Took my car in to have the radiator fluid checked and got a call from the national chain I took it too telling me that my strut mount was cracked and that it would be 600 to 700 dollars to fix. Is this too much it seems like it is but I don’t know much about cars?
What make/model/year vehicle? Is the strut mount rusting away?
I think $600 is reasonable if the strut mount needs to be welded or something like that to fix it. That could be a complicated and timing consuming job. You’d want someone who knows what they are doing, as a broken strut mount is a safety issue. I think in this particular case given what you say it might be worth it to get a second opinion first, before approving any work orders. Get a 2nd opinion from a well-recommended local inde mechanic.
If your strut mount is really cracked, ant competent welding shop should be able to reinforce it for much less than that. And that is probably where they would farm out the job to anyway.
Please post a picture of the damage
Strut mounts get replaced, as a new one can easily be bolted into place.
The strut tower, on the other hand, is the part of the unibody that the strut mount bolts onto.
That would require a skilled mechanic at a decent body shop.
They make strut tower repair plates. http://www.dormanproducts.com/Pages/napa/strut-tower-repair-cap-kits.html
These come with rivets. However a hand opperated rivet gun won’t set these heavy duty rivets. It requires a two handed riveter to install these rivets. And with that there’s not enough clearance to get at all the rivets with that type of riveter. So the plate is welded in.
The price is about right. Because a lot of components need to be removed from below the windshield to gain access to the strut tower.
The last repair plate I welded in was on a Chrysler mini van. Here’s what the strut tower looked like before the repair.
Tester
You don’t fix a strut mount, you replace it. I’ve done it 4 times. It’s easy. Replace both sides, and replace your strut carts while you’re at it. You’ll need an alignment when you’re done. If the shop is replacing BOTH sides mounts, struts and alignment, then it’s a reasonable (though not good) price. But you can do it yourself if you’re mechanical at all.
I think the whole thing is bogus and you need to find a competent mechanic and get a second opinion. The strut mount is two pieces of metal with a rubber block in between them and a bearing in the center. It holds the top of the strut in position for camber and caster while the bearing allows the strut to turn when the wheel is turned. It is all contained inside the strut tower and therefore is not visible for an inspection.
The chain store mechanic would have had to remove your front struts in order to see if it was cracked. I have had the rubber block on these crack, but as long as there is weight on the wheels, it would be hard to tell that the rubber is cracked. Even on a lift, the top nut on the strut rod keeps everything from falling apart.
If the strut tower is cracked, I’m not sure there is any really safe way to fix it, but the vehicle would likely have some accident history for this to happen.
If you live in the rust belt, the strut tower might crack without any accident
"got a call from the national chain "
Automatic red flag, click on ‘mechanics files’ above (or ask around) and find an independent shop, have them take a look.