my new struts are rattling!

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thinnmann - 10 Jan 2006 14:30 GMT

I just paid over $500 at Midas to have my 2000 ZX3 struts replaced at
65K miles. They do not rattle for the first 15 minutes of driving, but
after the car is warmed up, my front end rattles over bumps and other
road irregularities. I can even feel it in the steering wheel. It
gets worse the longer I drive. Anybody know what is up with that?

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Dave Gower - 10 Jan 2006 15:35 GMT

>I just paid over $500 at Midas to have my 2000 ZX3 struts replaced at
> 65K miles. They do not rattle for the first 15 minutes of driving, but
> after the car is warmed up, my front end rattles over bumps and other
> road irregularities. I can even feel it in the steering wheel. It
> gets worse the longer I drive. Anybody know what is up with that?

You don't say if there was a rattle before you took your car to Midas, but
if there wasn't obviously you have to take it back to them. Shocks can
sometimes be faulty.

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thinnmann - 10 Jan 2006 17:15 GMT

Yes, no rattle before the replacement. I did the replacement because
one of the springs broke, which caused creaks and clunks related to a
single event and was quite obvious, so I figured it was time for the
struts too.
Thanks for the thought that the struts themselves might be faulty. I
did do a search on this topic in this group, and saw that there were
posts some years ago about front end rattles. The cause seems to be
many and varied - defective struts not mentioned then, however.

(..and let me apologize ahead of time for using Google Groups without
proper quoting because I can't access my Comcast newsgroup service with
a proper newsreader from work...)

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sn00p - 17 Feb 2006 04:22 GMT

i think that there was extended coverage on the front coil springs,
something like 10 years... if it broke, it should have been warranty, check
with your dealer

> Yes, no rattle before the replacement. I did the replacement because
> one of the springs broke, which caused creaks and clunks related to a
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> proper quoting because I can't access my Comcast newsgroup service with
> a proper newsreader from work...)

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Chris Whelan - 10 Jan 2006 17:15 GMT

>>I just paid over $500 at Midas to have my 2000 ZX3 struts replaced at
>> 65K miles. They do not rattle for the first 15 minutes of driving, but
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> if there wasn't obviously you have to take it back to them. Shocks can
> sometimes be faulty.

I think I'd be more worried about what might have been left untightened...

Get it checked ASAP!

Chris

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Matt Mead - 11 Jan 2006 02:26 GMT

>I think I'd be more worried about what might have been left untightened...
>
>Get it checked ASAP!

Yes, this would be my concern. I'm thinking something didn't get
tightened. (I once replaced some shocks on my van and had a terrible
rattle right after. Turned out my tightened bolts were tight enough!)

Matt
00 Focus Wagon
96 GMC Safari AWD (loose shocks were on this one.....)
99 V-10 Super Duty, Super Cab 4x4

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thinnmann - 11 Jan 2006 18:59 GMT

Got it looked at today. It was a broken swaybar that was just banging
against other stuff! That explains why it didn't rattle when i first
started driving around - sometimes it would bang on stuff and sometimes
it just hung.

The swaybar attaches high on the strut with one "bolt", but it is
integral to the swaybar itself, so you have to replace the whole
mechanism. The bolt was sheared. I suspect the mechanic had
over-torqued it when he replaced the strut. They replaced the swaybar
no charge.

> >I think I'd be more worried about what might have been left untightened...
> >
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> 96 GMC Safari AWD (loose shocks were on this one.....)
> 99 V-10 Super Duty, Super Cab 4x4

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