Upper strut mount/bearing
 

My wife and I purchased a '98 V70 about three months ago. When we took it on a test drive we heard that clunking or a friction/scrapping sound from the passenger side when going over a bump. Open the hood and you can see the strut moving up and down in its mount when we pushed down on the fender. So we knew this had to be fixed. Really only thing wrong with the car as it has been maintained wonderfully.

We live in NYC and this makes vehicle repair quite difficult. I would like to tackle this job but don't think it is feasible with the car parked on the side of the street. From what I can tell, the whole strut has to be removed in order to remove and replace the strut bearing. If that is the case...not going to happen.

The next thought (which I really don't want to do, but I think it is my only option) is take the car to a reputable shop. I have never had to look for a shop since I did all my car repair along with my dad. That was back in Seattle with a nice place to work. I want to shy away from the dealership as I believe they will charge and arm and a leg to replace both front strut mounts. The drivers side has started to make the same sound.

Does anyone know of a good Volvo shop around NYC that they feel is fairly priced? Anyone have an idea of what this repair might cost?

What I would love to do in this situation is to take the car to a good shop, I order the parts and they install. Thanks for your input.

RE: Upper strut mount/bearing
 

Try Volvo Car Repair 27 Route 46W, Clifton, NJ. Tel. no. 201 478 6586!

RE: Upper strut mount/bearing
 

Thanks. I will call them today.

RE: Upper strut mount/bearing
 

It's really not that bad of a DIY job. A 20 year old kid did both sides on mine in about two hours. He had one whole strut assembly out of the car in about 20 minutes. Then he used a spring compressor that was nothing special to take the assemble apart. I watch closely and would not be afraid to do it myself next time. I was surprised at how easy it was to get the assemble out of the car. He did have it up on a lift though. It looks like the kind of thing that any decent mechanic can do, so you do not need to take it to a dealer. Find somebody that will let you watch them do it.

RE: Upper strut mount/bearing
 

Hey 67Fairlane500 (We have those in Australia too) am about to get the same thing done. Do you know why the strut needs replacing? We had aftermarket Bilsteins fitted as a warranty job from another problem (looooong story) and they kept punching out the top hat on the top mount. Found out they fitted heavy duty struts instead of "normal" ones. FYI original struts cost AU$515.00 ea side. Get them fitted next week. The mechanic doing them said to be on the safe side I had to order (not from him) some more top brakets as the struts may have bent them as well. Save doing it all over again.

A bit off topic but hope this helps.

RE: Upper strut mount/bearing
 

Hey downunder thanks for nailing down the exact complaint on the Bilstein Heavy Duty struts. I have seen many comments that they were too severe but didn't know what that meant. I have seen good things about the "Touring" Bilstein though. Also, I have seen them online for less than $140 each and a full set of shocks and struts for $390.