Monroe Quick Strut Assemblies

[The Critic]

I just spoke with Monroe's Tech Department, and they told me that Monroe will have a Quick Strut available for my Saturn beginning in April.

I was very excited to hear this news as these Quick Strut assemblies would be much easier to install since you will not need a spring compressor. While the price of a Quick Strut is about three times the amount of just the strut assembly, it seems like it'd be worth every penny as you would not need to mess with the spring.

However, I was wondering whether any of you have experience with the Quick Strut assemblies. I know the Monroe Sensa-Trac struts that they come bundled with are decent, but how's the quality of the Monroe spring assembly and their mounts?

Thanks!

 

[Quest]

don't forget to get a 4-wheel alignment afterwards.

Q.

 

[artificialist]

I have used them. They are excellent. Mounts and springs seem exactly the same as OE.

What I may do in the future is buy some ION Red Line Quick Struts, so I can get a lower ride height and stiffer spring and strut that fits perfectly. Then I just buy some OE Redline springs for the rear and 2 premium shocks, and my car will corner much better.

 

[The_Jeff]

Saturns are a good car to learn spring compressing on, they are very light and the springs aren't under much tension!

Wife's car has monroes, I think, they're blue, and adequate stock replacements but offer nothing additional.

Agree on the alignment, aftermarket struts generally have oblongated lower mounting holes while the stocker on this car series is a set-it-until-you-ram-something-it'll-be-close-enough.

 

[mechtech2]

Critic - You are afraid of changing the springs. /They are foreign and scary to you.
But that is a personal problem. It is EASY to use a spring compressor. Buy, borrow, rent, etc..
On additional advantage of the assembled unit is new mounts/bearings. But 3 times the price? No way.

 

[PandaBear]

The problem I have with most hand held spring compressor is the clearance with small car's strut/shock dust cover clearance. It would not clear the metal dust cover on my Integra's strut when I try to compress it, and I end up bringing 1 of the 4 struts to a tire shop to compress.

Other than that, it should be fairly safe (it has a safety pin to lock in the spring).

 

[sciphi]

I'd personally just price everything out separately and price out the quickstruts. Then decide if my time is worth disassembling the old struts or not. If it's within $100 of each other, go with the quickstruts. My time is worth more than the few extra hours you'll need to mess around with the spring compressor.

 

[mechtech2]

Hours with a spring compressor???
Maybe for the total job.
But struts are changed out outside of the car. Rent a good compressor, or maybe the parts store will loan you one.
[censored] types do bend and are hard to use, but good ones are really simple.

 

[dnewton3]

I have done it both ways.

There is pure ease in just replacing the assembly. This is a good avenue if:
1) you're not comfortable with changing the springs
2) you're in a hurry
3) you're springs are shot and need replaced anyway

The advantage to changing out the strut using spring compression:
1) less cost
2) is allows for individual component changes; strut, bearing, springs, whatever.

My wife's van had a strut go out fairly early. I replaced it by doing only the strut, and with the cost I saved I MORE than paid for the spring compressor tools I bought. But now, it's got like 173k miles on it. Not only are the struts due, but the springs are worn, and the right side bearing mount is creaking. It's just way easier in this case to do the assembly.

Like most things, there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

 

[meep]

I think I paid a shop something in the realm of $25-40 to move existing springs onto new strut assy's. $400 for 4 KYBs, $40 to transfer the springs in under 30 minutes, and 6 hrs of time soup to nuts.

M

 

[Donald]

Even if the springs are not shot if you start having to buy all the individual parts such as mounts, bumpers, struts it may add up to more than the Monroe preassembled part.

 

[sciphi]

It can take hours if you are doing it for the first time, have clearance issues, or have other issues.

 

[The Critic]

They're available now for my car. $128/each, but with the $125 mail-in rebate, it'll only be $400 after the mail-in rebate.

Now I just need to sell the strut mounts that I bought.

 

[wiswind]

I had the Monroe Quick Struts installed on my Windstar a few years ago.....due to a broken spring.
They have been just fine.
On a older vehilce......you get all new parts......no worry about that upper bearing going out later.....etc.

 

[tom slick]

All of the parts cost more separately than assembled in a quick strut. Sure replacing just the cartridge is cheapest but you are not getting new springs, mounting plates/bearings, rubber parts, etc.

I'd consider them for my own vehicles.

 

[Chris142]

Another option is to take the struts off and take em to PB, Napa etc and have them swap the springs over for you.

 

[AcuraTech]

Complete assemblies are nice. Taking struts apart sucks. Too much precaution/risk. Having a spring let loose is enough to make you need a new pair of underwear.

 

[PT1]

I would definitely go with the quick struts....way easier..and you don't have that big cherry red lump on your forehead from the spring compressor slipping off the spring...

 

[firemachine69]

Originally Posted By: AcuraTech
Complete assemblies are nice. Taking struts apart sucks. Too much precaution/risk. Having a spring let loose is enough to make you need a new pair of underwear.



I have a stand-up spring compressor. Cheap chinese unit, but the only problem I ever experienced with it was the "claws" getting suck in the coils (I was using much shorter lowering coils for a car). Stock springs and struts were no problem at all!

If it's a friend's car, definitely a Quick Strut. Saves me from having to lug out the strut compressor. Assembling the top plate with the new spring is definitely the most tedious part of the process.

 

[cousincletus]

U-haul used to rent compressors, and possibly the parts store will have a set. They are easy to use and risk of danger is minimal.