Do my car's struts need to be replaced?

[ShiningArcanine]

My car is a 1995 Toyota Avalon that will be 15 years old this April. Its struts have never been replaced and have 133,510 +/- 10 miles on them. It has had uneven wear on its tires in the past, but I have since had its tires rotated on a strict (every 7500 miles, +/- 200 miles) to resolve that. Today, when I accelerated at an intersection, my car's front started vibrating/bouncing up and down. I reduced the amount of pressure I had on the accelerate and the vibrations went away within 2 seconds. Anyway, that has never happened to me until today.

I found some things via Google that said that worn struts can cause uneven wear and also cause cars to bounce up and down (sort of like what I experienced). It also said that worn struts could cause car accidents by increasing the distance a car needs to stop. Is this true and when should a car's struts be replaced? If I have my car's struts replaced, will the strut mounts need to be replaced along with the struts? Do different brands/models of struts have different longevity or do they all last roughly the same amount of time? I like how my car handled when it was new (even though I didn't have a driver's license back then). If I have my car's struts replaced, do I have to buy OEM struts to have the car handle the same way it did when it was new or can I expect aftermarket struts to have the car handle the same way? Also, if I have my car's struts replaced, should I have the dealership's service department install them or should I expect any reputable repair shop to to have the same quality of work?

 

[Steve S]

I would say new struts and shock all the way around and go to a good shop that will also inspect and align all 4 wheels . You will be happy . Price the parts and see what KYB or Bilstien parts cost as compared to oem.

 

[pidster]

If you`re bouncing you probably need them. Try bouncing the car by hand at the corners while parked, it`s pretty easy to tell.

Any shop should be able to tackle the job, I`ve done it DIY (on a Toyota as well) and had no trouble at all.

As for changing mounts, I left my old ones on with no trouble to this day (been a couple years since the job - 15 year old original mounts) but I might just be lucky.

 

[pidster]

Forgot to mention - KYB shocks installed. Nice improvement over the worn ones and quite happy with the handling, but can`t compare to originals when new. I was a 12 year old passenger when this car was bought

 

[Billbert]

The problem you are having under heavy acceleration may also be a broken motor mount

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted By: Billbert
The problem you are having under heavy acceleration may also be a broken motor mount


Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

Originally Posted By: Billbert
The problem you are having under heavy acceleration may also be a broken motor mount


It wasn't heavy acceleration, but I will have that checked when I bring my car to the dealership's service department in early January for an unrelated issue. Having the engine be what was vibrating would certainly explain why only the front of the car was affected.

 

[brianl703]

The biggest indicator that you need new struts is that you have to slow way down for speed bumps, especially if it's to keep the car from bottoming out.

 

[brianl703]

Also if you hit a dip or a bump in the road, if the car has excessive suspension travel, that's another indicator. Excessive can be hard to describe...best I can tell you to do is drive a newer car on the same road and see how it handles. We have a speed hump on the main road here. My Saab 93 and my Mustang both handle it very well, even at 35MPH. My Crown Vic, on the other hand..at 30MPH it feels like it's about to lose contact with the ground or something. That is an indication to me that the Crown Vic needs new shocks. I think I'm gonna go with Tokicos on that one..that's what I put in the Mustang.

 

[artificialist]

With that much age, I am sure your springs are sagging too.

When someone in that situation comes to me, I sell them some Monroe Quick-struts. One strut, one spring, and one mount all in a simple assembly. It saves on labor too.

 

[Quest]

Given that mileage and age, you haven't replaced those struts yet?!?!

Gosh!

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
With that much age, I am sure your springs are sagging too.

When someone in that situation comes to me, I sell them some Monroe Quick-struts. One strut, one spring, and one mount all in a simple assembly. It saves on labor too.


They seem to be quite popular around here.

 

[mechtech2]

The bouncing was probably wheel hop. Bad motor or trans mounts make this much worse. So can worn struts.
But on FWD vehicles, wheel hop can always be induced to some degree - it is normal on wet surfaces with hard launches.

 

[chad8]

Stay away from the stealership for struts. Quick struts are easy and any mechanic can install. Remember to also have the sway bar bushings replaced. Yours are probably hard as rocks or beaten to pieces .that is usually the source of a lot of noise. 6 bolts and a few dollars. Your car will handle like new .ebay prices. struts run $60 each and spring strut assembly about $175 each . you can spend a grrrrr or $400. bushing kit is under $20. Buy them yourself and find a good mechanic on craigs list under services. Anybody can change struts/bushings. I pay about $25/hour instead of $85/hour.
Do it this way and the whole job is under $500

 

[lairdwd]

I found a quick strut for my pig for less than $100. Haven't used these guys before, but that price is $20 less than rockauto.

http://carpartscloseouts.com/Quick-Strut/M/B001ECYQTY.htm

 

[artbuc]

At your mileage/age you almost certainly need new strut mounts, especially on the front. Don't skimp here. Do yourself a favor and buy only factory OEM mounts. I really like my new KYB struts but the KYB mounts are pure [censored].

 

[dhise]

I guess it would vary from model to model, but in general the struts on japanese cars last a long time. If you haven't hit any curbs or big pot holes I would be surprised of those struts were blown at that low of mileage. I just put new kyb's and moog strut mounts on my '86 subaru w/180k miles on the originals. While there is an improvement, it was not dramatic. The old struts weren't blown out and still had plenty of life in them. The mounts were a different story however.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Most struts are not within OEM specification by 50K-80K miles. So your either need to be rebuilt or replaced. Some of Toyota older cars had rebuildable struts just like bikes or snow mobiles etc.......

 

[artbuc]

Originally Posted By: dhise
I guess it would vary from model to model, but in general the struts on japanese cars last a long time. If you haven't hit any curbs or big pot holes I would be surprised of those struts were blown at that low of mileage. I just put new kyb's and moog strut mounts on my '86 subaru w/180k miles on the originals. While there is an improvement, it was not dramatic. The old struts weren't blown out and still had plenty of life in them. The mounts were a different story however.



I almost bought Moog strut mounts. Why did you use them? Did you compare them to factory? Have you used them before? Thanks.

 

[CharBaby]

I have read over the years that the rear struts/strut mounts(Avalon/Camry) tend to clunk as time goes on causing owners to question..."what is that noise in the rear".