Strut / Shock Suspension Codes

[Shadow351]

I had a toe link failure on my 2010 SHO, so after replacing both toe links I took it in for an alignment and they informed me that my front struts and rear shocks were bad (they lumped all 4 springs in with that 'recommended replacement').
My door sticker reads Suspension "CCGG" so when I replaced the front struts 40k ago, I replaced them with 'Suspension C' parts. Now I cannot find a 'Suspension G' shock for the rear, However, based on my VIN FordParts.com lists 'Suspension D' all around, so apparently Suspension 'door codes' and codes listed for parts are not the same.

Fronts are under Warranty, so I guess I will just request replacements for them.

That being said The rear 'Suspension D' shocks are not available on RockAuto or Tasca. My local dealer can get them for $135 each plus $80 each for the springs plus shipping and tax.

I usually try to stick with OE parts if price is not too outrageous, but it seems there are no 'aftermarket' options that retain the "Suspension Variants", there is just "The replacement Shock/Strut for a 2010 Taurus", so my question is this: Is there actually a noticeable difference between the 'Suspension D' and everything else? Should I just throw $50 Monroe's on the rear, warranty the 'C' front struts, and replace all 4 springs with OE? (I couldn't find aftermarket springs that weren't lowering springs, and since my car already bottoms out pulling into my neighborhood, lowering isn't an option)

Thanks

 

[SM105K]

I would honestly just replace them with updated factory shocks. I would use these.

https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-part...9dGF1cnVzJnk9MjAxMyZ0PXNobyZlPTMtNWwtdjYtZ2Fz

 

[Shadow351]

Those are for the 5th gen (2013+) will they fit a 2010? Tasca says they will not.

 

[SM105K]

Those are for the 5th gen (2013+) will they fit a 2010? Tasca says they will not.

Considering there isn't a replacement at all that I could find on Tasca for the 4th Gen...I would say those are the updated part number. You could call Ford and get clarity however. I don't believe there isn't anything stopping you from using them, because I don't see or know of any real changes in the rear set ups between the Gen 5 and Gen 4.

 

[luigisho]

You could call Ford and get clarity however

I would do this as well. Contact a local dealer parts dept and ask. There has to be a replacement part number (well should be). The geometry of the chassis didn't change as far as I can tell. Differences might be something like whether they are rated for a particular spring rate. My best guess is that if they are rated for PI/PP springs they are plenty good for the rest. Check with the dealer. Sometimes they don't give out the part number to shop around. If not see if they can verify this part number as valid for your specific vehicle

 

[Shadow351]

Ok, Dealer said the updated part number for my VIN is CG1Z-18125-A and that the insulator (CG1Z-18197-A) must be replaced as well as it was also updated. Both of which Tasca & Rock Auto have in stock. Interestingly enough, they are listed as suspension A,B,C,D,E so I guess they are all lumped together now.

He said he couldn't confirm the DG1Z-18125-F would fit my 2010.

 

[luigisho]

Yeah. I was looking for G but didn't see anything.

 

[Shadow351]

OOF over $750 in parts, that hurts, well hopefully it was worth it to go all OE. (Granted I should get $180 back when I warranty the old front struts but still, OOF)

 

[luigisho]

It sure does cost more but usually with struts/shocks it's much better quality oem.

 

[Hebes10]

I have to do the same with my 2011 - the rear shock absorber seem to be worn out. I want to replace most of the suspension components in the rear (stabilizer bar, trailing arm, etc.) hopefully this winter. I honestly cannot tell what suspension code I have with a PP, but it seems to me the rears have the same shock absorber, just the springs are different based on suspension code.
Right now I am still waiting on a rear bumper impact bar that was rusted out. I ordered from Tasca on May 27 and the order is still processing. They sent an email on June 3 to say its shipping soon and they have not respondent to my last email. Want to get that replaced first before taking anything else apart.

 

[Shadow351]

I just replaced my rear impact bar last year because it was rusting. someone backed into me in a parking lot and there was a large pile of rust left on the ground, she was like "Is that from your car?" (she was in a brand new toyota suv) I was like "probably". My local dealer actually had them in stock for $80, it was easier than getting insurance involved.

To get my suspension code, I plugged my VIN in at Fordparts.com and I confirmed by calling the dealer. For the best pricing:
-I ordered the front struts and rear shocks from RockAuto. Struts came in Wednesday, FedEx lost the package with the shocks in it so they are currently investigating.
-I ordered the Springs from Tasca, they are special order so I'm waiting on those.
-I ordered the hardware from FordParts.com, they shipped every package of bolts/nuts in a different box! One of these boxes only contained a baggie with 2 like 10mm nuts.

 

[Shadow351]

Well one of these days I will hopefully get the rest of the parts I ordered as its starting to eat my front tires, I guess I'll just rotate them to prevent too much damage to one pair.

