Hello to all,

I just had my 230K service on my 89' Camry and was wondering how much I can expect to pay for a complete new set of shock absorbers.

They NEVER been changed and although the mechanics say it's not necessary unless they leak I still wonder.

Any opinions?, Any brands? Should I just use the OEM Toyota brand??
How much will all this be???:screwy: :frown: :2cents: :2cents: :2cents:


rimfire,22

You have struts all the way around, not shocks.

How does the car ride? Is it excessively bouncy over bumps? Any rattles when going over bumps?

The Toyota OEM brand figures to be the most expensive. Most non-Toyota dealer shops will use other brands, most commonly Monroe. The best advice I can give you is to call around to a few places and ask for prices on replacing all 4 struts.

Mike

I can tell you that your mechanic is smoking the drapes.

Struts are filled with oil. Just like your mechanic said, a leaking strut is definitely bad.

However, the oil eventually turns to grease and you are left with: No strut.

Besides, let's say the struts do leak. Okay, if you don't catch the drip until all the drips are gone, then you are left with a completely dry strut that cannot leak -- there isn't any more juice left to leak.

It has been my experience that struts normally fail stiff or hard, and shocks normally fail soft or bouncy. The last old strut I tested had no absorption capability. Taking it off the car resulted in the strut simply staying put, with no expansion.

It may be difficult to tell, but you might try to push down (or pull up) on the car body to see how the strut feels, then go to a new car and see how a new strut feels.

Best of luck!

--Mark

http://www.marksatterfield.com

between 750 and 1000

You have struts all the way around, not shocks.

How does the car ride? Is it excessively bouncy over bumps? Any rattles when going over bumps?

The Toyota OEM brand figures to be the most expensive. Most non-Toyota dealer shops will use other brands, most commonly Monroe. The best advice I can give you is to call around to a few places and ask for prices on replacing all 4 struts.

Mike


Mike,

I haven't changed the struts since bought new. Currently I just rolled over 230K so I am courently considering to change them now cuz since I inherited my own car back from my mom aho past away a couple years ago I want to keep better care of it.

Again any idea about how much it might cost if I had the delership handle the job????:screwy: :2cents:


rimfire,22

You can call a dealership and ask the service department for a quote. I would call more than one. As I mentioned before, I would also call some aftermarket repair shops. This will only take a few minutes, so why guess. If I had to take a wild guess, I would say around $1000 at a dealership. You will also need a 4 wheel alignment after changing struts.

Mike

You can call a dealership and ask the service department for a quote. I would call more than one. As I mentioned before, I would also call some aftermarket repair shops. This will only take a few minutes, so why guess. If I had to take a wild guess, I would say around $1000 at a dealership. You will also need a 4 wheel alignment after changing struts.

Mike


Mike,

OH Ididn't even thnink about the 4 wheel alignment!!!:screwy: :2cents:

OK something extra to consider.:banghead:

Thanks for the imput.

rimfire,22

Hello to all,

I just had my 230K service on my 89' Camry and was wondering how much I can expect to pay for a complete new set of shock absorbers.

They NEVER been changed and although the mechanics say it's not necessary unless they leak I still wonder.

Any opinions?, Any brands? Should I just use the OEM Toyota brand??
How much will all this be???:screwy: :frown: :2cents: :2cents: :2cents:


rimfire,22
I would definitely think twice before you replace the struts on your 1989 Camry. :2cents: If the Toyota dealership mechanic says their fine then they probrally are.:smile:

I own a 1989 Camry and replaced the rear struts myself only because they needed to be replaced. The rear of my car was bouncing all over the place and as a result wouldn't pass inspection.:disappoin The front struts on my Camry are the original ones that were put on at the factory. There's no need to replace parts that aren't broken, expecially on a 19 year old car. JMHO.:smile:

Regards,
JOET/CAMRY