I have a pretty bad clunking noise in the rear end,
Any ideas on what this noise is? Or if its normal?
​​​​​FWD car.


Edit: Just fyi, i jacked up the rear end and wedged a crow bar between any suspension parts, all the control arms are solid, the only thing thing that moves is the exhaust but doesn't make any noise. Im guessing its the shocks, it just suprises me they're not even a year old

Don't know why the link isn't clickable...

 

Try isolating the source ... inside or outside of the cabin.

For suspension, I always suggest going to a suspension shop and usually they will do the inspection for free. You can pay them for the time and service.

1 yr for shock is certainly a short time but shock function fail is developing a leak. Hardware failure is mounting, bushings, and welds. You can remove the shock altogether and it will change the feel but you can drive around the block to eliminate/confirm it being the source of sound.

Salim

 

Thanks for the reply. The shops around here usually charge $50-100 for diagnosis.

Do you mean take out the whole strut to see if its the cause?

 

There is no need to pay for that type of diagnostics.

Most tire shops will take the car for a test drive to see your symptoms and concerns, for free but ask first!

If they can fix it they will give a free estimate from my experience to earn your business

And because they took their time to diagnose it, I always consider their estimate and may have them do the work if it's affordable.

 

My bad .. I have moved on the newer RX where the shocks are standalone.

50 is not bad to pay for proper diagnosis. As long as they show you what is moving. You can make up the difference if you DIY.

Salim

 

Im not saying your wrong, but I did that a few years ago, paid $50 for a smoke test, their "30 year expert mechanic" told me my rear wheel bearings were going bad. Quoted me several hundred dollars. Decided to do it myself for $150. Took off the old ones and they were just fine. Glad i only wasted $150 instead of $500 i guess. Just depends on where you go i guess.

 

of course i eat my own words... The one thing I didn't try was the "10 and 2" test. So just out of curiosity i just jacked her up again and and put my hands on the driver rear tire at 10 amd 2 and sure enough a little bit of wobble, spun the tire and a little bit of clicking noise. Tried the right side and zero wobble zero click. I guess I assumed it couldn't be the bearings because i changed em about 5 years ago, but now that i remember, I think that was the side I struggled with to get thr gasket set in right. Maybe I zorked it i dunno. But it does make sense, i get really bad raddle noise and vibration on the highway when i turn to the right, straight or to the left it goes away.

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Ok so looked at it a bit better with a friend. Had him wiggle the tire while i looked behind it, and seems to be the rear control arm. Its the one on the top closest to the rear of the tire. There could be something wrong with the shock though too, but its hard to isolate the sound, the control arm is definitely loose though

Woud anyone know what its called? I just see
"Rear Suspension Control Arm Assembly, No.1 Left"
Or "No. 2 left"

Sucks because mine is FWD so basically no aftermarket options...

 

Visit the online parts department of Lexus of South Atlanta and drill down to your model. You can look at the parts diagram and order directly from them or see who else would sell this part. Cheapest source would be Asian suppliers like Amayama, but check the shipping cost.

It seems you had a bad experience with suspension shop (?). It can happen, that is why I always ask them to demonstrate the play. They have the proper lifts and long levers to diagnose. When I say proper lifts, I don't mean the 2 post or 4 post lift. They have a lift inside the lift to transfer weight and support points. I had good experience with speed shop, where they demonstrated the play and were perfectly cool about me doing a DIY and bring the vehicle back to them for alignment.

Salim