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1997 Legacy L Struts question

My 1997 Legacy L wagon was in the shop for some maintenance and it was suggested that I should replace the front and rear struts.

The quoted price was the worst part of $1,200. A look at the parts prices makes me think I could do this myself for a lot less. In college, I used to do all my own maintenance, but got out of the habit over the years. Still, I know which end of a screwdriver to hold on to.

Has anyone here replaced struts? Any advice?

Should I go ahead and replace springs and mounts at the same time while I'm having fun?

Thanks, Mike

Reply to
Mike Avery
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I bought mine (98 legacy) online and took them to Big-O tires. They quoted many hours to install them and then align (quote was for 7 hours labor and 1 hour alignment).

I dropped my baby off and of course they offered to "shuttle me anywhere" but I declined. They started at 8 and were done by noon. I asked that the bill be reduced by 4 hours labor and they agreed. Had I NOT been present I wouldn't have known that the car was done in 1/2 the time. Cost dropped from an estimated 800 to 400. I was quite happy with that.

DJay

Reply to
djay

Not bad..... well, you're staying on top of it wasn't bad. It is common practice to base estimates, and charges, on "the book." If the book says it's an 8 hour job, they estimate and bill by it. It lets a good mechanic make a lot more money.

So far, the estimates are $1,200 from the dealer and $1,400 from Midas. Midas says the struts (either Gabriel or KYB) are $177 each for parts. I can find them online for under $100.

I'll call Big O next...

Thanks, Mike

Reply to
Mike Avery

The only thing with bringing in your own struts is -of course- big O won't warrentee them. That didn't bother me at all.

Good luck! Djay

Reply to
djay

Now how did the car feel after the new struts were put on ? Tony 2000 outback

Reply to
tropical

The ride is just about the same - stiffer in the turns though. It was worth the expense for me - had them put on after the originals had 126K miles.

Djay

Reply to
djay

Reply to
Robert L Wilson

I looked at the manual, and it looks tedious, but not impossible. The front ones require disconnecting the brake hydralic lines. After reassembly, bleeding the lines and realignment are needed.

The only big gotcha looked like the spring compressor, but spring compressors are available at reasonable prices.

Mostly, I was hoping someone who had done it would comment that it wasn't as bad (or was much worse) than what the manual suggested.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Avery

I'm sure you could post at

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or
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and find not only a little advice, but possibly a link to some pictures. Those sites have 'repair' areas associated with them but finding precisely what you need may be tricky.

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

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