How long do shockabsorbers last typically?

Hi,

I am thinking about buying a 1996 Camry V6 with 100k miles on it. It has been dealer-maintained. Is it likely that the shocks need to be replaced within the near future? What would this cost at a reliable shop/dealer?

TIA,

Peter.

Reply to
Peter
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Are you sure they are old, Mine went hard at 60000m . They can go hard or soft. My new Monroe Sensatrac are Crap from day 1. The ride gets harder as the temp drops, noticibly starting at 65f. At 0-20+ F they dont exist and are a rock . It will cost me 400 labor to get the warranty honored. Dealers rip off on price ck Car X, Midas etc.

Reply to
m Ransley

My rule of thumb when I buy an older car:

New brakes New shocks New timing belt (unless there is documentation when it was changed) "Tune-up" Filters & fluids Tank of gas (you want to make sure it doesn't leak, right?) Over 100K: new springs..

The real tough part is front/rear struts and springs. Find a good mechanic cheap (unless you have the tools/knowhow). Since yer pulling the struts anyway, springs are $100-175 more and the ride will improve greatly!

If you're buying this from a dealer, just before signing the papers tell him you want these things done. (Makes my boss madder than hell when people do this, but he does it!)

Also, take it to a mechanic you *trust*! and have it checked. I was going to keep a Celica we got at auction, moderate dent in the rear but could be pulled easily. Friend said the engine was about to go. I didn't believe him but before i could act someone bought the car. Six weeks later, guess what? And this guy diagnosed it just by listening!

Reply to
HachiRoku

Without breaking the bank, (KYB's, Bilstiens) what is another good brand of strut for a daily driver. My 94 Corolla has 200+ and I'm sure I have the original struts on it, so I wouldn't know if the ride is hard or soft. They still dampen, but the fronts have a rattle to them at real slow speeds. Is this from the top bushing being worn to the point that the shaft slops around on it? It goes in for an alignment on Friday but they will probably find a bunch of worn out parts.

Brian

Reply to
Brian

I'd agree at 60-75k miles they are toast. Requires probably 3-4 hours labor and a complet realignment. NTB will give a price - they often have buy 3 get one Monroe free or a rebate. I'm not big fan of Monroe but they do have a lifetime warranty.

Reply to
Wolfgang

200+ with original struts! Do your wheels bounce like basktballs?! Damn, man!

Almost all shocks/strut cartridges are about $65 at CarQuest, etc. Unass some duggets and buy a pair. Chances are they won't do a full line-up without them anyway...too much play.

Good news is almost *all* struts/cartridges have life-time warranties. KYB lost a bundle on me! (256K and still rolling!)

Check the prices on KYB's chances are you can get them witin $15 of the pricew I just gave you.

Reply to
HachiRoku

It really is a difficult thing to answer, except to say most shocks/strut-assemblies last a long time if they are of reasonable quality to begin with. Of all the cars I have had, and they were all mostly clunkers,..only 2 had shocks so bad the car was unstable. Typically, if the shock is totally out to lunch, the car will rock as you reach a certain speed over undulations in the road. Load distribution can effect this as well.

At the end of the day, if the car does not axle-hop or rock back and forth especialy in the front-rear axis, your shocks/strut-guts are probably OK.

Bouncing the car doesn't give a totally good indcation unless a graph-machine or similar is attached to follow the smaller oscillations which can make the car unstable.

Jason

Reply to
Jason James

Almost all do now...

Reply to
HachiRoku

LOL. I don't notice any wheel bounce, don't hear any unusual tire noises. And they have no goofy wear patterns on them either. Go figure.

I figured as much. I told them to twist and pry on everything front and back and give me a list of what I need to replace if it is that bad. I've thought of starting to replace stuff, but at this mileage, where do I stop? I'm sure the wheel bearings could be replaced as well as everything else. I'll let them take a look and give it a shakedown. Hopefully struts will be all it needs.

Thanks for the reply. I'll look around for prices on a few brands.

Brian

Reply to
Brian

Let me know. At 200K, you may need struts, shocks, springs, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc, then again, you may not.

My hachiroku (Corolla GTS) is still on the original clutch, ball joints, springs, etc at 259,000! Best damn car I ever bought! MAKE THEM AGAIN, DAMMIT, TOYOTA!

Reply to
HachiRoku

Just my opinion here, could be wrong, but I suspect it is unlikely that you will need shock (strut) replacement - unless there are indications of a problem. Seems to me, lots of shops like to recommend strut replacement, even when it may not be needed. I'm especially suspicious of recommendations based solely on mileage, from having replaced shocks in the past, and then wishing I hadn't - especially when going to aftermarket parts that alter the ride quality. If the shocks or struts are binding such that they no longer move freely, or are losing damping control, or are leaking oil, or if you start seeing uneven tire wear patterns like "cupping", I'd replace them. If they're still performing well, they need not be replaced.

Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

Since yer pulling the struts

If I'd known about this three years ago, would have considered it. Suspension height according to the factory manual (floor to swing arm pivot) is 3/4" low on the driver side and 1/2" low on the passenger side after 10 years and 120,000 miles. Doesn't seem worth changing them now for that.

Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

What model? If you have struts in the front and/or rear, it's relatively easy. The struts on almost all Toys can be removed without compressing the spring, and once out, using a decent spring compressor ($38 at Carquest. Get the one that actually attaches to the spring with U-bolts and nuts), youi can remoe the nut holding the thing together, loosen the spring clamps and remove the springs. Installation is just the opposite.

Another thign I love about almost all Toys is that, once you've done this and gotten the whole mess back together, you rarely need an alignment, due to Toyota's most excellent design!

Reply to
HachiRoku

Yes. Had alignment done, and recently re done - no adjustment required after three years.

1994 4 cylinder Camry. I did find a spring compressor at ToolSource.com for under $50, and was considering getting spring prices, but then checked the factory manual for procedure - they show the rear struts fasteners torque at 185 ft. lbs., (figured the 135 ft. lbs. front I could handle - but how much more torque would it take to actually break them loose?) I don't have an air impact wrench (only electric) and with limited clearance back there from the suspension links, could see myself wrestling with a breaker bar and cheater pipe, or taking the additional expense of buying a compressor and air gun just for the struts. Read that the spring _rate_ is constant unless a progressive spring compresses to the point that adjacent coils touch. Also read that the ride improvement from spring replacement can be real. Then read that one person had 2" spring sag, with a heavier American car, when he found a marked improvement, and had also read that Toyotas ride can get softer as the miles accumulate, so on balance, decided to live with the current ride characteristics. There is a certain stretch of freeway I drive regularly with bumpy expansion joints. If you really believe spring replacement would make a difference there, I might re consider - would have guessed that the struts (which I did replace) have more effect. Thanks for your thoughts. Never considered springs a replacement item. Looking carefully at the factory service manual, can find no recommendation for replacement or service limit specifications. For example with valve springs, there are height and straightness requirements, but nothing similar mentioned for the suspension springs.
Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

Shocks are really just dampers, and do nothing really for suspension travel. Suspension travel is controlled by the springs.

On some of my past cars, when the ride went soft, I would replace the shocks. Then the ride would get soft again, and I would replace the shocks. Finally a friend of mine told me I was wasting my money, and to get new springs.

It's really the springs that stiffen the suspension and keep the car from bottoming out or giving you thet nasty jot when you hit the expansion joints.

Reply to
HachiRoku

------------------------------------------------------------------------- The alignment shop found NO problems other than some toe-out which was adjusted. Struts are fine, one with slight weepage. Ball joints and tie rods checked out ok also. Rear end bushings/links are good. They told me to run it into the ground. I will try.

Brian

Reply to
Brian

------------------------------------------------------------------------- The alignment shop found NO problems other than some toe-out which was adjusted. Struts are fine, one with slight weepage. Ball joints and tie rods checked out ok also. Rear end bushings/links are good. They told me to run it into the ground. I will try.

Brian

Reply to
Brian

------------------------------------------------------------------------- The alignment shop found NO problems other than some toe-out which was adjusted. Struts are fine, one with slight weepage. Ball joints and tie rods checked out ok also. Rear end bushings/links are good. They told me to run it into the ground. I will try.

Brian

Reply to
Brian

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ANY weepage at the strut seal is no good. When the strut is gas charged, a weeping seal is particularly bad because the gas charge pressure is also supporting the car to an extent.

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- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM
Reply to
Philip®

False. Shock absorbers actually control spring rate. For example, when compression dampening is very strong, this has a dynamic effect of making the spring stiffer. For example, when rebound dampening is very strong, this has a dynamic effect of a making the spring softer. Think about it.

False. Suspension travel is primarily limited by the rubber stop bumpers on the upper and lower control arms or in the case of McPherson struts, the total travel of the strut. In neither case is total travel controlled by the spring. The spring's primary function is to support the weight of the car. A spring's compression rate curve can be affected by how the spring is wound (straight rate or progressive rate winding) but is primarily achieved by selecting a shock absorber with desirable dampening (spring rate controlling) characteristics.

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- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM
Reply to
Philip®

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