i help buddy with car stuff. he just got 2k protege. 100k miles. noisy front end. previous owner said it needed front struts. i have not looked at it. front struts and strut mounts seems pretty easy. maybe sway bar end links, tie rods, sway bar bushings? napa has strut mounts for $27 each. seems awful cheap since online is 50ish. i figure replacing mounts when struts are apart is a good idea. just did struts/mounts on my sons grandprix last month. ugh. mounts were fine but he bought the parts online. darn kids.

wrong on mileage. 159k. shop says it needs front lower control arm. swaybar links are loose, all 4. might as well do all 4 struts. $1700 with alignment. oh, and quote did not include upper strut mounts. 300 more? so they charge for strut install AND charge for control arm install. hmm, maybe do both at the same time?

been shopping online. have found control arms for as little as $56. a few are 75. local stores want 100. shop wants 189 plus install. gotta have a little profit on parts. parts stores can get them but they are all special order. seems the protege is an orphan child. parts aren't used on other mazda cars. i can get control arm, links, struts and mounts for 500. install myself and save about 1500 in labor. or less if i shop real hard for better labor rates.

got the control arm and front links on. so front end is quiet now. and yes i have a rear rattle. guess the shop was right on all 4 links. the front rattle was making more noise than the rear rattle. car still rides ok. seems to handle well. i know new struts could help but might wait.