[mlprine]

We have a 2012 GMC Acadia FWD with around 87k miles on it. It started having this knocking noise you could feel in the floor board on the passenger side. I took it to the dealership to get it serviced and asked them to check it out. By this time it had became louder and was starting to do the same thing on the driver side. The dealership said it was the struts or something of that nature and said they weren't really bad yet but needed to be replaced and would be $1600 for parts and labor. I put it off at the time because we didn't have the extra $1600 but now it has gotten much worse noise wise and feeling it in the floor board. You can feel it everytime you hit even a small bump. It has gotten to the point where it the knock has started having a rattle sound to it as well.

I looked up how much strut replacement cost was for it the price I found was much lower but only mentioned struts on the rear end of the vehicle not the front. I do not know much of anything when it comes to suspension on vehicles and even less when it involves a FWD vehicle. Can anyone give me some advice as to what is going on before I get screwed by the stealership?

 

[Jeff95TA]

Your best bet would be to go to an independent mechanic that you trust. If it is the struts or other suspension component, it's pretty straight forward and could be handled by someone that doesn't need dealer-specific tools. And if you're comfortable with aftermarket parts, that can save you some money too.

 

[SpartyOn]

Might just be a stabilizer if they're saying the suspension still has some life, but you think they would be able to identify that.

I just got my suspension replaced today.

It varies by area, but my dealership quoted me $1,100 for front struts and rear shocks using ACDelco OEM replacement. $1,200 with the alignment. That was for using my existing springs.

Ultimately, I ended up having my mechanic put Bilstein components on and replace the front coil springs. Kept the rears.

My cost for the Bilstein's was only slightly higher than what your dealership is quoting you, so that seems very high to me, but every area differs.

 

[hungtdao]

We have a 2012 GMC Acadia FWD with around 87k miles on it. It started having this knocking noise you could feel in the floor board on the passenger side. I took it to the dealership to get it serviced and asked them to check it out. By this time it had became louder and was starting to do the same thing on the driver side. The dealership said it was the struts or something of that nature and said they weren't really bad yet but needed to be replaced and would be $1600 for parts and labor. I put it off at the time because we didn't have the extra $1600 but now it has gotten much worse noise wise and feeling it in the floor board. You can feel it everytime you hit even a small bump. It has gotten to the point where it the knock has started having a rattle sound to it as well.

I looked up how much strut replacement cost was for it the price I found was much lower but only mentioned struts on the rear end of the vehicle not the front. I do not know much of anything when it comes to suspension on vehicles and even less when it involves a FWD vehicle. Can anyone give me some advice as to what is going on before I get screwed by the stealership?

Use local shops who has best rating or reviews. KYB structs are away better the OEM. My OEM leaked at 45k miles. My replaced KYB already have me over 60k miles. You probably can buy struts online then have local shops installed for labor. Either way still save you at least $500.

 

[speleos]

Worn stabilizer bar isolator bushings can cause a knock in the front end. An isolator is where the stablizer bar attaches to the vehicle's subframe. The stabilizer bar has 2 isolators (L + R). They're often overlooked during an inspection because of the almost hidden location.

 

[rbarrios]

if you have a friend with some tools...... (and if your underbody isny all rusted).
Ive replaced my rears 2 times already.

How to replace rear shocks

87,000 miles. 5.5 yrs old. How did I Know my factory shocks are bad? I didnt. I figured Id change for age,mileage, upcoming trip. I had my shocks ordered via my VIN. A guy I Know works at a Caddy dealer and got me the parts from his parts warehouse. AC DELCO 560-633 (which come back as OEM...

www.acadiaforum.net

 

[rbarrios]

forgot to mention, you can find Ready struts. these are the strut, coils, and all mounting hardware. You remove the old and put in the new.
If you get the strut only- you or mechanic has to compress the coil spring and swap over the mounting hardware.
Ive also done this 2 times.
You can watch videos on youtube on how to do it.
The interesting thing is, that you can buy new struts and shocks, new 3 ton jack, jackstands, and a nice little tool socket set, and do it yourself, and get a wheel alignment and still have money leftover. (and a bunch of tools to use in the future).

If you watch videos and dont feel up to it, then a local mechanic would be cheaper than dealer.

 

[armyacadia09]

If it’s around the floorboard it’s more than likely the sway bar bushings (isolators). They’re too easy to replace by yourself. YouTube for the win! Struts are a little more involved if you want to DIY but it can be done in a few hours. Highly recommend the strut/spring assemblies if you decide to DIY