After having the struts replaced the suspension is still squeaking when driving over a bump

Tiny
CCARDWELL
  • MEMBER
  • 2008 MERCURY MILAN
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 172,000 MILES
My car was squeaking when hitting a bump. I was told it was struts and had them replaced. Within a week the same noise was happening. Mechanic say it's the rear controls and bushings are getting old. Does this mean my car didn't need struts in the first place?
Thursday, May 28th, 2020 AT 8:29 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
BMDOUBLE
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,139 POSTS
It's hard to say without being there to witness the noise, but what I can say is that these cars usually get struts and control arms at my shop when they come in for suspension noise.
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Thursday, May 28th, 2020 AT 9:40 AM
Tiny
CCARDWELL
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thank you for your response. I paid $450.00 for the struts and today was told that it would be an additional $500.00 now to replace the control arms and bushings. They said the parts from AutoZone is almost $300.00 but that if I purchased the parts on Amazon then that would be much cheaper. And that if I bring the part in that they would install it. They said that they are just worn but it was safe to drive but would just be noisy and that they can't "grease" the parts because these cars don't recommend it. However, from what I've read in stead of using "grease", your supposed to use silicone based lubricant. Your thoughts on this?
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Thursday, May 28th, 2020 AT 1:48 PM
Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
Hello, I'm Danny.

There is a possibility that maybe your noise was misdiagnosed. Having 170,000 miles on your car does lead to a lot of noises and squeaks but your car should have been put on a vehicle hoist and had a thorough inspection first. Both struts and control arms with bushings are an item that does wear with time and mileage. To answer your question, no you cannot grease or use lubricant on a non-serviceable control arm that would be a waste on a worn out part. Yes, you can buy replacement parts from Ebay or Amazon etc. To save money as long as you purchase a correct part for your car. You can always buy a replacement part from your local auto parts stores like Pep Boys, AutoZone, or O'Reilly's for a discount as opposed to a shop or dealership. Finally, yes your car might be noisy until the problem is actually fixed possibly being the rear control arms. It's possible struts may not have been the noise. I've attached a picture below of the bushings in the rear control arm that I'm speaking of and circled said bushings in red. There are 4 control arms in the rear of your car 1 upper and 1 lower per side. Hope this helps and thanks again for using 2CarPros.
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Saturday, May 30th, 2020 AT 2:37 AM

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