Chevy Cobalt, lower control arm bushings..

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JTK

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My 2007 Cobalt at 31500mi out of the blue started making this horrible front-end clunk over bumps at lower speeds. I suspected maybe stabilizer bar end links having been down that road before with Chevys and Fords?? Nope, they feel tight as new? Jacked it up, got underneath as best I could, couldn't find any play or noises anywhere. Of course this was after accidentally grabbing the catalytic converter and burning the finger prints off several fingers. (scorching hot after 20sec BTW thanks to GM's air injection :!) Anyhoo.. frustrated I called the dealer I bought it from. They set me up with an appointment the next day. Long story short? Per the invoice; The front lower control arm bushings had to be replaced on both sides, plus a front end alignment. All on GMs dime. Even got shuttle rides. No fuss, no muss. Is it common for these things to go from all to nothing in one swoop? The car has always been tight and clunk free?

Joel
 
So much for GM's "improved" quality.....same junk, new shiny body shape. No wonder their marketshare has done nothing but shrink over the years.
 
The Saturn Ion is known to have bad front sway bar bushings. The kicker is, only GM makes the part. The Cobalt probably uses the same front suspension parts.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
I suspected maybe stabilizer bar end links having been down that road before with Chevys and Fords??


That would have been my quickie diagnosis also, having replaced mine on my Cobalt at about 55,000 miles. The aftermarket ones I used are made by Moog and made it ride like a new car again. By the way, even though yours may feel tight (they'll always feel tight when the car is jacked), they might still be rattling.
 
Originally Posted By: Finklejag
The Saturn Ion is known to have bad front sway bar bushings. The kicker is, only GM makes the part. The Cobalt probably uses the same front suspension parts.

Not true.

I replaced the end links in my 2003 Saturn ION 6 months ago.

The factory ones were made by "Central CTR" and my replacement ones were the premium Moog pieces. Just like most other Moog parts, the ball ends were larger, and the bar between the 2 ball ends was thicker. However, there were no Zerk fittings.

But maybe years later, GM gave up using "Central CTR" end links... Their ball joints and tie rod ends are still Central CTR, because I have worked under several new Cobalts.

There is a difference between the ION suspension and Cobalt suspension. It is the way the strut is attached to the body. I know of no other difference.
 
Quote:
So much for GM's "improved" quality.....same junk, new shiny body shape.


Hey, their new slogan!
banana2.gif


John
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist

There is a difference between the ION suspension and Cobalt suspension. It is the way the strut is attached to the body...


Really? The Ion and Cobalt both share the GM Delta chassis. I guess I assumed they were identical chassis, w/ different bodies. In regards to the control arm bushing deal, I wish I had gotten a look at the old bushings to see what went wrong. I'd have to get it up on ramps to see how they're sandwiched between the lower control arm and unibody. The dealer Service Adviser mentioned something about the rubber pulling fully away from the bushing on them.

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: qship1996
So much for GM's "improved" quality.....same junk, new shiny body shape. No wonder their marketshare has done nothing but shrink over the years.
Can't say I don't agree.

So sad to see such a huge company go down the drain.
smirk2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: qship1996
So much for GM's "improved" quality.....same junk, new shiny body shape. No wonder their marketshare has done nothing but shrink over the years.
Can't say I don't agree.

So sad to see such a huge company go down the drain.
smirk2.gif

Originally Posted By: John_K
Quote:
So much for GM's "improved" quality.....same junk, new shiny body shape.


Hey, their new slogan!
banana2.gif


John
That doesn't really fit well with their "We are Starting over... Rebuilding GM" commercial.
grin2.gif
 
As is Stevie's custom; Why do it with one post when you can do it with several.

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
That doesn't really fit well with their "We are Starting over... Rebuilding GM" commercial.
grin2.gif




Fits like a glove. He's got to rebuild his GM car, doesn't he?
 
Being Sarcastic... I have tried many times to give GM a "Fair try" but from what I have seen riding in friends/families cars that I know have been maintained they certainly need to fire their engineers or whoever is completely screwing up the products and start again.

Some products are decent, but most are the pits and nothing but a money pit for it's customers. (I don't need GM loving "I have never had a problem in the XX years I have owned GM products" nuts commenting, as this is JMO.)

I will tell you that I will be in better financial shape driving what I believe is a better quality vehicle which will last longer and have an overall lower cost of ownership versus the "domestic" offerings out there.
wink.gif
 
It is a shame to have suspension issues being so new, but it didn't cost me anything and was fixed in a day completely hassle free for me. I'm still very pleased with my little econo car that cost me ~$12100 plus tax brand-new. Had I gotten a run-around, had to pay for the repairs or paid double for the car, yeah, I'd be a little more critical.

Joel
 
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Originally Posted By: JTK
It is a shame to have suspension issues being so new, but it didn't cost me anything and was fixed in a day completely hassle free for me. I'm still very pleased with my little econo car that cost me ~$12100 plus tax brand-new. Had I gotten a run-around, had to pay for the repairs or paid double for the car, yeah, I'd be a little more critical.

Joel
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
So far, my Balt has been issue free...really poopy tires aside, knock on wood.....


You can't go wrong in terms of the price, what seems to bug a lot of BITOG-ers and me is that they claim to be on par with "Foreign" quality when things like this clearly show they are not.

But then again Honda/Toyota seem to be slipping in their quality so it seems to be a c-rap shoot.

Guess I will stick with my Hyundai/Kia products and hope for the best. So far so good... Lots of miles/counting and not a single problem other than a defective cd-player in the Kia
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(100K KM - 60K miles on the Kia, and almost 200K KM - 120K miles on the Hyundai)
 
One minor problem the company took care of. I had 6 years and 140K on my Cavalier before I replaced anything but wear items. And its wear items don't include a timing belt. I am talking tire, brakes, wipers, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
It is a shame to have suspension issues being so new, but it didn't cost me anything and was fixed in a day completely hassle free for me. I'm still very pleased with my little econo car that cost me ~$12100 plus tax brand-new. Had I gotten a run-around, had to pay for the repairs or paid double for the car, yeah, I'd be a little more critical.

Joel


The question is - will it happen again in 31k miles which will cause u to dump the car because it will cost u on your own dime.

I think we all know the answer to this....
 
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