4 New Struts for 2005 Prius?

The Prius is made in Japan from parts supplied from around the world. There have never been any made in the US or any other country that I know of.

In any case, any strut ever made will be worn-out at 170K miles.

But, $1500 seems rather expensive for parts and labor. A quick look on the Internet gives the following prices:
Monroe front struts $58 each ($15-20 extra each for misc parts)
Monroe rear struts $69 each
KYB front struts $67 each ($15-20 extra each for misc parts)
KYB rear struts $80

I can't see how it would take more than 4 hours total for labor. The total should be less than $800.

 

My thought is that it is not surprising that your Prius needs new front struts/rear shocks, and you should call around to see the best price you can get. Further, for a complete job more than the front struts/rear shocks need to be replaced. The strut top bearings and the rubber insulators above and below the coil springs also need to be replaced. $1,500 would not be surprising for Toyota dealer service or someone who prices as if they are a Toyota dealer service dept.

Considerable disassembly is required: the front cowl tray and all of the hatch trim have to be removed for access. I've posted on how to replace the front struts and rear shocks. The labor content is significant.

The question of whether the Prius is built in Japan or not is irrelevant given your odometer reading.

 

Patrick,

I saw your post about changing struts and shocks, you listed some part numbers for the rear. I looked online and for the 2006 model, it seems to have a different part, a little less expensive. Can you help me confirm the part is correct? I thought the part would be the same for 2004-2009

From camelback

2006 Toyota Prius Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping

 

It would not surprise me that the part numbering changed in 2006. You should rely on the dealer parts catalog.

 

The parts catalog lists the shock at only $30.xx, I find that really cheap for an original Toyota part. I was thinking what you ordered before was a "kit" and had more items to it

 

When looking up the part for a 2004, that same catalog shows the price at ~$49:
2004 Toyota Prius Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping

Note that the description shows that part is good for the 2004 to 2009 model years. So there may be something weird in the catalog or maybe a cost reduced part was made available in 2006.

 

I'm going to order the 06 parts, seems cheap enough to change out. Patrick, you mentioned there are other parts that should be changed out at the same time, can you list those parts out on the catalog so I can order them at the same time?
Also is there a difference in the right and left side parts?

 

The front left and right struts are different part numbers. The rear shocks use the same part number for left and right. Here is my thread regarding how to replace the rear shocks:
Replaced Rear Shocks | PriusChat

For a complete job, replace the upper insulators on the rear struts (6 on the exploded parts diagram.)

The upper and lower insulators on the front struts should be replaced (16 and 19 on the exploded parts diagram) as well as the strut mount (22 on the exploded parts diagram). The strut mount especially should be replaced if your odometer reading is 100K miles or more.
Here is my thread regarding the front struts:
Hints Regarding Replacement of 2G Front Struts | PriusChat

 

This 06 doesn't have that high of mileage but it's pretty beat up. It truly is a working project. The left rear shock has been leaking and I guess this is a good a time as ever to get that out of the way. At least I know this will be done correctly and getting all the necessary parts changed out.

As always, thanks for your valuable input.

 

I think there was a problem with the parts catalog at camelback, after I placed my order their catalog is now offline.

 

The catalog is back now as of this writing. I've also edited my post #9 above to include links to my "how to" posts regarding the rear shocks and front struts.

 

Bought my shocks from Camelback and was all prepared to install them this weekend. Got bored this week and I ended up browsing on here and found some signal mirrors I thought looked cool and would add safety to my car. Upon reading some threads about the mirror and the installation, people were mentioning a person in South El Monte (very close to me) that installed the mirrors and was really good at his job and charged really good prices. I looked him up and found out he does suspension (lowering) and audio work. Called him up and asked if he would replace rear shocks because mine were leaking (he's not a mechanic so had to ask), he said sure since he had all the suspension tools. Quoted me $80 for labor to replace my rear shocks. I was like scored!! Brought it to him today and this guy has done so many Prius car's suspensions, he could have done mine with his eyes closed. Took him 50 minutes and he was done. Happy ending for everyone!!

Total cost $31 x 2 shocks
rubber insulator $10 x 2
labor $80

Total $162 to replace 2 rear shocks.

 

Would Monroe provide good exhaust replacement in addition to struts? Need both for my 2006 package 6 (I think one of the addons with package 6 was an improved ride -- not sure). Want to make sure I have the correct back-pressure with a new exhaust.