Rear shock absorber top mount

[moozmooz]

Maybe I'm the last to find out but just in case I'm not, you no longer have to go to Mazda and pay £200 + when your rear shock absorber mount decides to snap. They seem to be fairly widely available and I had one replaced on my old (2005) 3 for £30.
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Mazda_3_1.6_2005/p/car-parts/suspension/suspension-and-steering/suspension-mounting/?609590480&1&878ee82a44c13a5deb4b4bb6d4cf76adfa5607f7&000872  seems pricey. You may be able to do better at your local motor factor.

[mnevis]

My rear shock absorber top mounts seem to last about 18 months.  Does anybody know of any modification available to rectify this?   The ones I am using are in a KYB Europe box and stamped with the FORD logo so presumably they are genuine parts bearing in mind the link with Mazda and Ford.  My vehicle is a 2005 Mazda 3 1.6L petrol manual.  The car is driven carefully with regard to  speed bumps and potholes all over the roads.

[Willpower]

My rear shock absorber top mounts seem to last about 18 months. 

That incredible ! !    My 2004 Gen 1 is still on it's original shock absorbers and has passed every MOT including the last one at 14 years old.  And the mountings are fine.  I'm astonished   

[moozmooz]

You're very lucky Will.
My offside went as a result of hitting a cracker of a pothole at around 70mph on a section of dual carriageway. Steady flowing traffic, so no chance of seeing it or avoiding it. I managed to get full reimbursement of costs from the responsible authority. Replaced by Mazda so that was shock absorber and mount to pay for. Shocking, as nothing wrong with the shock absorber which I have in the back of the garage just in case.
The nearside, which lasted far longer, must have failed over a long period/succession of impacts as it wasn't a single tear/crack.