Engine Mounts: The Rubber Between Engine and Body

Engine mounts are the rubber-and-metal cushions that hold the engine and gearbox to the body. They isolate engine vibration from the cabin and absorb the torque reaction the engine produces under acceleration. Most cars have 3 to 4 mounts — typically a left mount, right mount, top torque mount and gearbox mount. They wear over years and produce specific symptoms.

Symptoms of worn mounts

Vibration through the steering wheel and pedals at idle (especially when the air-con compressor cuts in). A clonking when shifting between Drive and Reverse on automatics. Noise and vibration during hard acceleration. Visible engine droop on inspection (sag at one corner).

Hydraulic vs rubber

OE mounts on modern cars often include hydraulic damping — the mount has internal oil-filled chambers that damp vibration at specific frequencies. These cost more (£40-80 per mount vs £10-25 for simple rubber). For OE-equivalent replacement, the hydraulic mount is the right choice on cars that originally had it; downgrading to simple rubber produces more cabin vibration.

Replace in sets

Mounts on the same engine see the same age, heat and vibration cycles. When one fails, the others are typically close. Replacing one mount and leaving worn ones increases load on the new mount and shortens its life.

Brand

Lemforder is OE on many German cars. Febi, Corteco, First Line cover the broader UK aftermarket. Vibratechnics for upgraded performance mounts.

Find engine mounts for your car on the Engine Mount collection.