Need advice about struts.

I've been procrastinating on replacing mine for a really long time and would love to read the pros and cons of finally dealing with it. As in I drive so slow I'm almost never going around a curve in the road wishing I could go faster.

 

more like years... But I also spent most of my teenage years driving junk cars way too fast so I'm basically like "trained professional don't try this at home" status.

 

What about also changing the other components like rubber control arm bushings that routinely age?

 

How much performance are you demanding from your vehicle? If you drive slow in general, then it's just inspecting and replacing anything that's damaged. But if you like to go fast around corners and feel competitive when driving, then you'll get a tiny bit better performance by replacing everything with new.

 

My point wasn’t competition driving but rather the not unusual situation where a dealer will recommend replacing one component when others are also degraded and can easily be replaced at the same time saving labor charges.
At 16 years, the rubber bushings are likely degraded and although one would not usually replace them alone, new control arms with bushings can easily be installed at the same time as the struts.
Also often some dealers will lowball work and then up sell the job after they’ve got your car apart. Best to ask beforehand and get the big picture.

 

Arden. SoI just replaced all 4 shocks and struts on my 2008 Prius standard with 119k miles. The difference is night and day. So much better safer and more comfortable.
I am mechanically inclined and did the work in my garage. It took about 4 hours for the front and the next day I did the tears in about 3 hours. Parts I ordered were $560 delivered to my door. I also replaced the front sway bars linkage at the same time. Labor is about $100 an hour Id guess soI saved a lot of money. The ride quality and handling difference is HUGE and I’ve also noticed an increase in 5 MPG by about 46 mpg to 51.2 mpg. Odd but I’ll take it. Ask a friend for help and find a you toobb video to follow. I watched an Asian guy in California changed out the front shocks on a blue 08 and it was easy to follow. Watch the video 5 times before doing the work.
My wife’s 2008 Prius had 109k miles OE shocks and drives way worse then mine so now I’m saving up to do hers.
I went with KTB Strut plus OEM fit shocks. I’ll try to find and post a link.
I would not get Monroe shocks. Cheap for a reason.
Ask a friend or neighbor for help. Air tools are great but not needed if you have. 24” long 1/2” breaker bar for your sockets.

 

Wear and tear items that don't cost much should be replaced with new, but on a 15 year old car like yours, brand new major components are way over-priced for a car that old so we recommend people get used parts from a wrecker instead.

 

I typically don't look to replace things unless I find they are making themselves noticeable. For example, struts and shocks are "safety" items because worn out components have a tendency not to keep the tires contact with the road as well as new would. This means that braking can be less effective and you can also see increased tire wear. For me if I don't have any vibration or noises and my fuel efficiency is good, I leave well enough alone.

Also, I won't pay for OEM for an old car and I have the suspicion that I might be in worse shape in a year with some aftermarket parts than if I had left the original parts alone.

 

new struts should not cost 4k, you can buy bc coilovers and have a lot of fun with the car for 1k, oem struts should costs around $400. Personally Id skip both the Monroe and the kyb, the oems are better and not that much more. What are the normal symptoms of ride? I am at around the same mileage on the oem touring tunes suspension and they still ride good with lots of life left in them other than the rubber cover they work fine.

Unless your experiencing abnormal tire wear, bouncy sketchy ride, etc I would leave them, can you explain the symptoms?

Any car at 160k will benefit from new suspension, but these are well made and while old they still may work fine.

prepare to spend
400 shocks oem, $100 hardware, $100-$300 install, $100 alignment worse case scenario under 1k not 4k.

 

I'm not understanding your response vis a vis the quoted passage from my post. Are you saying to the OP don't replace anything other than the struts or just don't get the other things at the dealer? Seems to me if the OP had the capability or desire to go junking then he/she probably would also have done the struts him/herself. OP was self admittedly not a DIY type.

 

There are a bunch of parts on these old cars that Toyota stealership will charge several thousand dollars to replace and those same parts are available at wrecking yards for less that 10% of that price. It just doesn't make sense to spend several thousand dollars on an old car that's only worth $5K.

 

1. Find out if you need the front and the rear replaced or just one or the other. I've been doing a lot of Gen 2 suspension work lately on my own car and a few neighbors.

2. If you only need to do the front or the back, do both sides at once.

3. You can do the work without any experience. Find a good video. It will be easier than you think. The big problem that might make it seem bad are rusted bolts. Get some PB Blaster to help with this.

4. Most people say get KYB struts and shocks and Monroe/Gabriel/FCS/Ebay/1AAuto are all garbage. Your experience will vary. I just did my neighbords and they had already bought all 4 from 1A for $350. They fit well and performed well. Longevity is the question. My sister has had Monroes on her car for the last 60k miles without any issues.

 

Did you compress the springs and replace only the struts, or did you purchase the assembled units with new springs, upper mounts, rubber boots, and the struts? I have this job to do on my 08 Prius, and would like to replace only the struts and perhaps the upper mounts, if needed. Also, I've read about the rear shocks/struts being a nightmare to replace. Is this really true? Thanks for any advice you could offer to help me get through this project with a minimum downtime. I have air tools and an enclosed garage/shop that's fully equipped with everything except a lift.

 

I think the danger of the "quick strut" is cheaper hardware (spring, bearing, etc). I haven't done a prius strut, but if yours are in OK condition except for the cartridge, I would swap the strut cartridge only. Spring compressors are cheap and you might even be able to borrow a compressor from an auto parts store.

If someone has compressed Prius springs and finds them difficult/dangerous, please chime in.

I have a 2004 and I replaced the rear struts that had destroyed lower bushings. It wasn't too bad except that the rear cargo area has to be pulled apart to get at the upper mounting nuts.