I took my car to a local mechanic in Northern Melbourne to get new disc rotors and brake pads put on, I asked if he could also check the suspension as it has been creaking and the handling was getting worse.

After leaving and driving the car, it now has a constant metal thumping around the passenger side at slow speed, and it didn't do that when I took it in, he (coincidentally?) said that the front strut towers need replacing, what should be done in this situation?

Take it to a proper suspension place and be done with the mechanic, or ask him to look at it assuming he will accept fault?

Take it to a suspension place, and ask them to give you their opinion first. Then you can decide.

He probably means the rubber isolators in the strut tower - and even releasing the weight off the struts by putting it on a hoist may lead to them failing or moving and hence the clunk - thump.

I think the mechanic is right - time to fix the suspension - choose a good suspension shop or a good mechanic - a bad franchise suspension store is just as bad as a mechanic with NFI.

I guess what i mean is before i took the car in, the shocks only creaked on speed bumps.
Then when I drove out after they changed the disc rotors and pads, the suspension constantly knocks on all surfaces - ie; the car changed while in the shop

I guess what i mean is before i took the car in, the shocks only creaked on speed bumps.
Then when I drove out after they changed the disc rotors and pads, the suspension constantly knocks on all surfaces - ie; the car changed while in the shop

You have to get the brake mob to check it out. Something they have done has caused this. Maybe they have not been negligent but nevertheless its got something to do with the fact that it was in their hands.

Apparently the caliper bolt was not put in properly, which is what i heard fall out on the way to the mechanics, and why I had grinding noises and pretty much no front brakes... :)

Apparently the caliper bolt was not put in properly, which is what i heard fall out on the way to the mechanics, and why I had grinding noises and pretty much no front brakes... :)

I bet that inspires real confidence in the person who did that!

How can you get that wrong though?
The bolt goes into the hole. The bolt gets tightened. Yes, I can see where that went wrong . . . FFS!

Reminds me of the time my old man picked up his car, and driving down the road 3 wheel nuts fly off....yes they do forget to tighten. ;)

Reminds me of the time my old man picked up his car, and driving down the road 3 wheel nuts fly off....yes they do forget to tighten. ;)

So much for those timid people who say not to touch brakes, or anything else safety related, because you might get it wrong and have a crash or get stuck by the side of the road!
Yep, doing same because some mechanic had a bad hangover is nowhere as bad!

Reminds me of the time my old man picked up his car, and driving down the road 3 wheel nuts fly off....yes they do forget to tighten. ;)

Had that on the old Crown years ago. A couple of days after new tyres were fitted there was this weird noise from both front wheels, but only when moving less than 10-15kph. Higher speeds, no problem. On investigating, one hub cap contained 2 loose wheel nuts, the other side had three! At speed the nuts stuck to the inside of the hub cap, hence no noise. The place that did the tyres had a sign in the waiting room: "If you don't like our service, tell us. If you do, tell others!" Needless to say I took them up (strenuously) on option no. 1, and since then I've always re-torqued wheel nuts after getting tyres fitted.

Ah Hum - I had loose nuts... Err sorry my car had loose wheels nuts... Just a Tip - when rotating the tyres on your car don't let your neighbor offer you a beer and a catch up, Next morning on the way to work the wheels might be wobbly due to un-tightened nuts, including the one on the steering wheel - Doh!