Hey, i was wondering how have peoples' experiences been with the service department at livermore subaru. i might have to take it in as i'm puzzled on what could be wrong with my car

I have started to get a clunking noise in thefront right side of my car, when i'm going up a steep grade, or accellerating out of a right hand corner (especially an uphill right hand corner). i'm puzzled to what it could be, i have had my brakes resurfaced and pads done about 3 weeks ago, and coilovers 2 weeks ago. this problem only started last week after i had my brake lines done and bled...but i highly doubt this is a sort of brake noise?

any imput?

 

https://www.i-club.com/reviews/showp.../cat/54/page/1

 

It could easily be your new suspension. Check to see that your strut tops are tight, but don't over tighten them as I broke a stud going to only 20 ft-lbs according to my torque wrench. What kind of coilovers do you have, because pillowballs will also make a clunking noise.

 

well they once told me that my turbo timer voided my warrant

bahahaha...
edgar,

 

I hate that place.

 

well i had the coilovers on for 2 weeks prior to the noise, and everything is tight. i have the cusco zero 2r's

hopefully they'll be willing to at least diagnose the problem, because i'm at a loss at what it is

 

I'd think twice about taking your car to a dealer for inspection of aftermarket parts.

They probably wouldn't have a clue how to do work that isn't layed out in their little computer PDF system.

Take it to some real mechanics. Gruppe-S in Hayward is a good first option -- give them a call and see what they can do for you.

 

Let me fix my previous post:

Don't take it to Livermore Subaru. You will spend a lot and regret the results.

Perhaps only if your car was stock and warrantied.

 

well it should be ok if i just get them to find the problem and not actually fix it right? i went to mpj a few days ago and they believe it was the brake rotors...but i'm definately sure that isn't it though

 

They will charge 2x what the good bay area shops charge. They will take longer to find the problem. They will not know what they are dealing with.

I'm just saying that you will regret taking the car to the dealer for fixing aftermarket parts.

In my experience, dealers hire idiots and kids to take care of your car. These kids don't give a **** about your car. They have seen hundreds of Subarus, and can change the oil on them like a pro. But they wouldn't know the first thing about coilover inspection.

Take your car to a shop that charges less, cares about your car, hires enthusiasts to do the wrenching, and knows what they are talking about.

Thats just my two cents.

 

Also, having brakes resurfaced and new pads doesn't mean that your problem isn't the brakes. If you didn't grease the pads right when switching them you can still get funny noises from new stuff.

A good way to test out struts is to push down on the corner (gently push in a way that won't dent your car) and watch how the spring pushes the car back up. If it bounces around then the strut may be bad, which can cause your clunking.

 

You might want to check you sway bars...My cobb front sway bar was a little loose. It was making this horrible squeeking clunking noise. It sounded like it could have been coming from any corner of the car. It turned out to be a loose front end link. I greesed it and tightened it, now my car makes no noise at all,...except that sweet stuff that comes out of the exhaust.

 

Go to one of the vendor shops from this board. I bought my STI from that place and they ripped me off on a few things. Atleast I returned the extended warranty... They're more of a business than an enthusiast's hobbyshop.

 

ah thanks for all the suggestions, i'm going to try almost all of them heh. the thing is it only happens under a heavy load (going up a hill) and i dont' see how that could be related to the brakes or swaybar, but just to be sure i'm going to check them

 

While this is probably a coilover-related problem, you might want to have a look at the front right CV joint. Check to make sure the boot isn't ripped or torn and make sure the shaft and joint aren't loose or wobbly. A damaged CV joint can cause a clunking noise, especially when cornering. The reason I mention this now is that it's easy to rip the CV boot open when installing /removing struts and coilovers.

This might not be the problem here, but something worth checking if you can't find any other solution to this issue.

-Bis