Growing old

[Welker]

I seem to remember seeing something on the subject of making the car more rigid in its old age. With over 124K on the car it just feels a little loose and, let's face it, old. I have never kept a car this long or had a car with this many miles on it so it gets compared to all the new cars we have bought since buying this one new in 2004. I seem to remember some posts in the years passed about tightening the car up from underneath with something to do with an X somewhere in the frame that could be tightened and it makes a difference in how the car feels. Anybody know anything about that?

[Howlandd]

It is called the "X member" and any good mechanic can tighten up the bolts using a torque wrench. At 124K it is a good idea to have this checked and done if necessary.

[Welker]

Thanks, Dan. I should have asked my mechanic in the first place. I will now and pretend I know what I'm talking about.

[BillyL]

Actually, there are two X-Braces under the car, front and rear.Both have a history of becoming loose and causing a pretty bad rattle when crossing tracks or rough pavement. Mine were checked last year on my '04 and found below torque value at 42,000 miles. Do a search on x-brace and you should find several old discussions with more detail.