# Front End Knock, Bump



## jkon (Mar 30, 2006)

I have a 2013 SV with 113k miles. The last two weeks I have been hearing a bumping, knocking from under the front end when driving over the slightest rough or uneven road. I crawled under there this weekend and checked around from front to back and found nothing apparently loose. I did not however remove the front splash pan. Could it be my sway bar bushings worn? Just had the vehicle safety inspection done three weeks ago and it passed and they do check the front end ball joints in this state of Massachusetts so I doubt that is the problem. Thanks for any ideas/suggestions.


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## BRubble (Jun 22, 2014)

You can take it to Nissan and have their 14 point inspection done. It's Free and at the same time tell them about the noise. They might spot it and then you can go from there. 

Let them fix it, do it yourself, or if you have a special mechanic then you have option's.

I have a 2013 SVV6 KC 2WD AT, with only 10K mile's, but so far no problem's. I do my own preventative maintenance.

It's best to get any noise, knocking, etc checked out ASAP to keep repair/adjustment cost's to a minimum.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Could be sway bar end links, ball joints or bad front struts. If you can't find it, it would be best to have a professional inspect the suspension and steering.


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## jkon (Mar 30, 2006)

You were absolutely correct smj999smj. Had it up to the dealer this past Friday. They replaced both sway bar end links. Cost me $210 parts and labor which I thought was fair. They also found my passenger side ball joint had some play in it. They said Nissan recommended replacing the entire lower control arm/ball joint as an assembly. So that job with parts, labor, and alignment cost me $595 which I thought maybe a little high...what do you think? Anyway...the front end noise(s) are gone and I can tell the steering is a lot tighter and responsive. Thanks so much!


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## BRubble (Jun 22, 2014)

> So that job with parts, labor, and alignment cost me $595 which I thought maybe a little high...what do you think? Anyway...the front end noise(s) are gone and I can tell the steering is a lot tighter and responsive.


JKon,

Getting Front End Repaired Correctly, with OE Part's cost's a little more. Getting the Same Repair Done to Owner Satisfaction is Worth a little more In My Opinion.

Year's ago I saved some money on getting the Valve's adjusted on My VW Campmobile. Right after the Mechanic Finished I heard a distinctive Valve Noise. He Re-adjusted the Valve's with the Motor Running. Not long after that, the Motor Dropped a Valve, and something Blew a hole in the Case. Yes I saved some money on the Valve Adjust,, but cost me a Whole Lot more money later on.

Now I adjust my own valve's on the Equipment that need's it, with exception on my '13 V6 Frontier. The Valve adjust on the Frontier if it ever need's it,, is too complicated for me to do.

Another thing to remember is that Not All Nissan Dealer's Charge the same for Shop Repair's/Maintenance.

Saveing Money is something that I Try to do EveryDay, but Getting a Repair Job Done Correctly is More Important to me.

A year or 2 from now,, you'll forget all about the Work Done, but if you had the work done somewhere else and the Job wasn't done to your satisfaction, you'd still be wondering, What Now.

Glad that Nissan got Your's Going Good Again.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

BRubble said:


> JKon,
> 
> Getting Front End Repaired Correctly, with OE Part's cost's a little more. Getting the Same Repair Done to Owner Satisfaction is Worth a little more In My Opinion.
> 
> ...


The valves on the VQ engines use solid bucket tappets and almost never require adjusting. They would if a camshaft or valve work was being done on the heads, but, otherwise, they are pretty much maintenance free.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

jkon said:


> You were absolutely correct smj999smj. Had it up to the dealer this past Friday. They replaced both sway bar end links. Cost me $210 parts and labor which I thought was fair. They also found my passenger side ball joint had some play in it. They said Nissan recommended replacing the entire lower control arm/ball joint as an assembly. So that job with parts, labor, and alignment cost me $595 which I thought maybe a little high...what do you think? Anyway...the front end noise(s) are gone and I can tell the steering is a lot tighter and responsive. Thanks so much!


I usually get Dorman control arms which carry a limited lifetime warranty and can be found for a good price at Rockauto.com. That said, control arms aren't always an easy job on these vehicles as often the bolts seize to the steel sleeves inside the bushings and need to be cut out and replaced. 

As far as prices, you can use the esitimator at this site to check prices in your area:

www.repairpal.com/estimator


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