Thread: knocking sound front suspension

Originally Posted by irondoc

I accidentally went over a gutter at speed the other day. knocking noise from the front ever since.

went to LR, replaced lower control arms under extended warranty - car was 3.5 years old with Allianz warranty..."just paid for itself...."

cheers
lucas

My timing is similar, except that Allianz refuse to cover it under their extended warranty. They cite that bushes. hoses etc are not covered. So in this instance, that makes the Allianz extended warranty a great waste of money.

D4 MY12 with 39000km was in for it's 4 year service when the shop picked it up. I hadn't even noticed any knocking. Also to make matters worse, LR reckoned that they would not have been covered under the new vehicle warranty even if they were knocking within the original warranty period of 3 years. I found that hard to believe. Cost quoted by LR to repair is $1970. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where else to get them replaced in Brisbane and how long can I drive on them before they become a safety or breakdown hazard.

Also, as the D4 is now out of warranty, does anyone have suggestions as to a good service shop in Brisbane that's more affordable than LR?

Jaybee

Originally Posted by Jaybee

D4 MY12 with 39000km was in for it's 4 year service when the shop picked it up. I hadn't even noticed any knocking.
Also to make matters worse, LR reckoned that they would not have been covered under the new vehicle warranty even if they were knocking within the original warranty period of 3 years. I found that hard to believe.

That's not my experience. As mentioned in my earlier post here, bushes replaced under warranty at 2y/52,000km travelled.
Plus a few others in this thread have had them done under warranty too.

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Cost quoted by LR to repair is $1970. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where else to get them replaced in Brisbane and how long can I drive on them before they become a safety or breakdown hazard.
Also, as the D4 is now out of warranty, does anyone have suggestions as to a good service shop in Brisbane that's more affordable than LR?

I have read good things about Greg Tunstall and also SBL Automotive but haven't actually used either myself.

I was quoted $1500 by dealer for bush replacement outside warranty.

Regards,
Scott

Originally Posted by LRD414

That's not my experience. As mentioned in my earlier post here, bushes replaced under warranty at 2y/52,000km travelled.
Plus a few others in this thread have had them done under warranty too.

I have read good things about Greg Tunstall and also SBL Automotive but haven't actually used either myself.

I was quoted $1500 by dealer for bush replacement outside warranty.

Regards,
Scott

Thanks Scott

Yes I saw that others on this thread had them replaced under warranty. Perhaps it was difficult for me to get an accurate response as my vehicle was out of the factory warranty. At the time I was trying to get LR to ascertain whether Allianz would cover the replacement so perhaps LR didn't want to commit. I've also found that since the LR dealer has relocated, due to growth and expansion, that I'm now dealing with staff who are far less experienced than was the case 2 or 3 years ago.

The quote from LR was $1970 for replacement of both lower control arms, much higher than your $1500. I might need to send you in next time to do the bargaining.

I'll look into your suggestions for an alternative, however, as I'm in the west and both repairers are a way out of town I'll also review Comet Automotive in Albion.

Ciao

Jaybee

The bushes are not expensive and can be replaced on the vehicle with the right tooling.
I bought new arms, fitted them and have rebushed the originals, including the ball joint for good measure. Certainly for far less than quoted price as I fitted them myself and had a wheel alignment done after.
Be aware sometimes the clunk can be from the swaybar bushes which I also replaced at the same time; they are very cheap.

Originally Posted by Plane Fixer

The bushes are not expensive and can be replaced on the vehicle with the right tooling.
I bought new arms, fitted them and have rebushed the originals, including the ball joint for good measure. Certainly for far less than quoted price as I fitted them myself and had a wheel alignment done after.
Be aware sometimes the clunk can be from the swaybar bushes which I also replaced at the same time; they are very cheap.

Okay, that sounds great but not being too mechanically minded I'm not sure what tools I need or where to support the vehicle and wheel struts whilst replacing the control arms so I might just have to leave it to the experts. Otherwise, are there any tutorials you know about? It doesn't look to hard but it's knowledge that makes it easy and not knowing that makes it time consuming and hard. Where do you buy the replacement arms from? Do they have to be OEM or are there others that fit?

Mind you, perhaps it's easier than I think. After all, I fitted a Mitch Hitch on Saturday after following Scott's informative posts on this forum. Thanks Scott.

Cheers Jaybee

Just got mine back today,,in Wollongong.
Local repairer,,cost $418 each for control arms complete new.
4 hours labour@$100hr.
Wheel align $50
genuine parts.
sorry forgot to mention ,12/08, D3@99K,k's.
i think they're the same part numbers as D4.
should give you something to work with when checking prices.
cheers
Paul

Originally Posted by Modelsp

Just got mine back today,,in Wollongong.
Local repairer,,cost $418 each for control arms complete new.
4 hours labour@$100hr.
Wheel align $50
genuine parts.
sorry forgot to mention ,12/08, D3@99K,k's.
i think they're the same part numbers as D4.
should give you something to work with when checking prices.
cheers
Paul

Now that level of pricing is more like it.
Parts $418 x 2
Labour $400
Alignment $50
Total $1286
I can't see how the LR dealer/repairer can charge $1970 for the same job. I've called another repair shop for a quote to compare and if I can find someone reasonable will no doubt take the D4 to them in future for all servicing.

Parts $836

Adelaide dealer does the arms fitted for $1200