When your engine is rattling around, you cause undue stress on components and belts. I don't think it requires an *immediate* fix but you'll end up replacing parts sooner than normal if you don't get it fixed.
Depending on how bad it is, this could need done urgently. I guess if your mechanic said otherwise, he either doesn't need the money or he really thinks it's not ratting around enough to need urgent attention.
If it was me though, I would try to get it done as soon as possible to avoid having to replace other parts prematurely.
Thanks mrsteveo...that makes sense. I'll get it done this next week.
Motor mount replacement is not something that needs to happen ASAP, but it should not be neglected too long. If one or more of the mounts is not doing its fare share of the work load, the other ones get twisted more, making it possible that they will fail sooner.
It puts extra stress on all the linkages between the engine and the body - a lot of extra flexing of the wiring harnesses, hoses and control cables that can make them fail a lot sooner than normal.
You can get the classic air intake hose cracking failure where the engine bucks like a bronco - the hose between the airflow meter on the fender and the intake manifold on the engine flexes and cracks. The hose stretches, the crack opens, the engine goes lean and stumbles, then the crack shifts closed, the mixture goes rich and it surges forward...
Unless the supplier insists they are exact replacements, go get the OEM motor mounts at your friendly dealer. Some designs of motor mounts that can fail and drop the engine on the ground (or cause other severe damage when items collide) have a "Safety Link" of some sort built inside the vulcanized rubber part of the mount, so if the rubber totally fails it can only go so far before hitting the steel backup.
I have seen the cheap import motor mounts made without this feature, and if you wait too long the next time it can get ugly. And since it's hidden inside the rubber, you won't know without an X-ray.
(This is the "hockey puck" style mounts, not the "dog-bone" style mounts with rubber bushings inside a cast or stamped metal link arm - the metal on the outside will act as the safety link.)
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