I’m finally replacing the brakes on my Prius! 165,000 miles and ten years, and replacing the pads and rotors for the first time!!! While doing the work, I noticed that the dust boots - the very long, accordion-like boots - on both of my struts were completely torn. Is there a way to replace them, or should I just plan on new struts since the car is so old anyway? And is there a good DIY on the replacement?
I don't know of a way to replace them without removing the struts. But it is possible to buy just the boots. Not having done a replacement myself, I can't give an informed opinion about the decision, though.
If the struts are not leaking and not worn out, there is no need to replace them. The fact that they are torn has no ill effect on the function of the struts.
10 years and 165 k miles is a good run out of them. When we had our old 2010, I waited until about 175k miles to replace ours and the boots had been torn for years. When taking the old ones off, while they showed no signs of leakage, they were spent. If you have access to a spring compressor, I'd opt to change them at your earliest convenient time out as the longer you wait to change them, the more wear occurs on the other components of the car. Hope things are going well in the City of Roses.
Unless the struts are leaking or worn out, there will not be any additional wear on any of the other suspension components. Having no strut boots might only result in the shorter life of the strut's seals that hold the hydraulic fluid in at the piston shafts. Just replace them when the struts are worn out or when they start leaking fluid.
No. People usually don't replace them until they replace the struts. They are sold for those who replace just the struts; not the entire assembly that includes the springs and the mounts.
I guess I was too chicken to mention that. We've driven various vehicles with torn or missing boots for years. I think that in salty places, the seals will give out quicker than in more metal-friendly environments.
Mendel I don't think they make split boots that long for the strut Pistons or rods you can buy them aftermarket and all kinds of colors and silicone materials cheap rubber you name it and of course if you replace your struts some form of that comes on the new struts like rudkus said if no leaks and streaking and the like you're probably in good shape run until they're flat I run them pretty close to that and then I put on KYB gas a just..
