Replaced two engine mounts and transmission mount... was it worth it?

Advice Needed
1

I recently replaced my engine mounts and the transmission mount, and honestly, it feels like I’m driving a completely new car. I didn’t notice the excessive vibrations at first since it happened gradually over time. I just thought it was normal. I’m in the process of selling my car and wanted to fix the rattling issue before I sold it. I just got the car back after the replacements, and now I’m not even sure I want to sell it. It’s so smooth and quiet now, a huge difference.

If you’re dealing with excessive vibrations, replacing your engine and transmission mounts could make a huge difference.

2

How difficult was it? How long did it take? Do you have to drop the transmission?

3

Whitney said:
How difficult was it? How long did it take? Do you have to drop the transmission?

I’ve done all three mounts myself. It wasn’t too difficult, just a bit of a pain because no dealer had the parts. I had to drive around for six hours before I found everything. Installation took about an hour max. One thing to remember is you’ll need a jack for the transmission and passenger mounts. The rear one doesn’t require any support though.

4

@Lane
That’s reassuring. I’ve done mounts before, but not on my Focus.

5

Whitney said:
How difficult was it? How long did it take? Do you have to drop the transmission?

I had a mechanic handle it since it involved all three mounts. I didn’t want to take the risk of doing it myself.

6

@Jesse
How much did it cost you?

7

Joss said:
@Jesse
How much did it cost you?

I paid $590 for all three mounts.

8

Jesse said:

Joss said:
@Jesse
How much did it cost you?

I paid $590 for all three mounts.

That’s a bit much!

9

Jesse said:

Joss said:
@Jesse
How much did it cost you?

I paid $590 for all three mounts.

Was that for parts and labor?

10

Whitney said:
How difficult was it? How long did it take? Do you have to drop the transmission?

I’ve replaced them on both an '08 and a '14 Focus. It’s not hard. If you’re doing it in the driveway, it’ll probably take 1-2 hours. The biggest hassle is removing the battery tray to get to the transmission mount.

A set of aftermarket mounts costs about $80 and lasts around 30-50k miles. All you need are basic tools—jack, torque wrench, socket set, and an 18mm socket. Pretty standard tools for a Focus repair.

11

@Ash
Thanks for the info!

12

How much did it cost? My car is starting to vibrate like crazy too.

13

Soren said:
How much did it cost? My car is starting to vibrate like crazy too.

It was $590 for all three mounts.

14

Jesse said:

Soren said:
How much did it cost? My car is starting to vibrate like crazy too.

It was $590 for all three mounts.

I think that’s a fair price.

15

Soren said:

Jesse said:
Soren said:
How much did it cost? My car is starting to vibrate like crazy too.

It was $590 for all three mounts.

I think that’s a fair price.

Yeah, it turned out cheaper than I expected after looking up prices online.

16

@Jesse
I have a great mechanic who did a lot of work for me for $350, so I bet he’d do this for a good price too.

17

I tried to get this done today, and they quoted me over $1,000 for all three mounts, including labor. I turned that down, but now I’m stuck. Should I buy the parts from Rock Auto and just pay for the labor? Still, that would cost a lot in labor. Where did you get yours done, or did you do it yourself? Just to clarify—I’d never be able to do this myself, so I need to get it done somewhere.

18

@Corey
That quote seems a bit high. I’m in California, and I got mine done at a local auto shop. I would never be able to do it myself either.

19

@Corey
You might want to look for local mechanics who do side work. You can post in your local Facebook group for recommendations.

This job is only about 1-2 hours of work for someone experienced. The mounts cost about $80 from Rock Auto (they last around 30-50k miles; OEM lasts longer), so the labor shouldn’t cost more than $300 in total.

20

@Ash
Thanks for the advice!