M35X Clunk over bumps, front right

[picoman]

So I have a sound that I would normally diagnose as a bad strut mount. The noise is a clunk that usually happens as the wheel drops (into a pothole or on the downstroke of a bump) and is predominantly on the front right corner. I have heard it from the front left as well. The car has 103k and The sound started about a year ago and has only gotten a tiny bit worse since it started (I think)

The dampers arent bouncy, not leaking oil, and when I jacked the corner up to manhandle the suspension for freeplay and noise, everything felt tight. I even watched the strut assembly and strut mount for slop while raising and lowering the car. It definitely sounds like a bad strut mount.

I started banging around with my fist and noticed the inner fender plastics rattled around and mimic the sound im hearing. The front bumper also doesnt seem as solid as it should be and makes a similar sound as the fender plastics. There are a few missing pop-rivets I will need to replace and I dont have the bottom plastic splash guard in place. I know I need to try the obvious things first and get the plastics fastened properly, but do you fellas have any experiences such as:

-struts or strut mounts didnt seem bad, but actually were
-bumper, fender plastics, or lack of undertray splash guard causing noises
or some other culprit that you thought was a strut mount?

I removes the plastic engine bay covers and checked the hood latch for good measure.

Thanks for any input

[picoman]

Update: I ordered new front struts (KYB Excel-G G35x fitment, part# 340010 and 340011), strut mounts (KYB), Moog sway bar end links, and rubber spring pads just in case I get in there and find the rubber falls apart. So far I have replaced the sway bar end links and that solved the clunk that I suspected was a noisy strut mount.

[Ilya]

Yep, end links are the first thing to check for a clunk.

[EniGmA1987]

Interestingly enough, the prices I was looking at last month the Moog end links were MORE expensive than the official Infiniti end links direct from the dealer. Prices from my dealer were $18 vs Moog's $30. I know years ago the Moog ones were priced around $15 each, but I guess as the years have gone by they have gotten a lot more expensive to buy online.

[picoman]

Wow, crazy how the prices have gone up, I believe I saw some other brands upwards of $45 but I have had good experiences with Moog endlinks before and like that they come with grease fittings.