Clunk! going to get mine looked at.

About 33K on the car now and I've developed the dreaded "clunk" in the front suspension. It's quite pronounced. Took it in for the 33K service (oil change) and mentioned the "clunk" since I wanted to deal with it before my 5yr extended warranty expires.

The service advisor notes that some things are covered under the extended warranty and some are not. Basically if they replace a part it's covered. "Adjustments" are not covered. So if bolts have come loose and tightening them up solves the problem that won't be covbered... wtf. Maybe some warn bushings and the like aren't covered. He says he really can't say what is or what's not since he just deals with part numbers. Parts x, y, and z need to be replaced and he looks up x, y, z part numbers to see if they're covered or not. Ok, fine.

The tech goes for a ride with me after the oil change and makes a point of mentioning that it seems I have some suspension modifications. Notes that he's just mentioning it because Chrysler is tightening up on that sort of thing and it may be a factor. Says that, in fact, a factory rep is there that makes the decision on these sorts of things and we might talk with him (apparently he comes by periodically). I tell him I'm good with that and I'm prepared to do battle. I've only got hotchkis sways and a DC strut brace.

Get back and the SA says I can talk to the Service Manager before we go ahead with the issue. Steve Rogers is the Normandin Chrysler service manager and is a terrific guy. Steve just says he just wanted to be very up front since the techs said there were some modifications and Chrysler is getting really sticky about that sort of thing and he wanted to be sure everyone was aware that there could possibly be issues if the mods had anything to do with whatever they find. Fine, no problem, I'm aware of Magnuson-Moss.

He wants to make it clear that I'm going to have to authorize ($270 in this case -- up to 2 hrs) to diagnose and if the problem is not covered under warranty I'll have to pay the diagnosis too. Fine. And if the problem isn't covered under warranty I'll have to pay for the rental car. Fine.

Crap. It's like rolling the dice in Vegas... It's a bummer that Chrysler is getting all hard assed about this sort of thing.

Tentative appointment to drop it off next Wed. I'm going to adjust/check my hood stops/bumpers and probably remove the strut brace this Sunday.

 

MIne has about 35K and is starting to have the same clunk. I don't have to fear because I didn't want to get the extended warranty (heads and cam next month...I hope). So it is all out of pocket cash now to take care of my SRT.
Good excuse to cover cost of some more suspension mods......might as well get coilovers, stronger control arms, and end lnks.... while you are under there.

..

 

What a pisser Dave..... Pretty shitty.

 

Well, I'm thinking it's going to be covered... unless the root cause is one of those bushings or something that's not. Something like a torn boot causing the problem would be covered. We'll see. I'm not bummed out yet. More just the news that Chrysler is getting really tight on warranty work and really picky on mods. Service manager was telling me they are very often now having to take pictures of parts to send to chrysler to get determinations and having to send the warranteed parts back for analysis when they rarely had to before.

 

You know,

I know this guy, Ralph, who is supposta be at this cool car show this spring. You could totally see what he has to say hahaha

Yeah they are getting anal in that if you replace your exhaust, and the heated seats screw up they are like OH NO ITS A MODIFIED CAR I CANT DO ANYTHING UNDER WARRANTY!

I remember the good old days of my mustang when basically everything was under warranty regardless of what I did to it lol...maybe now that the world collapsed its different, but i never remember ever being hassled about the mustang, ever. My car now doesnt matter but before i went all out on it it was a huge to do anytime i did anything. And i probably wouldnt have gotten what i did covered if it wasnt for the fact that I saw their techs toss a CASE of oil on the engine of my car, directly onto my airhammer lol. So after i expressed my displeasure it was much easier to get things done.

 

I'm dreading running into this problem on any of our four magnums. So far, have not had any problems ~ Thank God!

 

lol I got the clunk this past Fall. About two months before we moved. Couldn't quit place its exact location, but it was definitely the drivers side area.

Anywho, Haven't had it since we moved. And yes, the car was towed out here so I am wonder if the load from tie downs corrected the issue???

 

great... that would be an adjustment. Not covered.

