Hi Guys
This is the reply that we have had from ECS
The base that holds the fingers together is a bit flimsy, but serves very little function, other than to hold everything together. The large washer that covers that piece does a fine job of supporting it when in place. The fingers don't wear like the base of the mount does, after torquing the bolt and washer down against the base, it can get kind of smashed, which will make it more likely to tear upon removal. These mounts are extremely difficult to remove, and will most likely tear when taken out as they need to be pulled, pried and otherwise yanked to get them free. For this reason we consider them a "one-time use" item. Please inform your customers to avoid removing these to inspect them as they are likely to experience the same problem. There is no real reason to remove these unless they are being replaced (which wouldn't need done for quite some time), the rubber around the insert is softer than the insert itself, so the majority of the stress in the mount is going to be absorbed by the rubber. This isn't like a control arm bushing for example, which is attached only to metal components and therefore absorbs the majority of the stress at that connection.
I apologize if this is a bit long-winded, but I wanted to make sure to be thorough in my response.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sarah
