Hi guys,love the show, hope you can help. My big 2003 Buick LeSaber has a squeaking noise when it goes over dips in the road. I was planning on keeping the car for a couple more years, but this squeaking is causing my way more road rage than I usually have. I saw that a CarTalk member posted this same problem & your response was that it was most likely the struts; if the noise can be duplicated by “bouncing” the front end up and down. My husband “bounced” the front end and was able to duplicate the noise. I took it into the dealership & they first thought it might be the hood latch and stops, they lubed them. It still squeaked. Second time they loosened the front bolts & lubed bushings then retightened to spec & said it road tested ok. Still squeaked. Third time I went over a pot-hole, a loud clunk sound was heard & they replaced both front strut mount bearings. Still squeaked. The fourth time they replaced left & right sway bar and it still squeaks.
The last service was 9/09 and the squeaking is worse now than ever. I don’t know if I want to go back to them because they don’t seem to know what to do. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
take it to an independent shop that specializes in alignments tires and shocks/struts.
Squeeking comes from things rubbing on each other, and it is in the suspension probably, because of the bounce test, but it could be a loose heat shield too. When you do the bounce test, you need someone on the ground who can hear where the squeek is comming from.
Thank you, I will let you know how it turns out.
You might have them check for dry/worn lower ball joints.
The original lower ball joints don’t provide grease fittings for lubrication. So over time the ball joints dry out and wear. This can cause a squeaking/groaning noise when bumps are encountered or when pushing down on the front of the vehicle. Also, a worn ball joint can cause a clunking noise. If it is a ball joint making these noises, it may be ready to fail. And when that happens you can lose control of the vehicle.
Tester
Had a similar issue, problem was Insulator bushings on rear subframe, if it’s your lower control arm bushing? Need to replace entire assembly for both sides.
Leo , I would think that these people may have solved the problem 8 years ago.
but now Leo has offered a solution if someone else comes along asking.
It’s not always a bad thing to resurrect an old tread, Volvo.
Doesn’t that make one more prone to blow-outs?
I got rid of those type squeaks by spraying 303 rubber restorer on all the rubber bushings CV boots any where there were rubber parts like the motor mounts the control arm’s in the steering suspension and it really got rid of them