2000 Avalon rear suspension issue

[njavalonguy]

hello folks,

My ride ( 2000 Avalon XLS ) recently caused 124K miles and I am getting signs that time has come for a suspension job. I used to hear a funny sound ( similar to an empty plastic can bouncing around in the trunk) from the driver side rear area while going over a bad patch on the road since almost 20K miles now and I got used to it and decided to live with it till the time I noticed uneven wear for the driver side rear tire last week ( the outside edge shows more wear than the inside one only for this tire).

I read some of the posts on this forum and am confused on what parts ( struts / strut mounts / bushings, etc) need to be replaced.

Would like to know what my options are - whether to go for aftermarket parts ? whether only the driver side can be replaced or do I need to replace both the rear struts ? How much it approximately cost me ?
Any inputs would be appreciated.
~A

[pmesfun]

For the rear struts, what I did was get KYB Excel Struts, MOOG strut mounts and the rubber parts(Coil Spring Isolator and Bumper Stop) from the dealer. Should run you about $250-300 depending on pricing.

Oh btw the noise you may be hearing could be the sway bar bushings and sometimes the sway bar link. Check for excessive play in the sway bar or control arms.

[eurobob1978]

The outer edge wear compared to the inner implies that the camber is too positive. So it looks like an alignment is in order, which will have to been done anyway if you are doing struts. Definitely get sway bar bushings to get rid of the noise going over bumps. You only have about 1 option for quick struts which include the mount plates and everything assembled. Maybe $150 per corner.

[poolvibe]

Just went through this. Chech the rear sway bar links.

[whanner]

I replaced the struts, mounts, end links and still have a little thumb from the rear. my sway bar mounts still look good and tight... I'm thinking the lateral links & arm bushings are bad... can those be changed?

[pmesfun]

It would be easier to new arms from Rockauto.

[njavalonguy]

After spending $700 + i got the rear struts (Monroe OEMs), strut mounts, sway bar links and bushings replaced at Pepboys.

The clunking did disappear only to return 2500 miles later. Though it is not as bad as before however, i can hear a little rattle with a discerning ear while going over rough patches. What's worse is that this time I hear it from the front too....indicating that it is time to replace the front struts too.

I am going to take the car back to Pepboys for the rear noise because it is still under their 90 day warranty however I am really disappointed and need some direction on what else needs to be replaced

~A

[jaybyrd]

sway bar bushings

[njavalonguy]

Originally Posted by jaybyrd

sway bar bushings

As mentioned in my post these were also replaced. Don't know whether they were well lubricated when they wee installed.

~A