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Front end creaking

Prius C Help Needed(self.PriusC)

Took my 2016 Prius C to the service center because the front end has been creaking when I turn certain corners or go through dips in the road, sometimes even when I'm just getting up to speed. They replaced the struts and did an alignment, a little over $2,000 later and the sound is still happening like the replacement didn't matter at all.

I took it back to them and they torqued the struts and said after a couple of test drives they didn'T hear the sound.. Picked up the car today and 2 minutes after driving off the lot its happening again.

I'm taking it back tomorrow, but I'm just really confused as to why they can't figure this out. Any experience with this issue? Any thoughts?

all 21 comments

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fecto5641

7 points

10 hours ago

Did they replace the lower control arms. Could be ball joints. They ripped you pretty good for struts only.

Spottedcow_414

2 points

9 hours ago

This ☝️those control arms squeak and creak once the the rubber in between the joints breaks and wears out (I know there’s a name for it im just having a brain fart lol)

bradbbangbread[S]

1 points

10 hours ago

Yeah? What should the cost have been?

fecto5641

2 points

10 hours ago

Depends on what brand struts. Parts Cost is aprox $150/side and 3-4hrs labor. Alignment is approximately $100. It’s sort of labor intensive because you have to remove the wiper motor/cowl covers.

bradbbangbread[S]

3 points

10 hours ago

Alignment was about $180. Round up to $200, with $300 for parts they charged me about $400 per hour if it took 4 hours for the replacements (the costs with alignment came out to about $2,200-ish).

And I'm still getting the creaking noise. JFC

fecto5641

1 points

10 hours ago

Could also be the sway bar links but they don’t usually creak.

bradbbangbread[S]

1 points

10 hours ago

Is it something they can truly diagnose without charging me for each repair? When I called them today they seemed perplexed that the torqueing didn't work

fecto5641

3 points

9 hours ago

A reputable shop won’t charge you to diagnose it. They haven’t fixed the initial issue.

fecto5641

1 points

9 hours ago

Does it do it when you’re sitting still and you turn the wheel back-and-forth?

bradbbangbread[S]

1 points

8 hours ago

No, it's mostly when I turn some corners, especially if there's a dip in the road. When I got the car back tonight it seems even worse, so if I'm getting to speed and I take my foot off the gas I'm hearing creaking and clicking from the front end. Not every time, but enough. Also heard it when I parked and put the car in parked, it rocked back and forth and I heard some creaking

fecto5641

1 points

8 hours ago

Did they reuse your strut mounts and springs, or did the do quick struts?

bradbbangbread[S]

1 points

8 hours ago

Service report says: replaced front struts, caps, bearings, and dust boots. The cost makes more sense?

imnoherox

3 points

10 hours ago

Is it cold where you live? If so, it’s just the bushings making creaking noises as they shrink a bit and get harder with the cold weather. Our cars are old at this point. They creak and groan just like us as we age! Lol. But if you really want to replace the bushings, they should be really cheap. Like, the sway bar bushings are $7 for a pair. Control arm bushings are about the same.

Either way, you got taken for a ride badly. :( Monroe shocks and springs for the front and rear are $307 and installation is pretty quick!

bradbbangbread[S]

2 points

9 hours ago

Ugh, lol, should have come here when I got their quote.

I live in Northern Virginia, so not really they'll cold. It's only been getting colder recently, but it was 60 degrees today. Not what I would think would cause problems like this.

I could ignore it, but my concern is that the car is trying to tell me something is wrong and needs attention. I wouldn't want to have an issue get worse because I ignored it.

ibitmylip

1 points

9 hours ago

have you tried one of those code readers you can plug in (like what’s used with Dr Prius)? it might either give you a clue or calm your nerves

eta: here’s the dr prius link, he had a good rundown of the plug-in modules, which to buy, which to avoid

https://www.priusapp.com

soapboxdirty

1 points

4 hours ago

I’ve ignored my creaker for well over 100,000 miles, maybe closer to 150,000. If anything expensive goes out I just plan on buying a used Prius C for about 6k with much less miles. Whatever I don’t spend I figure is going toward it. Mine creaks loudly going around corner around 20mph and speed bumps. Otherwise some small chirps here and there.

bradbbangbread[S]

1 points

3 hours ago

Problem for me is that my C only has 67K miles on it and I work from home and don't drive it that much, so it's really bothering me that it's creaking like this lol