Shocks or Struts on 97 coupe

[thisisit]

I just bought a 97' Sebring LXi and I took it to a mechanic to get it inspected. He said the front struts have gonne bad and I need to replace them. Wants to charge me $400 for the job.

I took out the wheel and looked at the suspension myself, and it looks to me like the car has shocks not struts. I'm no expert in suspension systems but i can tell the basic differences between a shock and a strut and these look to me like true shock absorbers inside the spring coil. I told the mechanic my opinion and he said thet yeah they look like shock absorbers, but they're struts. He wants to put MacPherson struts for the front wheels, which don't look at all like what the car has on it right now. Can someone who knows for absolute certain tell me if the 97' Sebring LXi coupe has shocks or struts on the front wheels.

Also, a few quick questions.

I thought about replacing the shocks myself but I'm scared about what's going to happen to the coil once I loosen it. I'm sure I could figure out methods for compressing it and putting it back in place but I just got this car and don't want to mess it up. How risky is it to replace shocks yourself if you don't have all the proper tools?

The reason why the mechanic says my shocks are bad, is because there's evidence of grease around them. He might be right but I don't notice any wobling or instability from the front wheels when driving. My plan now is to wash and wipe off the oil stains from the shocks, and then go to another mechanic. If the car drives fine I don't see why I should spend $400 for new shocks at a time when my budget is very tight.

[indyal]

go to sebringclub.net and do a search this has been covered many times there and I understand it is PITA.

[alphalanos]

$400 is a total rip off. If you dont feel any diminished performance, and the car doesnt bounce excessively, bottom out, or anything like that then I wouldn't touch anything.

Doing it yourself is not very difficult, all you need is a spring compressor, which you can rent from AutoZone, and some sockets/ wrenches. Shocks run from $50-$150 each usually.

[thisisit]

Originally Posted by indyal

go to sebringclub.net and do a search this has been covered many times there and I understand it is PITA.

Thanks for the link, that forum has a lot of good info.

The parts manual on that website does most clearly state that they're shock absorbers and not struts. That's the convertible manual but the suspension looks identical to mine. I also found this quote that I think helped shed some light.

Though it may appear that Sebrings have a front strut they actually have lower and upper control arms and the shocks are separate.

Then again though, how come everyone else keeps referring to them as struts. I guess people don't realize the difference.