Was a proper four wheel alignment performed when the struts were replaced?
Also, were the top strut mounts inspected/replaced? These cars are highly
susceptible to rear alignment issues. 

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Anthony Egeln
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 10:14 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: (NVC) Fryeday - Rear end of car skips

OK....no vanagon content, but I don't know were else I can get the
collective wisdom of hundreds of years of motoring experience! �And it may
be interesting to most car people.
We have a '97 Toyota Avalon that has developed a sort of drift, mostly in
wide, sweeping, left turns. �Except it really isn't a drift.....it is more
of a hop or skip. �On the turn if I hit a rough patch of road, a bump, or
one of the raised divider reflectors, the rear feels like it hops, and gives
the unsettling feeling of an unintentional drift. �It grabs the road back
right away but it feels really scary, especially if it happens at highway
speeds.
The car now has brand new Bridgestone Potenza G19 tires on it, and it makes
the same skip as it did with prior set of worn Pirellis. �So I don't think
it's the tires.
Anyone ever experience this? �The car has 180M miles on it now, and this
phenomenon has presented itself in the last 15-20M miles. �I might add that
the struts are relatively new, and I have to check, but they may have been
replaced about the same time that the skipping began.
Thanks, Anthony'89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo)