2004 Toyota Solara

[Reily]

Is there any thing you can do to soften the susupension. I know this sounds weired for the sports model bu the ride is very harsh in the city.
How about the shocks can they be tuned softer

[yotatechie04]

I don't think they're adjustable...although I'm more than sure you can purchase softer springs and performance struts for the car, but I don't think they'd come cheap...

[dead4ever]

Originally Posted by Reily

Is there any thing you can do to soften the susupension. I know this sounds weired for the sports model bu the ride is very harsh in the city.
How about the shocks can they be tuned softer

Does yours make a noise like something is hitting the body underneath? I feel like ours has something loose under car--midway back when I hit medium bumps. Not like our Camry was.

[boobooktty]

Hi, I just found this site, and it has answered so many questions. My '04 Solara rides terribly and makes a knocking noise like dead4ever's. The dealership says it's the suspension. I'm very disappointed in this car.

[dead4ever]

Originally Posted by boobooktty

Hi, I just found this site, and it has answered so many questions. My '04 Solara rides terribly and makes a knocking noise like dead4ever's. The dealership says it's the suspension. I'm very disappointed in this car.

The dealer said it's the suspension? Did they say they can correct it or make it better? Is this just NORMAL? Wish I had not gone down SMOOTH roads when test driving. Would have bought a Camry again instead of Solara.

[yotatechie04]

If your suspension makes noise while going over bumpy roads, you should check the tops of the strut towers to make sure all the fasteners are tight. Sometimes, after a while of driving the car, the struts loosen up a bit, and need to be tightened periodically.

[boobooktty]

Originally Posted by dead4ever

The dealer said it's the suspension? Did they say they can correct it or make it better? Is this just NORMAL? Wish I had not gone down SMOOTH roads when test driving. Would have bought a Camry again instead of Solara.

dead4ever:
The dealership said they can't fix it, apparently it is NORMAL. I totally wish I wouldn't have test drove on such smooth roads either. That must be a dealership trick.

[vitalix]

Originally Posted by dead4ever

The dealer said it's the suspension? Did they say they can correct it or make it better? Is this just NORMAL? Wish I had not gone down SMOOTH roads when test driving. Would have bought a Camry again instead of Solara.

One problem I noticed with my 05 SE convertible is that the engine splashguards are bolted to snap-ons to the front bumper. If you lightly punch the bottom front of the bumper, you can hear the splashguards vibrate against each other. For kicks and giggles, I took the splashguards off and drove around, and the sound of something loose under the hood disappeared.

Unfortunately nothing can be done about that, unless one buys new guards made out of another material or caulks the front part where the guards lay against the bumper and each other. That is what I will try, using some kind of rubber sealant to see if it will reduce the noise without affecting the design of the functionality of the guards.