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I noticed a crack in the strut mount rubber of my 1999 Volvo v40. The suspension often creaks when going over speed bumps (and sometimes it doesn't) though I'm not sure it's the fault of this mount. Everything else looks good.

I realize that a completely broken mount could cause the strut to come out of it's place and cause bigger issues, though how much of a problem is this on a scale of "fix it ASAP and don't drive until you do or you'll die tomorrow" to "you're good for another year, keep driving and occasionally take a look if it's getting any worse when you're super bored". As I understand this is going to be a tiresome job, so I would prefer to avoid it for as long as I can, there are other problems to address.

Here's how my mount looks like:

Not cool

Here's how a new mount looks like:

Wish it was looking like this

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    Looks like "Plan on replacing it soon, but don't worry about it just yet" but I have nothing to back that up. Pure conjecture.
    – JPhi1618
    Mar 17, 2016 at 14:12

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Strut mounts that tear a little are safe to drive with. The mounts themselves have metal inside them and are conically shaped at the top so they really won't fail unless you take the vehicle airborne and the mount rips. You should replace it though. That's a pretty good tear, and who knows how soon it could completely rip out. If you put it up on a lift or jackstands, there is a good chance it will break or fall out if you're doing suspension work. I can't count how many times I've done this while removing spindles and well hub assemblies.

As far as it being "Tiresome". That's dependent on the vehicle and your skill level. Most times, strut removal is a fairly easy thing. You remove the strut from the spindle and or wishbones if you have them, you then remove the top 2 or 3 mounting nuts and it's that simple.

The video below shows a "General" method of operation for removing struts. I know in the video he emphasizes how dangerous this is. If you're careful about it, you should be okay. It's the same idea of "Don't stare into the barrel of a gun". Common sense. Parts stores also rent tools out to do this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce5c6eUPW4s

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  • Thank you for your answer. The "remove the strut from the spindle and or wishbones" is the part that deters me. That's where you often find badly corroded nuts and bolts that need hammering, grinding, cutting and heating, which is why I loathe suspension work.
    – I have no idea what I'm doing
    Mar 18, 2016 at 10:14

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