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Does your car just not sound and drive like when it was new? There are several very common problems that could cause this even if your vehicle has under 20K miles. One very popular vehicle that is prone to front end noises over bumps is the Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyage / Chry. Town and Country. Every one of these vehicles that comes through my door with over 20K miles on it has a bad sway bar bushing. It is an easy fix that can get rid of that awful rattling noise. Some shops will try to sell you struts which are very expensive, and will not get rid of the noise. One other common problem with this vehicle as well as many others on the road is a bad sway bar link. This link is a ball and socket type design that goes bad all the time. Years ago they used a busing type design that would last for years. Of course there are several things that could cause noises. A lot of Ford vehicles tend to make a moaning or creaking sound when turning at slow speeds. This is mostly caused by the tie rod ends and in some cases, ball joints. This happens because, in an effort to save around $1.00 per car, the manufacturer decided not to install grease fittings. After around 20 or 30K miles the joint dries out and starts making noise.

Some other issues that can cause noises and or a loose feeling over bump and dips in the road are when a shock absorber or a strut begins to fail. In some cases this also can happen on vehicles with very low mileage. In the last 2 years we have had a lot of snow and therefore there has been lots of pot holes. One good hit in a pot hole can cause a strut or shock to go bad. In the last 2 years we have had several low mileage Hondas and Toyotas come in with a bad strut. This is something that should be repaired ASAP so as it does not ruin the tire. It is also dangerous because after you hit a bump the tire keeps hopping which means you have no traction from the hopping wheel. If you have any question if you have a bad strut, get it checked out at our shop. We check suspensions, and brakes for free.

One other very common noise is when a hub bearing goes bad. You will know this when you hear a groaning or howling noise when driving over 30MPH and the noise changes in sound when you turn left or right on curves in the road. The noise changes because you are adding or removing weight from the bad bearing. If you hear the noise on a left hand curve, the right bearing is probably bad, and vice versa. Get this fixed ASAP or the job can become more expensive the longer you drive because it can damage other parts.

Tires also can cause a bearing type noise. On some cars the tire can become cupped or scalloped because of a bad wheel alignment. Some vehicles are just designed poorly and can cause this if you don't rotate the tires every other oil change. The Ford Explorer is a common vehicle for this problem. Ford Explorers also are known to wear out ball joints by 30K miles. If you own one of these vehicles, ask your mechanic to check them at your next service.

Thanks for listening to my opinions.

Gas Saving Tip: Check your tire pressure. This can save a lot of fuel. Just think back to when you rode your bicycle when the tires were low on air. It was twice as hard to pedal. The same goes for your car's engine.

Robert Avanti

Phone # 631-462-4416. Email [email protected]

Address: 100 Smithtown Blvd. Smithtown, NY 11787