2020 Equinox Crunch and Grind

[adamastone78]

I have posted before but have yet to find anyone to actually fix my issue... I have a 2020 Equinox. I brought it to the dealer earlier this year for front end noises. They replaced the stabilizer bar and links. They replaced control arms. They replaced front struts (twice - the first set blew their brains out overnight and leaked all over my garage). When I go over speed bumps and dips in the road, I get a crunching and grinding noise in the front end (more so on the driver side). The driver side is sitting about 3/4" lower than the passenger side on level ground. Does anyone have any ideas? 2 Chevy dealers have "thrown in the towel on this one". My idea is that the new struts are defective (the dealer says that struts will leak if they're defective and that nothing inside can break or be wrong if they aren't leaking). Any ideas?

 

[Hey Vern!]

Did you buy it new? The uneven ride height makes me wonder about the front subframe.

 

[adamastone78]

Did you buy it new? The uneven ride height makes me wonder about the front subframe.

Bought it used in 2023. The CarFax is clear.

 

[Hey Vern!]

Bought it used in 2023. The CarFax is clear.

I don't trust the CarFax.
I would take it to a reputable body shop for a check.

 

[Big Papi]

Don't trust CarFax
Stop going to dealers

 

[adamastone78]

Don't trust CarFax
Stop going to dealers

I agree wholeheartedly! BUT... My warranty covers me to go to AutoNation (lower deductible)... PLUS, because the dealer already replaced the struts, warranty says I HAVE to go back there if there's an issue with their work or parts...

 

[adamastone78]

I don't trust the CarFax.
I would take it to a reputable body shop for a check.

Will do. Thank you! BUT, also... This noise wasn't there when I first got the car. Started a year after.

 

[Hey Vern!]

I can't help but think something is loose.

 

[adamastone78]

2 Chevy dealers CLAIM to have checked all of that. The noise went away when they replaced the struts the first time. Sadly, those struts blew their brains out the first night they were on the car. When they put this set on, the noise came back and worse. The car is also not sitting level in the front. The drivers side is about 3/4" lower than the passenger side. That's measuring from the top of the wheelwell to the ground on level ground.

 

[Hey Vern!]

2 Chevy dealers CLAIM to have checked all of that. The noise went away when they replaced the struts the first time. Sadly, those struts blew their brains out the first night they were on the car. When they put this set on, the noise came back and worse. The car is also not sitting level in the front. The drivers side is about 3/4" lower than the passenger side. That's measuring from the top of the wheelwell to the ground on level ground.

then I agree with your thought that the new struts are bad. Expensive to find out.

 

[adamastone78]

then I agree with your thought that the new struts are bad. Expensive to find out.

Took it to a REAL Chevy dealer (warranty)... They found a defective strut, a strut mount that was installed improperly and the bolts for the control arms were not installed properly (apparently, they;re supposed to be tightened down while the vehicle is on the ground and NOT in the air). Lo and behold... ALL NOISES ARE GONE!

 

[Hey Vern!]

Took it to a REAL Chevy dealer (warranty)... They found a defective strut, a strut mount that was installed improperly and the bolts for the control arms were not installed properly (apparently, they;re supposed to be tightened down while the vehicle is on the ground and NOT in the air). Lo and behold... ALL NOISES ARE GONE!

Wow, glad you got them to sort it out.

 

[PoManNox]

Took it to a REAL Chevy dealer (warranty)... They found a defective strut, a strut mount that was installed improperly and the bolts for the control arms were not installed properly (apparently, they;re supposed to be tightened down while the vehicle is on the ground and NOT in the air). Lo and behold... ALL NOISES ARE GONE!

Glad they found it. I was going to suggest the strut mount (which is actually a bearing) because shops will often not change those. Usually they make a rumbling sound when you turn the wheels back/forth if they go bad.

 

[adamastone78]

Glad they found it. I was going to suggest the strut mount (which is actually a bearing) because shops will often not change those. Usually they make a rumbling sound when you turn the wheels back/forth if they go bad.

Thank you