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Suspension repair

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by isucompositeur, Jan 29, 2013.

  1. isucompositeur

    isucompositeur Junior Member

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    Hey all,

    I bought my 2008 Prius used with about 46,000 miles on it, and have put an additional 50,000 miles on it in the intervening two years.

    I have noticed over time that the ride seems to be getting gradually rougher. I feel more of the road than I did back in the beginning. I also had the opportunity to take a 2012 Prius as a rental about a month ago, and the difference was stark.

    The suspension is one area of my vehicle that I don't have a lot of knowledge about. I've found through research that struts generally last about 50,000 miles, so I am probably past due to have them replaced; however, during the inspections that I get by the dealer when I get my oil changed (yes, yes, I know, wasting money and such, but frankly the dealer is the only place I really trust my car to get serviced correctly... hybrids aren't exactly common in this neck of the woods), there has never been any indication of strut wear or failure, except that my tires seem to be wearing faster than I would expect even though the alignment appears to be fine.

    Google has been decidedly unhelpful, so I'm reaching out here for resources on the Prius suspension system, its components, and things I can do to diagnose/inspect suspension components on my own. I'm planning on having the tires and suspension done at the same time so hopefully I can save a little bit on labor, but I want to make sure I go armed with as much information as I can.

    Thanks in advance for your help and advice.
     
  2. HaroldW

    HaroldW Active Member

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    Struts normally last much more than 50 thousand miles. Have your alignment check and maybe your tires are pressed too high for the road surfaces you drive on. Poor quality tires can also give a poor ride. H
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I have posted on how to replace the front struts and rear shocks and I agree that at ~100K miles this service is past-due.

    An easy test is to look for substantial fluid leakage on the strut/shock body. If you see this, that is evidence the part has failed.

    However, the reverse is not true: if you do not see leakage, that is not proof that the part is good.
    1) The oil has very thin viscosity and will eventually evaporate in hot weather
    2) The part may fail without visible fluid leakage

    The only comprehensive test is to remove the part from the car, take off the coil spring, and compare how hard it is to compress the part manually, comparing to a new part. However if you go to all that trouble, you'd might as well replace the part.

    You won't save any significant labor time by "having the tires and suspension done at the same time" and it would make more sense to buy tires from a tire discount retailer as prices are likely to be lower.
     
  4. maestro8

    maestro8 Nouveau Member

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    Oh, bollocks.

    Here's the old fashioned test:

    You and a friend get in the trunk (to test the rears). Jump up and down in sync, get the car bouncin' pretty good. At once, jump onto the ground. The car should stop bouncing right away, as in, complete the current bounce and return to static state.

    It's the struts' job to stop the car from bouncing. If the bouncing continues after you've jumped, more than 1/2 a cycle, the struts are bad.

    Get on the front bumper / quarter panels and repeat to test the fronts.

    Another possibility is that some of your suspension bushings may be damaged, although unlikely. Take a look at where the suspension bits bolt together, there should be something of a rubber donut at each union. If the donut appears to be torn to bits (small hairline cracks are normal) then they need replacing.
     
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Struts are toast. I had mine changed under warranty at 30,000 miles and noticed the difference. The suspension on this car is very tight and crappy and its not a soft ride so any absorption loss of the struts and it starts to hit hard.
     
  6. RedskinPrius

    RedskinPrius Junior Member

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    My 2007 has 115k and still rides fine. Struts do wear out, but when you replace them get after market struts, don't pay for Toyota parts for that repair IMO.

    SCH-I605 ? 2
     
  7. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Could you please explain why you would use aftermarket struts as opposed to OEM?
     
  8. RedskinPrius

    RedskinPrius Junior Member

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    Cost. Imo there is no reason to pay for a Toyota part for this particular repair.

    It is an individual decision, but for me there are plenty of quality a/m parts available for certain repairs.

    If you have a affinity for all OEM parts, they are great as well.

    SCH-I605 ? 2
     
  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Avi how much do you charge to replace the struts? I replaced them on another car I own a Sebring 2 weeks ago. Damn near killed me. Last time I do that. So physically hard.

    The local shop I use now and then wanted $250 each labor only. Thought that was nutty. Found out it was a bargain. Prius are probably not much easier. Maybe a little ...smaller spring? I would imagine $450 labor plus the struts and steering bearing assy, and alignment. Could be $900 maybe all in?