Front Struts Noise

[jmc55ma]

Hopefully you guys can give me some help. I had this clunking noise coming from the front struts of my 2001 Toyota Camry when the temperature got below 30 degrees. I had it checked out and my local mechanic said that the front strut mounts were bad and recomended replacement. The struts had 69000 miles on them so I went with the Monroe Quick Struts complete assemblies, Struts, Springs and Mounts. The car seemed fine for about 8000 miles then the clunking came back. The mechanic said that the mounts were bad so he replaced the complete assemblies under warranty. Again the car seemed fine for a while then the clunking started again. I went to another mechanic to get a second opinion and he told me that the noise was a common thing that happens to toyotas in cold temperatures. Any thoughts on this??

[JohnGD]

The older mounts were good designs, but the revised ones shouldn't clunk. Maybe squeak a little like some others complained. Since these have lifetime warranty, maybe you can get a new set? The downside is the labor cost isn't included. I was thinking maybe it's an installation problem. Can another mechanic help with warranty claims? Can you get credit so as to use Gabriel ReadyMount (lifetime warranty) or KYB Strut Plus (1-year warranty) assemblies?

Assemblies are not hard to do if mechanically inclined or if you have friends who can help out. Otherwise your're at the mercy of labor charges.