ugh, rear sway bar bushings squeaking AGAIN (going in for third "fix")

5phreak

Member
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2007 5 Touring Whitewater Pearl
this car is really annoying me. It's a shame too, because I like the actual car, it's size, versatility, etc.

But it's eaten three sets of rear shocks in 52k miles, and now has to go in for the chuck wagon-loud rear sway bar squeaking for the third time.

I can't stand it. Why can't they get this right?
 
I believe they can't get it right b/c the part itself is flawed (poor quality and just not build to last), so repeatedly using a flawed part will yield the same result. I haven't had the car long and usually have the radio on but yeah the squeak is very annoying! Have you been using replacement OEM shocks and bushings? Have you tried a set of aftermarket shocks + bushings? I bet the squeaking rear bushing will go away with one of these http://www.energysuspension.com/products/Sway-Bar-End-Link-Bushings.html
 
I believe they can't get it right b/c the part itself is flawed (poor quality and just not build to last), so repeatedly using a flawed part will yield the same result. I haven't had the car long and usually have the radio on but yeah the squeak is very annoying! Have you been using replacement OEM shocks and bushings? Have you tried a set of aftermarket shocks + bushings? I bet the squeaking rear bushing will go away with one of these http://www.energysuspension.com/products/Sway-Bar-End-Link-Bushings.html

The squeaking has not come back yet in our mazda5 2006 after they replaced the bushing. This was 2 winters ago. But if they had put grease in it, I expect the squeak to come back and I plan do 'reg-grease' the bushings before winter.
 
mine originally only squeaked in the winter, but now it's reversed, and it was quiet all winter long, but is squeaking the loudest it ever has with the new warm weather.

you folks are probably right and my dealer is either using crap parts or just doing a grease job.

either way, this has got to stop. I mean, how long have sway bars been in cars?... and in 2007 they couldn't figure out how to make them operate quietly?
 
Polyurethane are not good for daily driver. They need too much maintenance. Get This thermoplastic bushing from Moog instead.

I got mine from Rockauto for like $11.40 shipped for my 32 mm TriPoint swaybar and they are a lot quieter than the Polyurethane bushing that came with it. I believe OEM rear swaybar size are 20mm.

I do not know the front if it would take the universal style bushing or not since I haven't mess with the front one yet.
 
Do you keep taking it back to Mazda and having them replace the parts with OEM?? And you've done this three times?? Please tell me they were replaced under warranty at least!!

Please DO NOT use the Mazda OEM shocks again, they will blow, guaranteed. If you insist on having the service done at the stealership then at least buy some Monroe's or KYB's and bring them in for installation. Same goes for the bushings...

http://www.discountautoshocks.com/s...Shock+Absorber+and+Strut+Assembly,universal:0)

(you'll have to click on "Find my parts" again... the ones displayed are not correct... weird site)
 
yes, dealer has been doing all these repairs under warranty. Good thing I bought the extended warranty, but ya, if they keep using crap parts, the pain is in the having to take it back over and over again.
 
yayyy, not only are the sway bar bushings squawking, but the front struts are leaking, and the right front hub needs replacing.

to make matters worse they had none of the parts in stock, so the car has to go in again next week.

this car has been in the garage quite a bit in it's 62,000 miles.
 
I just had to grease my rear bushings for the first time yesterday. I usually give them a quick squirt of silicone spray lube when I do an oil change. This is the first time in 2.5 years (& over 50K km) that they have made any noise. I removed the bracket and bushing completely, cleaned them with the spray silicone, and then used silicone grease. The bar had some of the coating coming off of it, and some rust starting to form on it under the bushing. I could see the rough, rusty surface chewing up the inside of the bushing pretty quickly. I am going to do the fronts next oil change.
 
Sorry guys ,that i have to ask this. I also did replace my ,but i think i may have stripe the bushing bolt. Does any of u guys know the size and pitch of the the bolt? Thanks Jason:)
 
I came up with a fix for all of my 5's ailments.... I'm getting rid of it tomorrow.

Buying a new Dodge Journey. Very nice car. Hope it's more reliable than the 5.
 
Enjoy your Journey. It's an ok car, I just hate the ergonomics of that car and you're losing a lot of space in the back plus you're gonna lose decent city fuel efficiency, although it does seat up to 7.

I'd take getting hands a bit dirty any day for the 5. You should've gone with KYB rear shocks, would've been a bit more reliable.
 
yup, definitely not going to get a full sized couch in the Journey (see my picture of couch in 5)... but like with any switch to a different car, there are advantages and disadvantages.

the KYB switch never was an option, cuz as you can imagine, the problem was out of control. The first time the shocks were replaced for free, I didn't know it was going to be a continuing problem, you know? And then the second and third... and now it's too late. I'm turned off by the problem, not to mention the constant reoccurring sway bar squeaking in the front and back, the stumbling issue, the front brake rotors that keep warping... and the list goes on.

It's just been in the shop toooo much for a car with only 63k miles.

the additional seating of the Journey isn't really necessary for me, although that third row seating is actually useable space. I am 5'-10" and fit back there no problem.
 
yayyy, not only are the sway bar bushings squawking, but the front struts are leaking, and the right front hub needs replacing.

to make matters worse they had none of the parts in stock, so the car has to go in again next week.

this car has been in the garage quite a bit in it's 62,000 miles.

The front hub doesn't need to be replaced unless you drove off a cliff. Can you hear it grinding? Does it have a clicking or popping sound when you push the top of the wheel/tire with your foot? If so, have a service station put a new bearing in. If not, blow off the stupid dealer.
 
