My car is a '92 Chevy Lumina. I recently got all four of the struts or, as it’s listed on the receipt, “strut cartidges” replaced. There was a lot of improvement in the ride. However, I still noticed some noise when hitting bumps or potholes and a buddy of mine says it’s the bushings and that they should have been replaced along with the struts, just like you should get a realignment along with replacement of the struts. So, as you might have guessed … I don’t really know much about any of this, and I’m kind of irritated at the thought that I might have just paid $500 to get the struts replaced … can anyone out there clarify any of this for me?
$500 to get the struts replaced without without addressing a related problem, that is – how related, I don’t know.
Your buddy’s exaggerating. It’s not automatic to replace bushings, they’re separate pieces, located on different parts of the suspension (unless he’s talking about the strut mounts). Regardless, take it to a trusted mechanic to have it diagnosed. Is the noise in the front or the rear? Did a chain store do the struts?
OK, thanks. The noise is only in the rear, from what I can tell. And yes, it was a chain store – Pep Boys (they estimated and stuck to the lowest price for the job).
I’d be looking for an good independent shop for this work, it’s more than a parts swap.
When installing strut cartidges in your vehicle, the strut assembly doesn’t need to be removed as the strut cartridge is installed through the top of the strut assembly. So there would be no reason to touch the upper strut bearing or bushings unless they were asked to do so.
Tester
What do you mean, you don’t trust chain stores, or … ?
Unless you are very comfortable with the individuals at your Pep Boys, yes, I do not trust chain stores in general. Diagnosing suspension noises takes some experience, and you don’t want them just to throw parts at it.
I’ve been satisfied with my mechanic, I found them here: http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html
OK, thanks for the explanation–very helpful! I imagine that worn or bad bushings will also make the shock catridges go bad sooner, too, right? Can you tell me more about what I should know and look into as far as the bushings go (e.g., their number or quantity, location or position)?