Motor mount
A rubber-cushioned bracket that holds the engine in place and soaks up its vibration.
In plain English
Motor mounts, also called engine mounts, are the brackets that bolt the engine to the car's frame. Each one is a metal bracket with a block of rubber in the middle, and some are filled with fluid for extra cushioning. They do two jobs: they hold the engine steady when you accelerate, brake, and shift, and they keep the engine's shaking from reaching the cabin. A car has several, and the transmission (the gearbox attached to the engine) has similar mounts of its own.
Why it's on your estimate
A shop recommends a new mount when the rubber has cracked, hardened, or pulled away from the metal, or a fluid-filled mount has leaked, so the engine moves more than it should. The usual signs are more vibration in the steering wheel, seat, or floor, especially at idle, and a clunk or thump when you shift into drive or reverse or press and release the gas. Vibration has many other causes, so the shop should confirm it by looking at the mount and watching how far the engine moves.
How urgent is it?
Fix soon
A worn mount usually gets worse gradually, so you normally have time to schedule the repair, but it will not improve and the extra movement puts more strain on the other mounts. It becomes more serious if the engine visibly lurches or the clunking is getting louder, because an engine that moves too far can pull on or strike nearby parts such as hoses, wiring, the exhaust, and the axles.
Questions to ask the shop
- Which mount has failed, and can you show me the cracked rubber, the leak, or how much the engine moves?
- Did you check the other engine and transmission mounts, and do any of them need replacing too?
- Has the extra engine movement damaged anything nearby, such as hoses, wiring, or the exhaust?
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