I didn't have the hub replaced. I can't hear it, and the car drives fine. They asked me; "don't you hear the "whah-whah-whah" sound?" I don't hear anything except the sway bar bushings. Heck, everyone can hear them, hahaha.

I didn't have them do any of the repairs in fact because I don't feel like dropping it off again.

I'm trading it in with the sway bars squawking and the drivers front strut leaking.
 
I didn't have the hub replaced. I can't hear it, and the car drives fine. They asked me; "don't you hear the "whah-whah-whah" sound?" I don't hear anything except the sway bar bushings. Heck, everyone can hear them, hahaha.

I didn't have them do any of the repairs in fact because I don't feel like dropping it off again.

I'm trading it in with the sway bars squawking and the drivers front strut leaking.


Maybe you should trade it in after you have the parts replaced under warranty!!?? You realize Dodge will look at the car before they take it right... then tell you everything that's wrong with it and why they'll only give you peanuts for it. At least if you had it fixed first, you can tell them and show them all the new parts and try not to get bum f'd to hard on the trade-in..

If it was me and I was really set on getting rid of the 5 and getting a Journey (haha right!), I'd get it fixed under warranty and sell it privately. Trade-ins are the biggest scam going in the industry!! A private buyer doesn't need to make a profit off of what they're buying... a stealership does = you'll never get even close to what it's worth by trading in.

Is this deal already done?? Can I ask what they offered you for your 5?

And just for your own FYI - I also have a 2007 GT, my struts, shocks and bushings all needed to be replaced, I didn't want OEM so I sucked it up and spent $350 to get KYB shocks and struts, + aftermarket bushings, my dealership did the install under warranty... no issues what-so-ever since... plus the KYB's have a lifetime warranty.

Every vehicle has it's issues, if you think switching to a Jouney is the solution, you may want to have a look at their forums first - http://www.dodgejourneyforum.com/index.php?/forum/13-tsbs-recalls-maintenance/

Look like lots of fun stuff including - Class action law suit regarding premature brake pad and rotor wear, Violent shaking when rear windows are lowered at high speeds, Engine mounts which become loose, a TSB for power steering grinding during left turns, etc, etc...

I know the Mazda 5 has issues... I'm not trying to say it doesn't, I'm just saying all vehicles have issues and I don't want to see you wasting substantial cash by trading away a great vehicle.

(Also, not sure if your dealership does this, but if I schedule my repairs or maintenance about three weeks ahead a time, I can book a complimentary convenience car (usually a 2012 Mazda5), which means the only inconvenience is stepping out of one car and into another on my way to work.)
 
believe me, I know buying a new car is not a guaranteed end to maintenance problems. Just as buying the 5 did not answer my Focus woes. I've never kept a car past 5 years, and this one is 4 years old, so I'm only a little ahead of my usual trade-in schedule.

and yes, I know that trade-ins are not ideal financially, but what you don't get in your pocket, is more than made up for in inconvenience and having weirdos come to your house, or as usually happens, not even show up when they say they're going to. (happened to me the other day, I waited an hour for a jerk to come pick up something I had listed on CL - no show). And I see myself waiting a longggg time to find a 5 buyer. They are not a popular car in this area at all. I've never had more people bust on my choice of cars than has been the case with this 5.

My Mazda dealer does not schedule service. They open the gate at 7:30 every day and it's first come, first served. And they don't give out loaner cars, nor will they drop me off at work, it's out of their "drop zone".

I'm not worried about the Dodge dealer hearing the sway bushing squawking... they're not going to resell the car, they're going to send it off to the auction. All they care about is does it run well and look good, and it does. I took really good care of it.

Journey is not a done deal yet, I'm going tonight to haggle. It's most likely going to happen though, because my girlfriend is like family with the owner, and supposedly I'm going to get a really good deal. We shall see.

I've been surfing the Journey forum for two days. Most of the bad stuff I see is on the '08-'10 models. They were redesigned in '11, so (fingers crossed) hopefully, they got the bugs out.

funny I noticed that awful percussion in the interior when the dealer lowered his rear window while I was driving it. My girlfriend's Forester does the same thing. You have to open two windows not just one. Lots of cars do this. It's not a violent shaking, it's just an awful pressure wave, or whatever you call it. Must have something to do with the shape of certain vehicles. The 5 does it too under certain conditions, but not nearly as bad.
 
If a dealer offers at least 70% of what I expect to list a car out on the open market, I'll take it. Remember we get a 12% sales tax credit (not sure about everywhere else) so I chalk up the 18% haggle down as convenience of not dealing with all sorts of people just kicking tires. But if a car is worth less than $5,000 I'll just sell it privately.
 
all this talk just made me realize I have not done my research on just what is trade in value for my car. Gotta do that.
 
Sounds like you've got it pretty figured out... I've always sold my cars privately (on #5 now I think), they've always sold within a week to 10 days and usually for almost what I've paid for them (sometimes more... I'm good at finding deals, negotiating, keeping my cars pristine and I'm a great salesman :)). My other two rules are #1. Never buy new (I'd rather burn the money in my fireplace, at least I'll get something for it... heat... buy at least two years old) and #2. Never buy a car that isn't or won't be easy to sell. The 5 is a very popular car here on the Wet Coast of Canada.

I guess I'm just willing to spend a bit more time and work a little harder for thousands of dollars (makes sense to me)... anyway, good luck, sounds like you should end up with a pretty good deal... and happy motoring!!
 
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