So..this happened after a road trip.
 

Went to Miami for the weekend, and the roads there are going through....changes. Lots of construction with plenty of bumps and potholes on most of the road there, so my ride went through some rugged environments.

On the way back excessive squealing starts coming from the front left wheel and I can feel something wrong with the suspension through the vibrations of the steering wheel. This is what I see when I take a look....



http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1370317153.jpg

The same part on the other side has the "Rusted" look also, it's intact but looks like it will fail soon as well. The rears look good still. I do not know a whole lot about the suspension system, what exactly is this part and will I be able to solely replace this part or would the shocks and springs need to be replaced also?

Not a big issue. It acts as a bump stop.
Shows up in Main Group 4 as "additional spring" but it must be a translation issue because it's made from a really hard foam.

A hard dry foam in your case.
Mine looked the same at 56,000 miles.

Probably time to think about replacing the struts.

Never seen anything like that before. I would have freaked if I saw it on my car.

It's is what the forum is all about...good info. Doesn't sound like too bad of a fix.

That is probably not the cause of your squealing and vibration problem. The part that you see deteriorated is the strut bump stop. This part provides a final firm cushion when the shock (strut) is fully compressed - without it, the strut would bang onto the stop. A deteriorated bump stop would typically be noticeable when the shock is fully compressed like going fast over large bumps or cornering extremely hard and encountering bumps and then you'd feel a series of "thud" or "clunks" when the strut piston hits against the bottom stop. Otherwise, during normal driving (around town and on the freeway), the bump stop is just along for the ride.

The condition of the bump stop may be a indicator of the condition of the struts and a completely worn out strut could cause the symptoms that you are experiencing but so could several other components.

I would recommend a full inspection of all of the front suspension components along with the front hubs.

Interesting...so this is the part I see? ---> Pelican Parts - Product Information: 996-343-301-02-M58

The squealing starts at 35 MPH and pitch increases as speed does. Very annoying. How hard is it to change these parts out if any of you have done it yourself, and also how safe is it to drive with things in this condition? I'm looking at the Pelican Project 63 and it looks like it takes quite some time. I will most likely give it to a mechanic for inspection but when it comes to changing it out, would it be worth it to buy the tools and do it myself or fork down the money to have my mechanic do the job..

wheel bearing perhaps?

Yes, that is the replacement bump stop.

Have a detailed inspection performed and then you'll know what part(s) needs replacement and can make a decision about DIY or having a shop do it.

+2 and get a mechanic to assess it ASP. Wheel bearings require unusual tools but disassembly of the strut isn't to tough. I just removed all four corners and gave the hub assembly/ wheel bearing carriers to a mechanic for the bearing swap out- he charged me 1 hour per bearing.

I agree the bump stop is likely not your issue. Get it looked at and let us know what they say. Go to a good Indy that you believe to be trustworthy.

If it does turn out you need new struts you can do it yourself and save a ton of money but if the thought of changing brakes, or rotors, or spark plugs brings fear then the struts will be better left to the shop. Now on the other hand if you like to get your hands dirty it is a fun and rewarding job. You may or may not need an alignment afterwords though especially if doing the rear.

Let us know how it goes and good luck!

Made an appointment for tomorrow with my mechanic so he can take a look.

I change all my breaks/rotors etc myself so it's not that it scares me, it's how time consuming the whole process could be especially when I saw the pelican article had an 8 hour 4 wrench rating for shocks and springs. It's my daily driver so I can't afford for it to be up in my garage for 2-3 days if that would be the case. But I will inform you guys on what they say tomorrow. Salute.