Front end bounce

[MXSG]

As you may remember I was planning to replace my front shocks a few weeks ago, but had a change of heart due to the possibility of being maimed in the process. :o

I've been reading through as many topics as I can find here but I'm still confused on what my options are.

Right now, especially when backing out of the driveway, the front end "bounces" about 3-4 times and it's pretty noticeable. With any other car I would just slap some new shocks on and see if that is an improvement, but with the coil over shocks and the fact I will have to shell out some cash to have someone else do it, I want to make sure this is actually the issue at hand.

So I guess my question is: Are there any other potential causes for an overly bouncy front end that I should look into before replacing the front shocks? And if it is the shocks, do I need to do anything special besides purchase shocks and have a trusted mechanic install them?

I only have 15,000 miles on the car, but most of those are from the previous owner, so I'm not sure what the suspension has been through. I'll have to drop by the dealer to get their opinion when I get the time next week, but I wonder if this would fall under my extended warranty? (I'm guessing not....)

[ctrlraven]

If your referring to the Marauder they are front struts not shocks. If the front end bounces a lot that means the struts are shot and rebound and bound motion is only being supported by the spring which will give it the bounce. My front end isn't bouncing yet but when I hit a bump the front end feels like it hits harder. I'll just be replacing mine with Motorcraft OEM struts.

[FordNut]

Actually they are coilovers.

[PantherP71]

What are the aftermarket options?

[jim geary]

Would broken motor mounts do the same thing??

[MXSG]

Everything was bad! Well, not everything, but I was surprised to hear all the things that needed replacing.

The shocks have been bad for sometime which led to a whole bunch of other issues. The ball joints, bushings, and a couple other things have all got to be replaced and possibly the coils as well.

Good news... my dealer is covering it under warranty AND they gave me an acceptable deal on new front tires and an alignment. I'm glad considering the car only has 15k miles on it and they gave me the diagnosis of a 100k mile car!

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

That sounds really suspect for a 15k mile car unless you were jumping railroad tracks with it.

[rayjay]

That sounds really suspect for a 15k mile car unless you were jumping railroad tracks with it.

Except that the car could be almost 7 years old and who knows how the previous owner drove it.

[MXSG]

It certainly raised an eyebrow, but it's been in my family since it had 11k miles on it about 3-4 years ago. My father had bought it used from reputable dealer, and it has a clean carfax. I know at least it was never abused from miles 11k-15k and other than this incident it's a very clean car which has only had minor issues while my dad owned it.

I'll certainly check it out if there's a way to confirm the mileage but from what I think, this was just carelessness on our part for not taking it to the shop immediately when the front end started acting up.

[MXSG]

Picked up the Marauder this morning... drives like a completely different vehicle.

Although, when I looked over the receipt, I noticed the back shocks were changed and no mention of the front shocks, just all of the other work for the front (control arms, ball joints, etc...) Well after going back inside and asking, it turns out my rears were leaking and were replaced.

As for the front shocks, the supervisor assured me they were not coil over shocks, but struts and they didn't need replacing. I specifically asked, "Are you sure they're not coil over shocks?" and he said, "No, they are struts." Anyway, I really don't know what to think now, but it drives great so it doesn't matter.

[rayjay]

You should seek out a new service dept. The fronts ARE NOT STRUTS. Go to any Ford OEM parts store on the WWW and look them up. Shocks, not struts. Struts are sold as a unit, not seperates.