Greetings. I'm hoping that someone can help point me in the right direction.
My girlfriend has an 87 300TD Turbo Wagon (the 6 cyl) with close to
200k miles. She regularly drives on both highway and city conditions. The last time she drove it, it began shuddering dramatically when driven at high speeds (around 65 mph). The shudder goes away when it is driven at non-highway speeds. She has since stopped driving it and fears that she'll have to drop a bunch of money at the mechanic's shop.
She purchased it in February and had a 50pt inspection done on March
7, 2007. The mechanic's comments potentially relevant in this case were these:
-One rear suspension accumulator is bad, ride is too rough. Both accumulators should be replaced ($450)
-Both front struts are weak, need replacement ($600)
-Front lower control arm bushings are broken. This is most likely cause of "thumping" noise when hitting bumps ($500)
In addition, I have noticed an unusual strip of wear on the front passenger tire. On the outside sidewall, approx 2-3 inches from the tread, is a fairly deep, 1-inch strip of wear. The other tires appear normal.
Please let me know if you have an idea of what may be causing the shuddering and where a good place for me to start would be. I appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
Thanks, erik