Installing Preassembled Struts, but only on the front?

I installed Mando fully assembled struts in front of our 2012 Traverse and didn't have any squat on the vehicle, but it will depend on how worn the rear springs on the Highlander are.
I've never had that happen unless the Rear were completely destroyed so I think you'll be fine in that scenario..
It's a non-zero potential. If they make Highlanders in 4 and 6 cyl the spring rate might be some compromise in the middle. Plus they'll be new. That can be his problem, not yours. Advise him of his options then slap those babies in. If his truck looks dumb he might come back for rears later.
It has been a few days and 75-100 miles since I installed the pair of KYB SR4452/SR4453 pre-assembled struts.

I'm sure the empty hitch-mounted bike rack has some impact on the rear ride height (probably 50-75 lbs), but you can be the judge.

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Also, they are now made in Taiwan.

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I just installed KYB quick struts on the front of my 2014 Nissan Altima. The previous owner has installed Monro quick struts, and the mounts were noisy and the ride quality and handling never really felt right.
The KYB units were "assembled in USA" seem to be OEM comparable quality in my opinion.
The handling and quietness is night and day better over the Monros !
They sat slightly high at first but a few days of driving and they seem to have settled evenly to the rear.
 
It has been a few days and 75-100 miles since I installed the pair of KYB SR4452/SR4453 pre-assembled struts.

I'm sure the empty hitch-mounted bike rack has some impact on the rear ride height (probably 50-75 lbs), but you can be the judge.

View attachment 124513

Also, they are now made in Taiwan.

View attachment 124512
Hard to tell from the pic. Is the front higher than the rear?

My worry is the kyb front mounts/bearings holding up. Aftermarket front strut mounts don't have a great reputation.
 
Hard to tell from the pic. Is the front higher than the rear?

My worry is the kyb front mounts/bearings holding up. Aftermarket front strut mounts don't have a great reputation.
Yes, the front sits higher than the rear. Look at the fender gap.

The cool part about the Preassembled strut is that the entire unit is lifetime warranty, not just the strut.
 
I'm curious here, are we all in agreement that the quick struts are not the same as OE? Meaning, that's not the expectation, rather, the expectation is that by using Quick struts, time is saved and the car can "get by?" Again, if one were to disassemble the quick strut, lay it side by side each respective OE part, the cost has to be 6X+ more with OE. my .02 is they are not the same. At the same time, very few want to spend a small fortune just to replace struts and shocks. but again I feel this is a big benefit to shops. Time is money...
 
I'm curious here, are we all in agreement that the quick struts are not the same as OE? Meaning, that's not the expectation, rather, the expectation is that by using Quick struts, time is saved and the car can "get by?" Again, if one were to disassemble the quick strut, lay it side by side each respective OE part, the cost has to be 6X+ more with OE. my .02 is they are not the same. At the same time, very few want to spend a small fortune just to replace struts and shocks. but again I feel this is a big benefit to shops. Time is money...

They may not be the same as OE, but they're awesome because you don't have to mess around with spring compressors :D

Even the aftermarket components priced individually cost more than the complete assembly.

Ford and Honda do offer actual OE quick struts, though. Ford's prices on them are fair, while Honda charges a lot more for theirs.

Mando makes OE quick struts for some of the cars they are OE on, mostly Hyundai and Kia, but they have other contracts, too.
 
I'm curious here, are we all in agreement that the quick struts are not the same as OE? Meaning, that's not the expectation, rather, the expectation is that by using Quick struts, time is saved and the car can "get by?" Again, if one were to disassemble the quick strut, lay it side by side each respective OE part, the cost has to be 6X+ more with OE. my .02 is they are not the same. At the same time, very few want to spend a small fortune just to replace struts and shocks. but again I feel this is a big benefit to shops. Time is money...
Yes. Shops love to sell preassembled struts so they can still charge the full labor time for a strut swap, but it takes them a fraction of the time. Plus getting the individual parts can take time and be cost prohibitive.

They may not be the same as OE, but they're awesome because you don't have to mess around with spring compressors :D
If that is your only reason, it is a lousy one.
 
Yes. Shops love to sell preassembled struts so they can still charge the full labor time for a strut swap, but it takes them a fraction of the time. Plus getting the individual parts can take time and be cost prohibitive.


If that is your only reason, it is a lousy one.

It's not the only reason, but still a good one.

Also, both Monroe and KYB have a lifetime warranty for the quick strut, but not for individual components purchased separately, even though they're pobably the same.

KYB's warranty is only one year for standalone strut mounts and other accessories. Monroe's strut mounts and components purchased separately don't even have a warranty at all :sneaky:

And of course, you always forget a rubber piece, an insulator, or something that is always included int he complete assembly.
 
It's not the only reason, but still a good one.

Also, both Monroe and KYB have a lifetime warranty for the quick strut, but not for individual components purchased separately, even though they're pobably the same.

KYB's warranty is only one year for standalone strut mounts and other accessories. Monroe's strut mounts and components purchased separately don't even have a warranty at all :sneaky:

And of course, you always forget a rubber piece, an insulator, or something that is always included int he complete assembly.

I wonder if anyone has ever used such a warranty....one call out that I saw with Bilstein is the time waiting for the mfg to inspect the defective good.

For example, if the Bilstein B6's ever went (they're a wear item but it still should be a long time) on my wife's car, I'd buy a new set at 2x$110 and 2x$80, have them installed, then take the old ones and claim the lifetime warranty on them. maybe it takes 1-6 mos for a replacement, it doesn't matter as I'm already back on the road. Then the replacements just get stored and good chance they will never be installed.

Think what I'm trying to say is that on an item that knowingly wears, and will fail one day, don't buy for the warranty, buy for the quality. You've stated the warranty is shorter on standalone and lifetime on quick struts--so warranty would steer a person towards quick struts, which is reversed!

Maybe another example was a popular YouTube'r buying a Range Rover from Carmax, and then he had so many repairs covered by his extended warranty that would total over $19k.

Maybe he looks at it that way, he paid $4k for a warranty that paid out $19k. Another person wonders why not buy a quality reliable used car instead?

edit p.s. a realistic "usable" lifetime warranty is the 2004 Kohler faucet I have in the kitchen. It was $300+ back then, and over $800 a few years ago before it became discontinued. Over the last 18 years with it, every component has been replaced under their lifetime warranty except the body and the gooseneck. All the internals. I feel there are many warranties that are designed such that the consumer will never ever be able to complete a claim. I tried with Walker on an exhaust product, was not successful.
 
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Most cars have so many varieties of spring rates in the same model based on trans (manual vs auto) and trim levels and model years etc that these quick struts are more likely than not be not quite the right spring.

Unless you’re in a rust belt, springs should last the life of the car and effort applied to keeping them is worth it I think.
 
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