Do I really need all this?

[mazybright]

I have a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 (first gen) with 43,500 miles (yeah, I hardly drive) which clunks, rattles, and squeaks a lot on rough pavement but is pretty smooth on highways. No noticeable nose dipping while braking, no steering vibrations, and no weird noises when turning the wheel. The clunking, rattling, and squeaking are the only audible symptoms.

Went to get an oil change at the dealer and they told me I needed new struts and mounts (parts $450/labor $388), sway bar links ($96/$291), and rear shocks ($300/$291). I already know the prices are ridiculous (we're talking OEM parts), and I'm not stupid enough to pay those amounts. My question is do I really need everything? They said the struts were leaking oil. WTF? Aren't struts and shocks supposed to be good for at least 50,000 miles? Is there a good way to check them? I read clunking is often caused by worn sway bar bushings.

Especially wondering about needing new strut mounts and sway bar links. The links look fine. Wouldn't new bushings be enough? It's just a daily driver, so I don't need fancy parts, I'm quite satisfied with the OEM parts. How much should labor be (I'm in the Northeastern US)?

What say you, Mazdaspeeders?

 

[5port]

2008 with 29K miles (I live 2 miles from work). I had all four shocks and struts replaced at 17K miles with Koni FSD shocks. $700 for the Koni shocks and $400 for the install at Tilden Brakes. The stock shocks on the MS3 are horrible and will fail early (leak oil). The strut mounts have been known to fail also depending on your local roads. Mine are still intact. Yes can either see oil on your garage floor or look up at the top of the shock and see oil weeping. Sway bars links failing will cause a knocking noise. So all those parts the stealership named are prone to failure but their price quotes are high. If you have a Tilden Brakes in your area they will replace all for cheaper and do a better job.

PS: I highly recommend when you replace the shocks DO NOT go with the stock shocks. Either Koni or Bilstein, etc. Tirerack has a deal that they will send the shocks to Tilden and they will call you when they receive them and schedule an appointment.

 

[mazybright]

2008 with 29K miles (I live 2 miles from work). I had all four shocks and struts replaced at 17K miles with Koni FSD shocks. $700 for the Koni shocks and $400 for the install at Tilden Brakes. The stock shocks on the MS3 are horrible and will fail early (leak oil). The strut mounts have been known to fail also depending on your local roads. Mine are still intact. Yes can either see oil on your garage floor or look up at the top of the shock and see oil weeping. Sway bars links failing will cause a knocking noise. So all those parts the stealership named are prone to failure but their price quotes are high. If you have a Tilden Brakes in your area they will replace all for cheaper and do a better job.

PS: I highly recommend when you replace the shocks DO NOT go with the stock shocks. Either Koni or Bilstein, etc. Tirerack has a deal that they will send the shocks to Tilden and they will call you when they receive them and schedule an appointment.

Thanks for your reply, 5port.

1. The Konis/Bilsteins are twice the cost of the OEM parts. Are they twice as good? For a seven-year-old daily driver? What, specifically, is so bad about the OEM parts?
2. The sway bar links are just metal rods. How would they go bad, other than bending or breaking? I can understand the bushing wearing out, but the link itself?

 

[magicka]

Like 5port said, the OEM shocks and struts are garbage. Mine were leaking before 40k miles. Yes, Koni or Bilstein are at least twice as good as OEM, and if you shop around you should be able to get a full set front and rear in the $550-700 range. FSDs are the best thing I've done to the car, after the RMM. At 40k+ miles, I would absolutely recommend replacing the front strut mounts as well. You may be able to pull them apart and re-grease them, but that increases the possibility of ball bearings going everywhere, and MOOG replacements from RockAuto are fairly inexpensive. You can check their condition by having someone turn the wheel back an forth while you watch/listen/feel. New FSB bushings are also fairly cheap, and are a known source of clunk.

You can probably hold of on end links unless they're corroded or damaged. Just check them after everything else is installed and make sure they're tight. If they do need to be replaced, MOOG and a couple of others offer a non-adjustable replacement with grease fittings at a very reasonable price.

 

[5port]

Thanks for your reply, 5port.

1. The Konis/Bilsteins are twice the cost of the OEM parts. Are they twice as good? For a seven-year-old daily driver? What, specifically, is so bad about the OEM parts?
2. The sway bar links are just metal rods. How would they go bad, other than bending or breaking? I can understand the bushing wearing out, but the link itself?

1) Yes twice the cost...but many times better. Like magicka said "the best thing I've done to the car". Why are they better? The stocks shocks will leak oil early in their life. Once the oil leaks out there is nothng left to compress other than air and air does not support a car.

Wen driving over rough roads a shocks job is to articulate and allow the wheel to follow the bumps in the road. The OEM shocks in that situation DO NOT act like a shock...they act more like a steel rod so instead of the wheel following the road they transmit the road bumps into the body of the car. Now the car body is following the road bumps and slowing you down (not to mention giving you a rough ride). Once you install the Koni FSDs you notice you can carry a lot more speed thru the rough stuff. The car acts like a car with a well developed and designed suspension. By 17K miles my OEM shocks were knocking and bottoming out on the local rough roads. Embarrasing on an otherwise great car. When you hit the highway and smooth roads the FSDs internal valve will close and the car goes to sport mode. It really does work and is worth every penny.

2) The sway bar links are not just metal rods. There is a ball joint in the link that can fail like any other ball joint. I would also suggest that you hold-off on the links until you have replaced the crappy OEM shocks. IMO your failed shocks are causing the majority of your knocking noises.

Believe me...It took me a little while to spend that much money on shocks. After all was done it was sooooooo worth it. I cant say it enough.

My favorite Koni Demo: Part 1 OEM shocks.....Part II Koni FSD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KLTLWHr5rU

 

[magicka]

Just to be clear, you should be able to get a significantly better suspension for about the same or just a little more than OEM.

Koni FSD at THM - $590
MOOG Front Shock Mounts p/n K160228 at Rock Auto - $34 each (you'll need 2)
MOOG Front End Links p/n K750073 - $23
Ground Control Firm Strut Bumpstops - $12 each. You'll want two for the front. The rear OEM stops can be trimmed.

By my math, that's about $710 in parts vs. the $750 you quoted in the OP. You may be able to get a better deal on the Koni's by calling around to a couple of vendors (THM, Edge Auto, etc.), and you may want to add a few bucks for new sway bar bushings and grease-able rear endlinks, but you should be able to do the whole thing for less than $800 in parts.

If you have basic tools and a place to work, the rear suspension is super easy to swap. It's three bolts per side. The front is a little more difficult, and you'd want to rent a spring compressor, but it's still doable in a Saturday.

 

[mazybright]

Thanks for your input, guys. I went with the OEM parts. Even if they last 25,000 miles, that's five years at the rate I'm driving. I'll be ready for a new car by then. Also, the front struts were re-designed in 2008, according the parts guy, so they may be better. Magicka, the prices in my OP were the ridiculous prices I was quoted by the dealer. I got all the parts (struts, mounts, links, bushings, shocks) for $581 from the same dealer's internet parts site. I'm guessing around $300 for labor and I'll be good for another five years for under $900.