Hit a massive pothole - what is this broken part?

[raceredftw]

As the title says, I hit a huge pothole. Immediately afterwards I noticed a crazy rattling sound coming from the rear.

I get under the car, and it looks like I've broken the mount that the top of the rear passenger shock fits into. You can see the rubber piece is exposed. I've also attached a pic of the unbroken rear driver's side shock mount for comparison.

Few quick questions: (1) what is that broken part called? (2) Any guesses as to what it costs? (3) I'm still under the factory warranty, I'm assuming this is something Ford should fix without hesitation?

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[BmacIL]

As the title says, I hit a huge pothole. Immediately afterwards I noticed a crazy rattling sound coming from the rear.

I get under the car, and it looks like I've broken the mount that the top of the rear passenger shock fits into. You can see the rubber piece is exposed. I've also attached a pic of the unbroken rear driver's side shock mount for comparison.

Few quick questions: (1) what is that broken part called? (2) Any guesses as to what it costs? (3) I'm still under the factory warranty, I'm assuming this is something Ford should fix without hesitation?

It is the rear shock mount. Ford may not fix it because you have coilovers. The forces from the dampers are certainly different, and I have no knowledge of the bumpstop geometry compared to stock.

I'd honestly recommend these for the durability and ride improvement though, thought I don't know what would go with your coilovers for certain:
https://www.steeda.com/steeda-s550-mustang-billet-rear-shock-mount-10mm-rear-shocks-555-8151.html

 

[raceredftw]

Sorry, pictures didn't load. Here's an imgur link:
http://imgur.com/a/czPlr

 

[BmacIL]

Corrected my statement. Saw that you have coilovers. You are probably out this yourself, but you could upgrade.

 

[FirstGT]

i think steeda offers upgrages for this, though honestly i didnt look at the linked pic.

hasnt this happened with people with coilovers who track their cars?

 

[raceredftw]

Do you think it's safe to drive? I've been driving on it for a few days, just figured out what the issue was tonight. I was planning on going straight to the Ford dealership in the morning.

 

[BmacIL]

Do you think it's safe to drive? I've been driving on it for a few days, just figured out what the issue was tonight. I was planning on going straight to the Ford dealership in the morning.

Safe? Relatively...yes. The shock does not have any structural or geometric constraint on the wheel, so you can get around. I would get it replaced ASAP though, as once it fails all the way through you'll have an undamped corner of of the car and it could do funky things when driving, not to mention cause parts to fall out on the road.

 

[JGonvardi]

That's the strut mount. It costs about $25 from Ford.

 

[raceredftw]

Btw, just in case anyone sees this and wanted to know - the Ford dealership replaced my broken shock mount under warranty, even with all of the mods listed in my signature still on the car.

When I initially brought the car in to the dealership, the service employee told me it wouldn't be covered under warranty because of my aftermarket suspension parts. I spoke to his manager and was told the same thing.

So, I wrote an email to the owner of the dealership from my work email address (I'm an attorney), quoting the relevant portions of the warranty handbook identifying what they would have to prove in order to deny warranty coverage (e.g. proof that an aftermarket part caused the failure of the part for which I sought warranty coverage). I also quoted relevant portions of the Magnuson Moss Act.

The next day I got a call from the owner telling me to bring my car in and they'd check to see what the damage looked like. He told me if there was any impact mark on the mount, then warranty coverage wouldn't exist (obviously), but if there was no impact damage to the mount then it would be covered. So after pulling off my wheel and taking pictures of everything (I was paranoid they'd hit the mount with a hammer or something to create an impact mark), I brought it in, showed them the pictures I'd taken, and went to work. Got a call a few hours later saying it would be covered and I would be able to pick the car up by the end of the day.

In any case, my car is good as new again, and my next mod purchase is definitely going to be billet shock mounts. Unfortunately Steeda appears to be the only manufacturer making these right now, and they're crazy expensive because of the monopoly. I spoke with BC Racing and they said they're looking into bringing their own billet shock mounts to the market but that it would be a few more than before they were ready.

 

[Selo]

Killer dealer. I think he just sold you some future cars.

 

[Sig556]

[QUOTE=racered
The next day I got a call from the owner telling me to bring my car in and they'd check to see what the damage looked like. He told me if there was any impact mark on the mount, then warranty coverage wouldn't exist (obviously), but if there was no impact damage to the mount then it would be covered. So after pulling off my wheel and taking pictures of everything (I was paranoid they'd hit the mount with a hammer or something to create an impact mark), I brought it in, showed them the pictures I'd taken, and went to work. Got a call a few hours later saying it would be covered and I would be able to pick the car up by the end of the day.

Might be a good idea to spring for donuts. Just to acknowledge them and say thanks to the Dealership for your vehicle repairs, Just Saying.:hail:

Sometimes a little donut goes a long way.

 

[wildcatgoal]

Well, lucky you. It was caused by the coilover. That upper strut mount was never designed for a coilover, just a shock with an inset spring.

 

[raceredftw]

Well, lucky you. It was caused by the coilover. That upper strut mount was never designed for a coilover, just a shock with an inset spring.

The cool part is that's nearly impossible to prove. Hence why the damage was covered under warranty.

 

[5ABI VT]

For $25 you probably made an enemy at the dealer. I wouldnt take it back for any work ever again. Wasted their time, all for a $25 part ? Pretty sure thats why they covered it.

 

[raceredftw]

For $25 you probably made an enemy at the dealer. I wouldnt take it back for any work ever again. Wasted their time, all for a $25 part ? Pretty sure thats why they covered it.

$25 part, and about $375 in labor is what it would have cost for me to pay someone to do it (multiple estimates). Screw that, my car has a warranty.

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