Mine is very distinct and very "sharp" now. It almost feels like you can feel it through the floorboard with your feet. Type of thing where you'd bet money it's something loose that's working back and forth. heh, maybe it's the struts. (have to remove the strut brace and make sure that's still torqued correctly).

haha, I'm planning on taking in that pic of Gilles squeezing Ron and Maureen and say "I know these people..."

 

Yup, that was what I would hear and feel as well.

 

Is this a suspension "clunk" when going over bumps or something else?

I have a "clunk" and have been told the Hotchkis sways had bushings that may go bad over time. My "clunk" seems to be in the rear of my Magnum's suspension.

 

Before taking it in, i would get under there with a light and check the following:
Ball Joints
Rod Ends
End links
Sway bushings
Lower mount on strut
Upper mount on strut
Motor mounts (prone to damage and can cause header/exhaust to contact frame)

When are you getting said "clunk"?

 

There is that as well. But this is a very pronounced suspension clunk. Most noticeable over those sort of slightly lumpy/washboard side streets. Definitely from the front. I know it's not my hotchkis sways (at least the bushings) because they need greased. They "creak" when both wheels go over something like a speed bump in the morning or after the car sits for hours. After driving a bit they don't make any noise at all. The "clunk" is present and consistent all the time.

 

I'm hoping it's any one of those except the sway bushings. They'd all be covered.

 

Not my point...From the conversation(s) you've had up to this point, it's all about CYA. I'm betting they will find a way not to cover it...
I'de jack it up, get a light and a camera and do my own investigation prior to bringing it to them...Good luck Dave.

What's up with the "Oh right sure" shit...just trying to help ya out Hotrod... the motor mounts ARE prone to failure, and lots of people complain about exactly what I said. You didn't really describe the "clunk" in you initial post very well, so I wanted to cover all bases.

 

don't get your petite cajun panties in a bunch there. It was "oh right sure, like I would have a prayer of doing anything about my motor mounts". I thought you were suggesting things to look at for a possible self fix. Like I'd expect you to do yourself. You sure have been sensitive lately. I can't go to Spring Festival either you know.

I'm not so worried about them not covering it. pretty much, kind of... I think the service manager was just being up front and wanting to be up front that since they had seen some mods there was some possibility that it wouldn't be covered if it had anything to do with the mods... and that Chrysler was looking for that now, even on the small stuff, where they weren't so much before. If it has something to do with my Hotchkis sways it can't be all that bad and I can handle that. I can't imagine it has to anything do with my strut brace (although I'm going to check that nothing is loose when I take it off on Sunday). It's not going to ruin a strut and I'd be pretty surprise to see a crack or something where they mount.

but... I'll probably crawl under there and look around now.

 

Lol, nah dude, funny that you say I'M sensitive...My wife would beg to differ.

I tend to type how I talk...we just communicate in a different way is all...no harm or foul.
Good luck with it and post your findings.

 

This will be the second day I've been driving the Hyundai Accell... talk about "unsafe at any speed". I think if you jerked the wheel to the right and back left again you'd be doing instant barrell rolls down the freeway. I didn't even think they made cars anymore with manual windows and door locks. The rear doors don't have key holes on the outside. You open the front door with the key and then maybe you can reach the rear lock down by the handle -- no, the front seat backs don't flip forward.

Today the SA called to say I was right and it's the tension struts. He doesn't know if they're covered under the extended warranty (7/70 Extra Care Plus). He says he just plugs the part number in and it tells him if Chrysler covers it or not but the part number for these isn't coming up at all. Somebody who can figure it out will be in tomorrow morning.

Anybody know?

 

Parts are covered (... just in case, I was locked and loaded ready to go to small claims court ). I guess he couldn't get the part number to come up because he was probably using the 2006 part number and they revised them in 2009?

Said they should take about 3 or 4 days to get here so they put it back together and I'll drop it off again next week (at least they're not back ordered -- maybe that only happens with the R/T ones all the time).

The guy at Enterprise car rental across the street said he'd give me a free upgrade this time. I suspect it will be Hyundai -> Honda... maybe even electric windows and door locks.

Heh, I'll get my front sway bar bushings greased :clap:

 

so what was making the CLUNK noise?

 

It's the tension struts. Seems that they most often go bad somewhere around 30K. More so on the R/Ts than the SRT8s. But it looks like they almost always go. Usually the bushing first and sometimes the ball joint.