2005 Suspension issues

[Dan05tbird]

Entire front and rear suspension needs to be changed on my 2005. I have under 60,000 miles. Two dealerships can not explain why. Has anyone had this problem? I’ve spoken to people with 03 and 04 models, they have never had any issues. Any suggestions?

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[cdbintexas]

Entire front and rear suspension needs to be changed on my 2005. I have under 60,000 miles. Two dealerships can not explain why. Has anyone had this problem? I’ve spoken to people with 03 and 04 models, they have never had any issues. Any suggestions?

That is what I was told 33,000 miles ago when I bought my bird and put a set of new tires on it. I consulted a trusted speciality shop and they said my suspension looked good and to bring it back when it had a problem.
(Perhaps some shops need billings to keep the lights on, or perhaps some very young mechanics have never seen a car with sealed suspension fittings.) Mine is a daily driver now with 174,000 total miles and the suspension steering and rear end are as good as any. My tires now have 33,000 with no uneven wear and I would not hesitate to take the car on West Texas desert highways where the speed limit is 85.

 

[Dan05tbird]

That is what I was told 33,000 miles ago when I bought my bird and put a set of new tires on it. I consulted a trusted speciality shop and they said my suspension looked good and to bring it back when it had a problem.
(Perhaps some shops need billings to keep the lights on, or perhaps some very young mechanics have never seen a car with sealed suspension fittings.) Mine is a daily driver now with 174,000 total miles and the suspension steering and rear end are as good as any. My tires now have 33,000 with no uneven wear and I would not hesitate to take the car on West Texas desert highways where the speed limit is 85.

Thank you. I also took it to a trusted mechanic that has done work for me on other vehicles, they all are around $4000 to change everything out. My mechanic suggested contacting Ford, he has never seen every component go out at the same time.

 

[Icewine]

Thank you. I also took it to a trusted mechanic that has done work for me on other vehicles, they all are around $4000 to change everything out. My mechanic suggested contacting Ford, he has never seen every component go out at the same time.

No point in contacting Ford regarding a 15 year old car that has been out of warranty on the suspension components for 12 years. Second opinion was a great idea. Definitely unlikely that every component would fail at the same time. If the original concern is old and hadn’t been addressed, it could lead to strain and wear on other components, but it sounds like you’re dealing with a less than scrupulous dealer. Most of the components will have tolerances that need to fall within particular specs, and a good shop will provide those and explain why any component needs replacement.

 

[cdbintexas]

Thank you. I also took it to a trusted mechanic that has done work for me on other vehicles, they all are around $4000 to change everything out. My mechanic suggested contacting Ford, he has never seen every component go out at the same time.

Dan, what symptoms are you seeing? I recommend saying to a mechanic "I have this problem how much to fix it?" In my own case, one transmission servo was slow to activate and I was told they wanted to rebuild the transmission for $3600. Replacing the slow servo actuator is an $800 repair. Of course if you live in NYC or LA all bets are off.

 

[biddle]

Please include the model year in the subject on future posts. Added for you.

 

[booty_malone]

Over the winter I replaced all these items on my 2004 with 53,000 miles on it: upper front ball joints (complete link), front stabilizer bar bushings, front and rear struts and upper mounts, rear tie rods, and all stabilizer bar links. The upper mounts were not to bad but I replaced them anyway. The rear stabilizer bar bushings proved impossible to do without dropping out the whole rear axle. All rubber bushings were rotted and loose. New ones are much better quality. The other ball joints are still in good shape so I left them alone.

I did all the work myself and it was a lot more difficult than I thought is would be. I got most but not all of my parts from Rockauto. The car handles and rides much, much, better and should be good for many years to come as my summer only nice sunny day car. I would guess this would have cost at least $2500 at a good shop. My costs were around $1100.00.

 

[BillM]

Entire front and rear suspension needs to be changed on my 2005. I have under 60,000 miles. Two dealerships can not explain why. Has anyone had this problem? I’ve spoken to people with 03 and 04 models, they have never had any issues. Any suggestions?

All the 02-05 birds had crummy boots on the suspension parts. Mine has 80,000 and a little chain lube quiets it down but still needs to be replaced

 

[PhilD]

I have an 02 with over 70,000 on her, not a day to day run vehicle lived in southern California for quite a time with it and now Arizona. Had to replace the front upper control arms, then the rear upper and lower control arms as the rubbers on them had all perished and were leaking the fluid from inside of them. I got all the pieces off ebay new, the dorman parts, and fitted them myself. The rear lateral link bars go very early on these cars and you can only get the ford parts, finding someone with them is hard I found at the time.

