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Clunking when you hits a pothole. Yeah,
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that sound is your car's way of saying,
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"Hey buddy, something's loose down
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here." I'm Tom from Car Justify, and
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I've been under enough cars to tell you
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clunks don't fix themselves. But finding
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the source is usually easier than people
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think. If you hear a deep solid thunk
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when you go over bumps, the first thing
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I check is the sway bar links, also
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called stabilizer links. They're like
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little connecting rods between the sway
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bar and your suspension arms, and
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they've got ball joints at each end.
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When those joints wear out, the link can
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rattle or knock every time the wheel
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moves independently. I've seen this a
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100 times. Cheap part, easy fix. Next,
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control arm bushings. Think of these as
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the suspension's shock absorbers for
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metal parts. They keep everything snug
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while letting it move a little. When the
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rubber cracks or splits, the arm bangs
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against the mounting point over bumps.
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You can usually spot bad bushings by
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looking for torn rubber or even shiny
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metal where it's been rubbing. Don't
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forget the struts or shocks. If the
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mounting bolts are loose or the top
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mount, called a strut mount, is worn
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out, you can get a clunk that sounds
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like it's coming from inside the fender.
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Fun fact, a buddy of mine replaced his
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shocks but forgot to torque the top nut
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properly. Drove him crazy for weeks
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until we found it. Also, check your ball
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joints. These are basically pivot points
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that let your wheels steer and move up
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and down. If they're worn, you'll
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sometimes feel the clunk through the
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steering wheel. You can jack up the car,
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grab the wheel at 6 and 12:00, and see
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if there's play, but make sure the car
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is supported safely before you go
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yanking on it. Tie rod ends can make
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similar noises, especially if they're
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loose in the steering knuckle. Usually,
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these give more of a tap you can feel
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through the wheel, but over big
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potholes, it blends right in with other
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suspension clunks. Here's a quick tip.
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When you're chasing suspension noises,
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don't just listen from the driver's
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seat. Have a friend bounce the car up
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and down while you watch and listen from
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outside. You'd be amazed how obvious a
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loose part becomes when you're standing
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right next to it. So, in short, sway bar
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links, control arm bushings, strut
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mounts, ball joints, and tie rod ends
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are your top suspects. Start with the
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cheapest and easiest to check and work
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your way up. Catch it early and you'll
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save yourself bigger repair bills and a
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whole lot of pothole drama. All right,
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that's it for today. If this helped you
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zero in on that clunk, give the video a
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thumbs up, hit subscribe, and drop your
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own mystery noise story in the comments.
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I might even cover it in the next video.
