We have an '07 Eclipse with the same engine vibration that shook the whole car. It was getting really annoying. So I just tried the 'shim' trick mentioned here. Sure enough our Eclipse's Parkinsons is now cured. A couple bucks in a few washers seemed to do the trick! Thank you centerline.

When should motor mounts wear
 

I have a 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander with 67,000 miles and was told my motor mounts need to be replaced for 830.00. Is this common for them to wear with the car not being older? I am a conservative driver and don't do any off road driving, so I just am just checking if they are giving me a bunch of crap. My idle is a little ruff and the steering wheel vibrates when I am at a stop sign or light and from what I have read this is a symptom. Just didn't know if I should get another opinion?

I also have a 2007 Outlander. Now has 80,000 miles. The only thing that ever went wrong was the downstream right o2 sensor... which actually just went bad yesterday! Installing a new one today. It has been a great car and I intend to drive it as long as it holds up.

Unless you are towing stuff or really hard on the car it does seem very odd for motor mounts to be bad so soon.

Also, the dealer tends to want to replace all the mounts at once. So, even if you have a single bad mount, they will say to do the whole lot. People will probably argue me on this, but it is my opinion that only the roll mounts (front and rear) need to always be done at the same time even it only one is bad. They work together more so than any other pair of mounts.

I would get a second opinion here from another mechanic. Perhaps an non-dealer shop. You can also read up on on forums how to check the mounts with a friend (takes two people)... be careful too.

By any chance, is your car in the shop for some sort of warranty work that is fairly pricey? I once had a Honda with a lemon transmission... the infamous 2001 year when Honda screwed the pooch trying to do their own thing with trannys. Mine went at 65,000 miles... under warranty. Big ticket repair. They got me for the motor mounts at the same time. $1200 out of my pocket. Refused to put my car back on the road without replacing them. Was total BS because I maintain all my own cars. I am very aware of what bad mounts look and feel like (broke more than a few back in the day with muscle cars). I figure the dealer was boosting margins by screwing people on mounts. Never bought a Honda again (and wont).

So how hard are the factory 'roll mounts' to replace on an '07 Eclipse 4cyl? Just noticed the original rear roll mount is not looking so happy at the moment.

Roll mounts are more involved. Harder to change due to placement and need to remove other parts like cross-member. Little patience and it can be done without too much trouble though. WD-40 is great for nuts/bolts that need a little help coming loose. Let it soak in. Replace both roll mounts no matter what though. They work in tandem.

Little more involved. Have to remove more stuff like crossmember. WD-40 is your friend for sure. Be sure to replace both roll mounts though. They work in tandem. Have to do both even if one is clearly failed.

Update: The head gasket went on the '07 4cyl recently. So the car has been at the shop getting that fixed along with the roll mounts. We'll see if the vibration issue is now fixed. Figured I'd let the shop take care of it since the engine bay was all disassembled anyway.