I have a 2003 Ford Focus ZX5. There are about 60,000 miles on it and I just got new tires a couple months ago. For a couple months now, my car has been sounding like a plastic tonka truck whenever I go on bumpy roads. Any sort of bump or crack in the road that I go over, and my car rattles and sounds like it may break in half. I brought it to the shop and they said my front sway bars are loose and to replace them (including labor) it would be about $200. I’m wondering if this sounds absurd, but also if I should even bother? As long as I don’t mind the rattling, is it necessary to replace them, or what would the consequence be?
What you’re probably hearing is a broken stabilzer bar end link. This link is what connects the stabilizer bar to the strut. When these break the end link is only thing that needs to be replaced. Not the entire stabilizer bar. Get a second opinion.
Tester
this is a very cheap repair. it’s just a link, labor is maybe ten minutes and the part at best twenty dollars.