Rack and Pinion or something Else?

My 2002 Protege5 has been making a knocking noise coming from the front left side of the car. It only does it going over uneven surfaces. I've stood on the hood the bumper and made the suspension go up and down... no noise, no excess bounce from bad struts. However, when I rock the car back and forth, I hear the noise. I've changed the strut mount, changed the sway bar bushings and still had the noise. I took it to sears and they are telling me that it is the rack and pinion. Does that make sense? I wouldn't think that the rack and pinion would make a knocking noise like that. If there are any experts with advice please help. Thanks.
Rack and Pinion or something Else?
It sounds like you've checked it enough to know it's not dangerous to drive the car. So I would just keep driving it until the problem gets so bad that you can more easily diagnose it.
Rack and Pinion or something Else?
it more than likely is the upper strut mount.
The inner tie rods can clatter when loose. And they are part of the rack and pinion when you buy a long rack but they can be replaced separately at allot less cost. Jack the front wheels off the ground and check the slack by turning the wheels slightly from side to side. If the tie rods are loose you will feel the slack and possibly hear the noise you're talking about. But in my experience I have never had the rack itself to make the noise.
Jack the car up and see if the bushings for the rack are bad.
Yes! They could be correct. The tie points inside the wrack may be worn out. The arms coming out of the wrack should be under tension, not loose.

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serious problems gaining weight

Struts or shocks.?

I've had this 99 sentra for about three years.I changed the struts because when I would hit a small pothole or as I would cross the railroad tracks I could feel the car rattling and such.Now that I changed both struts I could still feel the car rattle what else do you think I should change.
Struts or shocks.?
Most likely a rattle that you %26quot;feel%26quot; is a ball joint or tie rod end. Bad struts generally won't rattle, they just allow the car to bounce 3+times after a bump. The upper strut mounts could also be the culprit, and I'm guessing that if you managed to change the struts yourself, you didn't replace the mounts. BTW, did you get an alignment? It's required after putting in struts.
Struts or shocks.?
grab ahold of each wheel and shake the crap outta it and listen for rattle, sometimes the spring itself will rattle, most shocks come from factory with a plastic tube on the shock and it dampens spring jar while hitting holes,, most replacement shocks do not come with this plastic which is usually broken when you replace shocks so you throw it away,

96 VW Jetta Tires?

I had my rear struts changed a few months ago, probably 6 months ago. But my car is still taking bumps EXTREAMLY hard, and I'm not sure what the problem could be since I had already changed the struts. It's almost like a bang noise anytime I go over a big bump (which I do try to avoid) but sometimes I cant. Any ideas? Could it just be because she's a small car and takes bumps hard?
96 VW Jetta Tires?
You might want to take a look at the front struts. Does the car lean profoundly in corners? Here is a tip, push down on the front fender, if the car bounces more than three times, new struts are needed. Also check the springs too. How many miles are on it?

Coil over sleeves kit?

If i buy a coil over sleeve kit for my car will it be able to bolt directly onto my cars suspension or will i need to change my strut?

Coil over sleeves kit?

If i buy a coil over sleeve kit for my car will it be able to bolt directly onto my cars suspension or will i need to change my strut?

I own a 1996 Pontiac Firebird- there are approximately 136K miles on it- do I need new shocks and struts?

I own a 1996 Pontiac Firebird- there are approximately 136K miles on the car- how essential is it that I get new shocks and struts for my vehicle?



Whenever driving over a bump in the road, especially a bad one, the car %26quot;bottoms out%26quot; very badly. It appears to need new shocks and struts. But Firestone wants to charge me about $950 for shocks and struts! Isn't that too expensive? Shouldn't it be less expensive than that?



If I DON'T have the shocks and struts changed/replaced, then what sort of problems might it cause?
I own a 1996 Pontiac Firebird- there are approximately 136K miles on it- do I need new shocks and struts?
The answers already given are by and large correct. OEM shocks seldom last more than 30,000 miles, struts are a bit more longer lived. You must be careful if you choose to change your own struts. Yes, you can rent a spring compressor but people have been badly hurt doing this job so unless you have had some experience I would not recommend it. I also agree that $900 is exorbitant. Shop around. You should be able to have this work performed at an independant garage for about 1/2 that amount. Good luck.
I own a 1996 Pontiac Firebird- there are approximately 136K miles on it- do I need new shocks and struts?
well, i dont know the going rate for labor where you live but in GA. that is expensive. if you dont fix the problem and keep bottoming out the car, you will damage your exhaust, oil pan, transmission pan, and the front end of the car. bottoming out too much will cause the frame to bend and if that happens, the car is trash. that is the reason insurance companies total out cars because once the frame bends, the only way to fix it is to rebuild the car from the ground up with a new frame and you will have lots of body work to do. no matter the price, Get The Shocks and Struts Replaced.
Yes, you need to replace the shocks and struts unless you want to continue bottoming out the suspension. That causes excessive wear on those components. Also whenever you go somewhere and get an estimate on repairs, it is up to you whether it's too expensive or not. There are special tools and knowledge required to replace the struts and that price also should include an alignment. Keep getting estimates until you find the one you can afford%26gt;
YES. OE shocks and struts maybe last about 50k miles.

