I have a 1994 Toyota Camry with about 140,000 miles on it. The driver- side rear strut is making some noise. If I push the wheel from the side while it's jacked up, there is a slight give that causes part of the racket. It's as though the stut's piston doesn't quite remain in line with the cylinder. There is also a noise sometimes when the strut compresses, like it needs to be oiled or greased or something. I know the struts need to be replaced eventually. I have two questions, however.
1) If I wait a few months to replace the struts, is there a potential catastrophe around the corner? Is it possible that the strut will fail in such a way as to rip the rear wheel off the car? Or will it just fail and remain in place, drivable, but with no support from the strut.
2) When I replace the strut, should I replace the springs as well, or are they probably ok for another 100k miles? I've seen the Monroe quickstrut, but my impression is that that's just an easy way to replace the strut without using a spring compressor. Or would I benefit from replacing the spring?