Worth to change spring on strut on my own?

Auto parts stores around here used to offer a service to swap your springs onto the new strut. I saw the machine that does it it’s got a cover over it in case of random explosions lol. Don’t know if they still do it but check around.

Before those machines I have had my own incident doing this strut spring came slipped out and hit the side of the house hard and loud enough wife came out to see if I’m alive as she often does lol.

It’s really dangerous especially if your a novice. You do not want to get hurt in
The middle of Covid/Om.

Next most dangerous job is tire mechanic.

 

Yep use tyre cages on 2or 3 piece truck wheels . Even on sides road . The ring can blow off . Almost impossible on single piece . The rubber can blow out seating but that's a big scare like heavy balloon. Generally no particulates to fly. Best compressor for making folks feel safe mounts to wall has ship wheel on side of it . I bought mine from a shop wall they no want it . I've used it a bunch sometimes I just undo nuts car on wheels undo knuckle . Lift car Wella. If you're real slick you can even reverse that I don't usually try to do that myself.

 

I talked last week to my dealer about four-corner shock/spring replacement on my 2010 with 130,000 miles. They are happy to do it using all OE parts, but equally happy with the KYB quick struts up front and matching rears. They take a dim view of the common Gabriel and Monroe products, but consider the KYB to be an acceptable replacement for OE. They are also OK with me buying the parts to avoid their markup. Even with the quick struts, they estimate 5 hours of labor, so there’s some money to be saved if you have the tools and the time to DIY.

 

TRQ "used" to be good. But I don't think they are any longer.
I bought trq front and read hubs for my Prius, they only lasted a few thousand miles.

It would be well worth it to spend the extra money and get the KYB struts/shocks.
Unless you like changing them every few thousands miles...

 

How are the FCS struts holding up a year later? I'm looking to buy the same set.

 

I would say if there's any way possible for your strut assemblies if you're buying assemblies you should try and stick with a name brand apparently some aren't happy with the Monroe Gold but then again this can be a seat of the pants and personal opinions for sure some people like a Toyota normal decent ride other people are boy racers and looking for that tightened up semi teeth rattling kidney banging sparco seat needing ride. This is all subjective your Prius was built as an all-around vehicle that does everything very well. TRQ seems like they're reeboxing some cheap stuff is what I see

 

Really high quality shocks have digressive valving so that big bumps slap open a lot of compression valves making big bumps feel like little bumps. The more you spend on the shocks the better the ride. Price doesn't dictate quality but this is not an area to go cheap. We don't need fully adjustable suspension but my God man do not buy the cheap stuff here. You're going to regret it very quickly

 

Just a heads up, the regular auto-store spring compressors are a bit of a bear with the Prius front struts because the ring seat that juts out in the middle gets in the way. You'll absolutely need a vise as well. It was a real pain when I did it. I got it done in the end by placing them strategically, but looking back I would have gladly paid someone a fair price to swap them out real quick with a better tool.

 

So we're going to have the discussion again about the spring having so much tension on it that it can blow up the whole shop spring go flying through the roof and all that all the stories never end I own a nice spring compressor that you stick on the spring and you adjust one nut and it compresses a spring You undo the big nut blasting this apart. I also owned the three spring compressors with little hooks on them that look like the turn buckle on your screen door. But the most fun we have taking these things apart is we stand the strut up in a vise that's mounted on the lower shelf on a steel table We put the strut in that tighten the vise nothing crazy I take a wheel with a tire on it and stand it on top of the strut The top of the tire lip rests on the edge of the table the top shelf of the table so that I don't have to hold it I put the hole in the center of the wheel where the nut is and then I take my DeWalt heavy duty impact gun in reverse and I blast the nut off while I'm standing there looking at it and I hear a big clank and what's happened as I've blasted the nut off is the spring has pushed the top plate against the metal wheel and it makes a clank I can feel it in my hand like a big bump and then I lift the tire up the top plate in the spring fall on the floor and now if that's what I'm trying to do I can remove the strut cartridge I rarely do this anymore I buy the strut complete with the spring and all on it but if I need to this works very quickly and I don't even have to go near the toolbox The socket the impact and all that is right next to the bench table I have been wondering when I'm going to blow my hand off or send the tire through the roof of the shop and all of these things to happen maybe if it was a 20 ton truck vehicle spring possibly but with the Toyota's all the way back to 74 SR5 Corollas and trucks not going to happen I don't think anybody's ever done much of anything like that in this arena I've done it before without the tire on top of the assembly and if you do that and you hold your hand at the right angle as you're blasting the nut off you just raise your hand and the spring comes up about 12 in maybe if you're lucky and then falls to the floor or if you really lucky it falls back down onto the silver rod which is part of your strut never been able to get hurt yet just thought I'd mention that because I think it's funny when we start talking about this but this isn't my house and things are way different here I'm sure than anywhere else in the world Good luck.

 

Seemed like there was something in there I wouldn't wanna try, but not enough punctuation to tell what.

 

Well said Mr. TOMBUKT2, I worked hardware store in a farm town and many old dudes lost many fingers and hands.
They would need fingers of both hands ask for 5 bolts or even 4 hammers because of that damn accident with the hay bailer or the big chopper they half-fixed then overloaded and bang 3-4 fingers or whole hand gone.

 

Wait Tall...you actually read all of that?

 

I have recently replaced both mine and wife's struts with genuine kyb struts from the dealers... Original lasted about 180-200,000 on both cars but I have had to replace these struts again due to leaking on both cars. Wife's car lasted 25,000 and mine about 70,000...so not really that impressed.
Bought APEC shocks this time and hopefully better results, as for you I'm not sure I would buy the reel cheap struts they seem a little too cheap, maybe go a know brand if you can find them.

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How do you know your KYBs aren't imposters from China

 

Don't think toyota GB would be too pleased selling fake parts

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But genuine KYBs never go bad this early. Why do you think yours are bad?

 

Not a clue but to have 2 cars have the same failure within a couple of months of each other and odly enough both right hand front probably points to poor roads as much as anything else

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