The problems are ride control and comfort.

And as far as a highway tire shop goes, they charge maximum prices (retail+) for everything. Find a good, reputable independent garage. I bet you can get it done for half the cost.
Maybe you are too fat, dude.....Kidding..

Yeah $950 is real high.... Advance auto has the front struts for 70 bucks each and the rear shocks for 18 each....thats under $200 in parts.

If you are even minimally mechanically inclined...you can do the rears yourself.

Go somewhere else and price the front only.

If the car is bottoming out tho...You might need springs..which is a different story. Good luck
I'm not a mechanic or anything, but if you haven't replaced he shocks %26amp; struts since you've owned it , the car is over 10 yrs old, it's time to bite the bullet and pony up the dough.



- take the car to a smaller mechanic instead of one the chains, get a few estimates before you get it done. see if they'll install them if you can pick up the parts yourself from an auto parts store - you'll save on the parts markup that the mechanics will charge - that's what I do.
Here's some simple tests for shocks. Push down hard on one corner of the vehicle and release quickly. If that area of the vehicle 'bounces more than Up, down and settled, then you probably need to replace the shock/strut on that corner.



The stuts may need to be replaced with this many miles depending upon the road condition that the car spent most of it's life one. I think Firestone is overpricing.. but then again I do my own mechanic work. Replacing the rear shocks is easy and only requires about 3 wrenchs at the most. That's one job just about anyone can do and what you pay for shocks can range from $25 a pair to a hundred based on YOUR preference.



The stuts are a different story. However, they are not that difficult to do either if you have the right 'spring compression tool' which you can rent for cheap (or free) from local parts store. Struts can run about $120 to $300 each again depending on YOUR preference.



I suggest you contact Autozone, Oriely, Napa, etc. and get a quote on the cost of the parts so you can see what firestone is charging for labor. Then you can decide if it's a good deal or not.



Good luck and I hope this helps!

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Auto Body Repair shop scam. Please Read. 1996 Cavalier Z-24?

My wife wrecked her 1996 Chevy Cavalier Z-24, and we took it to this shady body shop called Jolley's, and the damage needed to be repaired was the front end. my wife paid in installments, it took about 3 weeks, the guy charged $2,700. But he admitted to buying a front end off of a salvaged 2001 cavalier, and we went pick up the car today, and the bumper he put on it was one from a car that was a 2.0 , not the 2.4 L that our car was, and also one of the clear corner lights leaks water and has condensation on the inside, probably due to a scratch that is evident on the exterior of the lens. Don't you think we deserve the parts to work %26quot;like new%26quot; even if they came off of a used car? I mean, for $2,700, he changed the hood, radiator, charged the A/C, changed the battery, headlights, corner lights, front bumper, hood latch, frame(radiator support), and painted 70% of the car black. Also changed 1 strut in the rear. Do you think I got a good deal? But shouldn't the corner light not leak ?
Auto Body Repair shop scam. Please Read. 1996 Cavalier Z-24?
I worked in a body shop for a while, and you got one hell of a deal. The light should work like you say. But believe me when I tell you the man isn't making much money on this deal, it's a lot of work and time. Just as an example, I have a 1998 Chev, Lumina. I bought a new hood and light. I took it and they installed the hood and light and painted the front end, it cost $1200.00. The hood and light was already paid for. so you got a deal if work was done right.
Auto Body Repair shop scam. Please Read. 1996 Cavalier Z-24?
If he put the wrong bumper on, he should replace it with the correct one, unless it was agreed that a different one was acceptable to you. As to a bad corner light, he should replace that with no question.



If he refuses to make the corrections, at no additional cost, get three estimates from other body shops to correct the problem, and take him to small claims court!!
you should receive the correct parts, and they should work properly even if used. consider small claims court if the dollar amount is within range.
On the bumper, it depends where he got it... If he got it off the 01 salvage, he should have informed you but when you fix with salvage, you sometimes have to take the salvage car's parts.... If he got a bumper from somewhere else, it should have been the correct one unless he couldn't get the 2.4 one anymore (and then a phone call should have been made to clear it with you)



The light also depends upon from where he got it.. If salvage car or not.. but Yeah he should have informed you and tried to make right or at least let you make the judgement call...



I agree that the parts should act like new, but when you rebuild with a salvage car, and don't replace the donor car's problems (like the light) you have what happened here... apparently he was trying to save you money than getting everything perfect and costing you a couple of hundred more....



Apparently, their biggest problem is he didn't apparently keep you in the loop on problems for some reason.



But my question is he painted 70% of the car... How much more would it have been to paint the other 30% and have a total repaint? Lot less problems and lot less masking...