride feels fine to me its just that damn clunking noise....so i talked to Mark (zepplin) and he said that i should just change the mounts and that will take care of the noise.....Mavis said they would call me to tell me the price of the mounts and struts.....apparently they are having a very hard time gettin the price so they said they would call me in the morning and we could work something out.....so then i called Rushneck Subaru here in NY and they said they dont have the parts because their special order parts and it costs about 90 bucks for each and labor is 80 bucks an hr....they said a week before i make an appointment with them call them and order the parts.....i cant wait that long because im worried something might happen and that noise is annoying.....i need advice on what i should do.....

[SVXer95]

Definitely sounds like front strut mounts. I don't think that this means that they are going to fall apart and make a big mess. As far as I know it means that the rubber is worn out. It would be good to get them changed, but again, I don't think anything really bad is going to happen if you don't do it immediately.

[n00b on demand]

being that the noise is only from that one wheel is it ok to just change the mount on that wheel and not the other?

[97LSi004]

From my experience, (not only on SVX) replacing just one is fine, it just means that the other is prone to go at some point soon (although on my old bimmer, the right rear strut mount was so often a problem i welded in a hunk of metal to help it).
It's the same as just replacing one strut. You can do it, but expect to be doing the other one sometime soon.

[RojoRocket]

soobiesvx93,
I was discussing an annoying clunk coming from the front end with my mechanic today, and he described it to a "T", as just annoying (not like the CLUNK when a swaybar bushing deteriorated) and occuring over any small bump. He told me there's a bushing in the steering rack mount that's prone to this and only solved by replacing the steering rack, which is prohibitively expensive, and as it's only an annoyance I think I'll just turn the stereo up!
If in fact your problem is the strut mounts it's my opinion you may as well do them both while you're at it, as the other will need replacement sooner than later. Why not do it now?

Glenn

[mbtoloczko]

I've never heard of the front mount failing, and in looking at it (I've had it out of the car several times), its pretty stout. When I replaced my strut mounts I was able to determine that the clunk was due to a very slightly notched bearing in the strut mount. It was having no effect on the structural integrity of the strut mount. If you can live with the noise, then don't bother replacing it.

[n00b on demand]

ok mavis discount tire finally got me the price for the mounts......he said for both front mounts including parts and labor it will cost me 376 dolars plus tax.....subaru told me yesterday that for each mount its 90 dollars and labor is 80 bucks an hr....and he assumes it would take more than one hr.....now im not sure who i should go for and who is better for doing this....now i also dont know if my struts itself are bad.....what are the tell tale signs of bad struts?......i know the clunking noise is caused by bad mounts.....other than the noise and feeling like the drivers side wheel is hitting my left foot while its on the rest pedal there is nothing else wrong.....the ride is fine and isn't hard...its still pretty smooth and the car drives fine....this makes me think i have decent struts and i shouldnt replace them just yet...would also save me a bundle on money....the guy at mavis also told me i had to give him a 100 dollar deposit before i order the mounts because if i decide i dont want them he has no use for them....thanks guys for all ur replies....more would be very helpful

Originally posted by mbtoloczko
I've never heard of the front mount failing, and in looking at it (I've had it out of the car several times), its pretty stout. When I replaced my strut mounts I was able to determine that the clunk was due to a very slightly notched bearing in the strut mount. It was having no effect on the structural integrity of the strut mount. If you can live with the noise, then don't bother replacing it.

I have the same problem. Since it still works fine, I just live with the noise.



Dave