95concours Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I finally got around to getting my front struts and strut mounts replaced on my concours, and am pleased to say that all of strange noises in the front end are gone. I still can't believe how expensive these struts are but car handles soooo much better with them so I guess its worth it. The only thing that is a little strange is that if I happen to hit a man hole while going around a curve the car reactes differently then I'm used to. It kind of shutters and skips off it which it did before but it was much more cushioned. I guess maybe its because the struts are new and everything is nice and tight but it was quite unnerving the first time it happened. Does anyone else experiance this with there car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I finally got around to getting my front struts and strut mounts replaced on my concours, and am pleased to say that all of strange noises in the front end are gone. I still can't believe how expensive these struts are but car handles soooo much better with them so I guess its worth it. The only thing that is a little strange is that if I happen to hit a man hole while going around a curve the car reactes differently then I'm used to. It kind of shutters and skips off it which it did before but it was much more cushioned. I guess maybe its because the struts are new and everything is nice and tight but it was quite unnerving the first time it happened. Does anyone else experiance this with there car? when they did the struts did they inspect/replace any worn bushings? The strut rod bushing and control arm bushings will cause you to have directional stability problems if they are worn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95concours Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I would certainly hope they did for the amount they charged me, I know they changed the stabilizer bushings but as for the other ones I'm not sure. I guess I'm going to have to take it back down there and have them look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 can you replace these bushings without having to replace the struts? what exactly do bad bushings cause? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbuc Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 It's Brogan Cadillac, what do you expect. I'll go down there with you in two weeks, when I come back home, and we can scream at Andy, and smack Barry upside his head. Damnit, I hate those guys. Someone needs to teach them about customer service. Not me, but someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 can you replace these bushings without having to replace the struts? what exactly do bad bushings cause? Here is a diagram of the wheel suspension assembly, I circled the bushings in red, a worn/loose strut rod bushing allows the control arm to move for and aft during acceleration, braking and bumps, etc negatively affecting steering stability and giving the car a skiddish out of directional control feeling. A worn control arm bushing just allows more movement in all directions than perferred, it will also create skiddishness over bumps and transmit more road shock if there is direct metal to metal contact. Yes the struts can be installed without touching the strut rod bushings and the control arm bushings or the tech can ignore them completely. I would also hope that they replaced the strut mounts, they are about $50 a side and that they inspected the ball joints. When I do my struts I will replace every wearable rubber item and inspect the hard items (links, hub bearings and ball joints) for wear damage. My feeling is that while I am there, why ignore worn parts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I just got a new multi-function HP printer, copier, scanner & FAX machine, man does it scan fast! WOW... Here is the strut assembly, in my humble opinion, I believe that the strut mounts (see #2 below) should be replaced when the struts are replaced, I do not believe that they are included with the struts and they are a separate item to purchase. I can not say that this is contributing to the problems mentioned above, but I do believe they should be replaced when the struts are done.. Mike You know in a typical mechanics defense, they are working under production pressure, they need to accomplish the task quickly. Replacing bushings, etc is labor intensive and can ramp up the repair cost and make a 'strut' job even more painful. It is not a given that a typical mechanic will replace boarderline items without complaints, as worn struts can cause all kinds of stability problems so when they replace the struts, they solve 95% of the problem, and for most people that is adequate. Cadillac owners especially the types that frequent boards like this, can be referred to as aficionados, and they feel and listen to their cars more closely and demand perfection, but perfection is expensive. So I wouldnt fault the mechanics out there. This is one reason why I will stay in my garage for the weekend rebuilding the front end, my labor isn't $85/hour and I can afford it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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