I found the parts are a diy job but at certain points I was glad to have my father visiting for an extra pair of hands, it comes in handy, when fitting the control arms in you may need to have an extra jack to raise certain parts so they line up with the mounts. And yes you do have to remove the front struts to get the front control arms bolts out.

 

[RUBY ICE]

I have a 2004, 30,000 miles, and all the rubber bushings had rotted out so a complete rebuild. Parts and labor with new KYB shocks came to $3,500.00. The cost was so high because this is Jaguar suspension and mostly all aluminum. Steel suspension you can press out the bushings and replace, not so with aluminium. Worth the cost as the car really rides and drives great.

 

[PhilD]

I also replaced the tie rod ends at the same time as the rubbers had gone on those as well and turned out all the ones sold by rockauto, summit racing, etc were the newer reworked ones and they do not fit. The only ones I found that do are the oreilly value ones, new ones have a metal cone part over the bolt and this makes the unit come loose very quickly and you have almost no steering control over the car, really scary. Just for peoples info.

 

[RUBY ICE]

All my parts were Ford OEM. I purchased them from Tasca and saved 40% off list price. Nice people to do business with. All parts fit perfectly.

 

[Evo]

Entire front and rear suspension needs to be changed on my 2005. I have under 60,000 miles. Two dealerships can not explain why. Has anyone had this problem? I’ve spoken to people with 03 and 04 models, they have never had any issues. Any suggestions?

I just replaced my 4 links in the rear and 2 in the front. Got the parts on Amazon 155.00 and 495.00 to install and alignment.

 

[Dan05tbird]

Thanks to everyone that has replied. My apologies about not posting that it is a 2005 Thunderbird, 50th anniversary edition. I have a couple of concerns. Is it worth putting over $4000 into a 14 year old car, even though I love it. Also that the dealership that has always serviced it, never noticed or pointed out the condition of any of the bushings. Everything has been great until now. I’m weighing my options, not sure what to do. I don’t have the time or place to do the work myself.

 

[RUBY ICE]

I suppose it depends on how much you love the car. I have put a bit over 5 grand into mine over the last year but cheaper than deprecation on a new car. A good retro Bird does hold its value.

 

[PhilD]

You never ever really win with cars, they always require money and when you buy a used car (like two of mine) you always inherit someone else's problems. It all comes down to what you can afford and what you are willing to put into it, if neither of those options work for you then best sell the car on. I'm currently got part of the engine stripped on my mercury mariner because of an oil leak but I love the car and cannot afford to replace it with something else. Its the hand I'm dealt.

 

[Evo]

Thanks to everyone that has replied. My apologies about not posting that it is a 2005 Thunderbird, 50th anniversary edition. I have a couple of concerns. Is it worth putting over $4000 into a 14 year old car, even though I love it. Also that the dealership that has always serviced it, never noticed or pointed out the condition of any of the bushings. Everything has been great until now. I’m weighing my options, not sure what to do. I don’t have the time or place to do the work myself.

Mine is also a 2005 Anniversary I love it. Just took it on a 1000 mile trip no issues and 23 miles to the gal. $4000 is a lot to spend on it maybe take it to someone other than the dealer. The dealer is always so much more expensive you have to look elsewhere for a better price

 

[RUBY ICE]

Yeah the dealer is expensive. Parts and labor on my rebuilt came to $4,800.00 and change, without the shocks. Bought the ford parts on line and had a good independent shop do the install. Saved lots of money.

 

[edward301]

I have two 2002 Birds, have changed the front and rear suspension on both cars,
purchased parts from ebay, parts matched originals perfectly. Had four wheel
alignment done after installation and everything aligned perfectly. Been almost
a year since first car done, and parts working perfectly. I did the work myself,
not hard, I bet a independent shop would do the job for $1,700.00 or a little
more. Your car is worth having the work done, it will drive so much better,
you will love it. Just think you will never have to do it again.

 

[RUBY ICE]

My independent shop charged $1,300.00 including the 4 wheel alignment. I hope I don't have to do it again but then it is worth the effort and expense.