The alignment shop claims the front end is aligned but it needs struts, does anyone else's car eat the inside of the front tires even when it is 'properly aligned'? I would think if the struts were bad enough (in this case I'm sure they mean the springs are bad/weak & sagging) to eat the tires, you wouldn't be able to align it. I know they are trying to sell the strut replacement job, but this makes it hard for me to believe everything the shop is telling me, which is a shame because I've never had trouble with this shop before. Plus, they said they couldn't adjust the rear toe, even though I literally just put new toe links on it. Maybe I will have to get my own alignment rack now.

 

[Shadow351]

Well I ended up canceling my order with Tasca and ordered from Ford. Parts from Ford were delivered the next day, which is odd since the dealer said it would take 3 days, but I guess they drop shipped them from the Ford Parts warehouse. Tasca was extremely apologetic and with the whole global situation, I can't really get too upset at them. anyway I digress...

Has anyone tried disassembling the struts on the car (aka use the weight of the car to compress the spring and remove the large nut from the strut rod? Last time I used those janky screw type spring compressors you borrow from the parts store, and well I wasn't really comfortable with them, plus they were all beat up. I thought about buying one of those cheap $100 hydraulic strut compressors you can get on Amazon or eBay, but then I'd need to store it after I'm done. I'm trying to avoid taking the struts somewhere to be disassembled and reassembled.

 

[Shadow351]

I got home Thursday so I was hoping to finally get started on it this weekend. I looked into 'compressing' the springs with the weight of the car a while back and decided it is a no-go, so I ordered this, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DP2CDJU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
we will have to see how it works.

But first, I need to remove the lower ball joint nut, which is a heck of a lot easier said than done. The manual says to use the hex holding 'feature' to hold the stud and remove the nut...only problem is this hex holding 'feature' rounded off the second you put any torque on the nut. I then cut a slot in the end of stud to hold it with a screwdriver (lol) and the end of the screw driver just snapped off. I then tried vise grips, which just tore up the end of the stud more and damaged the jaws.

It is looking like I'm gonna have to cut the ball joint stud and replace it. The problem here is the ball joint is not replaceable, you have to replace the lower control arm. Can't seem to get the arm from the parts stores, only RA or a OEM dealer. With all the bushings and hardware from Ford, its over $1,000 to replace both lower CA's. Rock auto has Mevotech CA's with bushings and some of the hardware for <$250 for the pair.

Anyone have experience with the Mevotech CMS401119 and CMS401120 control arms?

 

[luigisho]

Be careful with spring compressors. I had one or two fail/slip and had coils launch through the garage. You don't want to catch one of those in the face. Just a warning.

As for Mevotech. I think Rubydist posted before and I agree that those parts on the older cars back in the day were priced lower, and quality of those parts reflected that. No experience with the newer parts.

Poking around the interwebs, Mevotech Supreme control arms don't have a bad rep on other vehicle forums (mixed to favorable). Also, the Mevotech Supreme (according to this post https://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f67/front-lower-control-arms-options-quality-experience-4313247/ ) are also rebranded for some vehicles as NAPA brand parts.

The 2 part numbers you have are Supreme part designation.
https://www.mevotech.com/parts-results/?date=2010&make=Ford&model=Taurus&submodel=SHO&drivetype=AWD

Not a guarantee that they are great but that's all I could really find. Most of this is just subjective opinions online.

General experience is that oem is usually a better product, with some exceptions, but not as many as you might wish.

 

[Shadow351]

It's got a lifetime warranty, so as long as it doesn't fail catastrophically, I suppose I wouldn't mind changing them out a couple times. I just can't bring myself to drop another grand on OE parts when I just dropped $700 into the Springs and Struts.

I love the car overall, but this whole non replaceable ball joint crap is a horribly stupid idea.

 

[Shadow351]

UGH, HOW HARD IS IT TO PUT THE NOTCH IN THE RIGHT PLACE! This is why people hate aftermarket parts...
I don't know if this is a sign telling me to go OE or just to anger me in general...

 

[Shadow351]

After some more research, it looks like these control arms are actually for the later model year cars, apparently they changed them and that's annoying because the OE control arms & bushings for the later model year cars are $250 a piece cheaper! Does anyone know if the parts are actually different or is the 'Notch' just in a different place?

EDIT: Yes the bushings are a completely different shape, It looks like the correct Mevotech part numbers are CMS401122 & CMS401121, but I've reached out to Mevotech support to confirm.

EDIT2: Mevotech confirmed that those are the correct part numbers for my car based on the OE bushing part numbers (9G1Z-3C339-A & 9G1Z-3C403-A based on my VIN). They said it seems like this platform has some transition/mid year models that have FWD subframes under AWD cars as they have ssen this in the mid 2000's on the Freestyle (notably also a D3 platform car). So before you order suspension parts, you may want to get the Ford part numbers based on your VIN and cross reference them to the replacement parts. Now Rockauto is saying I can't return one of the arms since I tried to install it...SIGH... I guess, something really doesn't want me to get this car put back together.

EDIT3: I'm coming up on two weeks without my car, Rockauto did allow me to ship the old arms back after I emailed them, I'm now waiting to see if they'll approve the return so I can order the correct parts. Maybe owning a >200,000 mile sports sedan as a daily isn't the way to go .... Time to put tags on the 175,000 mile Mustang?