Shocks for 99 camry

My camry has about 80K miles on it and I think the shocks/struts are shot. The car bottoms out everytime I inch past my driveway or go over a speedbump with (skinny!) people in the backseat.

I asked someone about this and they said it was very unusual for shocks/struts to go bad on these cars.

Is this just how my car is? How can I tell for sure if they are shot?

Anna

Oh, btw, my 2 yr old michelins have 'flat' spots (I was told) - dealer is recommending I replace them. Could their life have been shortened by bad shocks/suspension?

Reply to
Anna
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My struts went hard at 60000 m , Dont get monroe sensatrac they get hard when cold. push down on the car does it bounce. Your car should never bottom out.

Reply to
m Ransley

Huh? I'll have to respectfully disagree. It was my understanding Camrys were known for this; certainly my '97 has been exactly the same since new. Speed bumps and driveways are always a concern. I don't know if the suspension is bottoming out but SOMETHING is hitting pretty hard unless I take it very slow.

Reply to
Scott Schuckert

My Mom's 99 Camry V6 is guilty of this......we test drove both the 4 and V6 and exact same configuration, the V6 bottomed out one part of the road, the 4 cylinder did not.

At the time, these were band new vehicles.

Dealer was aware of the bottoming issue at the time.

-

-- Curtis Newton snipped-for-privacy@akaMail.com

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Reply to
Curtis Newton

Shocks/Struts don't normally wear out that fast on good roads, but if you consistently drive over some bad spots (or even one time on a really bad spot in the road) the shocks/struts may need replacement.

Flat spots on a tire can definitely be caused by bad shocks/struts.

The normal way to test this is to push down hard on the corner of the car and let go. If the car comes back to normal in one smooth motion, then they are probably OK. If the car starts oscillating up and down for a little bit, then they are usually bad.

Reply to
Mark A

I have the same car and experienced the bottoming problem while the car was only a few months old. I complained several times to the dealer and they finally decided to replace the rear struts. This has helped the problem a little bit although the front is soft and the car is till too soft for my taste. Other than that the car has been great.

I would advise you to get good brand struts such as Bilstein or KYB. These are used in German cars and performance cars known for their handling. Forget about OEM Toyota in this case.

Reply to
Vijay

It's good to hear that other people experienced the same thing, although I'm disappointed that even some new cars did this! I bought mine with 65K on it so I'm not sure what it was like new. Thanks for the brand rec - I'll definitely look into it. I hope it's not expensive to replace.

Anna

: I have the same car and experienced the bottoming problem while the car was : only a few months old. I complained several times to the dealer and they : finally decided to replace the rear struts. This has helped the problem a : little bit although the front is soft and the car is till too soft for my : taste. Other than that the car has been great.

: I would advise you to get good brand struts such as Bilstein or KYB. These : are used in German cars and performance cars known for their handling. : Forget about OEM Toyota in this case.

Reply to
Anna

Scott Schuckert wrote: || In article , m || Ransley wrote: || ||| Your car should never bottom out. || || Huh? I'll have to respectfully disagree. It was my understanding || Camrys were known for this; certainly my '97 has been exactly the || same since new. Speed bumps and driveways are always a concern. I || don't know if the suspension is bottoming out but SOMETHING is || hitting pretty hard unless I take it very slow.

Bottoming out is a known shortcoming of the FOUR cyl. 99 Camrys. My 6 cyl.

99 Camry, though, has an excellent suspension, allowing almost regular speeds over speed bumps.
Reply to
SHARX

Curtis Newton wrote: || On Wed, 09 Jun 2004 19:45:05 -0400, Scott Schuckert || wrote: || ||| In article , m ||| Ransley wrote: ||| |||| Your car should never bottom out. ||| ||| Huh? I'll have to respectfully disagree. It was my understanding ||| Camrys were known for this; certainly my '97 has been exactly the ||| same since new. Speed bumps and driveways are always a concern. I ||| don't know if the suspension is bottoming out but SOMETHING is ||| hitting pretty hard unless I take it very slow. || || || My Mom's 99 Camry V6 is guilty of this......we test drove both the 4 || and V6 and exact same configuration, the V6 bottomed out one part of || the road, the 4 cylinder did not.

No damn way. It is a KNOWN fact that the FOUR cyl. have the weak suspension. Period. The SIX cylinder vehicle suspensions are excellent.

|| || At the time, these were band new vehicles. || || Dealer was aware of the bottoming issue at the time. || || || || || - || -- || Curtis Newton || snipped-for-privacy@akaMail.com ||

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|| ICQ: 4899169 || Anti-Spam filter in place-- ||

Reply to
SHARX

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Oh yes the KYB and Bilsteins are quite expensive. But like anything else good in life you cry only the first time, not all the time.

Reply to
Vijay

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