Hello, 2007 Volvo s60 2.5t driver, here. I’ve got an odd one that I wish I could call Tom and Ray about. Okay, my front struts are busted. I’ve had two mechanics tell me this–the guys down the street think it’ll run me about $1200 to $1500, while the European specialist quoted me around $2100. With a tall bill like that, I’ve been putting it off, and I asked both guys if I’m putting myself in any serious danger by driving with busted struts. They both seemed to think that as long as I don’t mind the rattling sound and the feeling that I’m on the high seas anytime I go over a slight bump that it’s mostly going to be annoying rather than dangerous.
But lately the rattling noise under my hood (that I’ve been led to believe is from the struts) has shifted and gotten much louder. Like, an extremely loud rattle, and mainly when the car is decelerating, but without applying the brake. If I’m driving and accelerating or if I’m braking, the noise mostly goes away. But as soon as my foot is off either pedal, it’s just “G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G” etc. And I’m sorry, I’m not a car guy, so I haven’t been able to locate exactly where the strut is and what it’s resting on–or to see what else might be out of position causing this noise. I’m going to finally shell out the bucks to get this repaired, but I can’t do it until next week. My main question is: is my car dangerous to drive right now? What could possibly be causing this banging to go away when either the gas or brake is applied, but come back as soon as I’m cruising? Because it’s very loud and feels kind of dangerous. I’m worried it’s banging on a brake line or something (knowing nothing, I’m just letting my imagination run wild). Any advice would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks!
