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Technical Top Strut Bearing? Or something else?

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Technical Top Strut Bearing? Or something else?

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EvoMonk

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The car is a 1.4GP 56 plate. Steering has been proper naff for a while. Last year it had a new steering column fitted under warranty but its been a bit crap since I got the car tbh. And its getting worse.

Dad is a mechanic of 35yrs and he stripped the wheels down a couple of weeks a go to see if he could see anything and the only thing he could find was when the wheel was off on the near side you could twist the wheel strut but couldnt do the same on the drivers side. Ive got it booked in at garage for looking at on Thursday. Ive already told them it could be the strut bearing and I am hopeful they dont find anthing more serious.

Btw the car is veering to the left on a straight (no camber) road. And going over bumps in the road makes the drive gradually worse each trip. I try to avoid bumps but some you cant help it.

Other people have had similar problems and it has been the strut bearings or the drop links. I dont want to spend a lot as Im off on holiday next month. Whats the rough price for a strut bearing being fitted? Ive a quote from a main dealer at £242 for both doing.

Thanks in advance. :)
 
Not too bad for main dealer. I got quoted £170 for both top mounts/bearings. The mount/bearing kit is £100 alone plus labour.

This was from a local indi fiat specialist.
 
EvoMonk said:
The car is a 1.4GP 56 plate. Steering has been proper naff for a while. Last year it had a new steering column fitted under warranty but its been a bit crap since I got the car tbh. And its getting worse.

Dad is a mechanic of 35yrs and he stripped the wheels down a couple of weeks a go to see if he could see anything and the only thing he could find was when the wheel was off on the near side you could twist the wheel strut but couldnt do the same on the drivers side. Ive got it booked in at garage for looking at on Thursday. Ive already told them it could be the strut bearing and I am hopeful they dont find anthing more serious.

Btw the car is veering to the left on a straight (no camber) road. And going over bumps in the road makes the drive gradually worse each trip. I try to avoid bumps but some you cant help it.

Other people have had similar problems and it has been the strut bearings or the drop links. I dont want to spend a lot as Im off on holiday next month. Whats the rough price for a strut bearing being fitted? Ive a quote from a main dealer at £242 for both doing.

Thanks in advance. :)
Click to expand...

pay a garage??? you just said your dads been a mechanic 35 yrs lol.
 
GavinAshford said:
I'm assuming we're talking about the same thing but strut top mounts are less than 20 quid each...
http://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=2812&sku=7103

Took me about 1.5 hours to change then on mine with minimal tools, I'd expect it to be less than an hour's garage labour for professionals.
Click to expand...

I thought exactly the same, but after speaking to my local indy Fiat specialist he said the bearings and mounts are seperate and come as a kit.

Can you confirm this?
 
I'm not aware that they are a kit, the bearings are inside that black bit of rubber, the top and bottom twist on each other with the bearings and grease inside. Unless they're talking about some other bearing they'd change at the same time - wheel hub maybe (~£35 for shop4parts)?
 
Personally I'd go for the cheapest fix first, drop-link / tie rod on the side you can twist the suspension leg on. These are a known weak spot on the Grande Punto & are far easier to replace & cost far less.
 
Magic Johnson said:
I suggest you speak to another Fiat 'specialist' then.
Click to expand...

So that’s a no then?
The 'specialist' garage happens to very good. In fact i would rather trust them with my car than my local Fiat dealer.
Maybe he has looked up the wrong part or made a mistake, hence the reason why i am asking for someone to confirm what he is saying!
 
He can't be that good, generally specialists know what they're talking about, especially if they are specialists on a single make of car.

When you're stationary, and you turn the wheel, does it 'clunk' as you are doing so? Sort of like a burst mattress noise. That's your bearings probably siezed up. If it's knocking whilst driving and pulling very badly to the left it's more likely to be drop link/ball joint etc
 
Iv had it up on axle stands and when the strut turns it kind of sticks/judders at the top. I was contenplating doing the job myself but am very busy at the moment so was going to get it done at a garage.

I believe the guy has a stronger Alfa background than Fiat but works on both. Im not trying to defend him or cause any arguments but its just one guy in a reletavely small garage who seems to know his stuff. After all how many times do you hear stories on this forum of Fiat dealers f***ing up.
 
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