Struts / shocks

Alot of plastic removal

 

I last had the original shocks checked on my 2007 Prius in October at 345k km (214k mi.), and they were still perfectly good.

I have a membership in an auto club where I can have the shocks checked once per year on a special test platform. It actually shakes each wheel, and measures the amount of damping and fade. The auto club has little to gain by recommending premature repair or replacement, so I trust it is an honest assessment.

 

I replaced both front struts and rear shocks about 5 months ago. They all appeared to be fine. However, after taking them off, each unit has almost no rebound left after pressing in all the way.

The creak could be from the front sway bar bushing. I replaced mine also since it was really worn out.

 

Which shocks are good and why?

 

My 2008 blew the oil out of the left front strut. I bought complete new assemblies and changed them myself.

They were actually easy to change. I didn't do a front end alignment and it was fine. I bought aftermarket no name units and traded the car after 11 months. Like others said you have to tear the interrior out of the car to change the rears.

If you follow the book changing the fronts they tell you to remove the wiper assembly to gain access to the top nuts, 3 on each side but I did it without doing that and saved a lot of time.

 

I have almost 200K miles and the shocks are shot and planning to replace soon with KYB. I have probably overloaded the car a few times on a few cross-country trips which may have shortened the life-span.

 

How did you not have to remove the wiper assembly? Don't you need to remove the cowl to get access to the top nuts?

 

hi.. i have a Prius v 2012 with 78,000 and bought my car to dealer for oil change. they said i need new struts and new shocks. i'm suprised. i have not noticed any leaking or change in driving. you think this is the dealer lying??

help please!

 

Mine never leaked externally but when i replaced them, they were gone. No rebound of any kind.

 

Shocks can sometimes gradually go bad without you noticing, and without obvious leaking. Sometimes.

I wouldn't accuse them of lying, but they could be mistaken. I would suggest getting a second opinion from another shop. Better yet: if you can find a shop with a test stand that shakes the wheels and measures the damping.

I once had a car with bad shocks which I replaced. Then, a week later, when I was having the muffler replaced, the mechanic showed me where the axle had obviously been making contact with the rubber bottom out bumper (with the old shocks), and said I needed new shocks. Of course he was embarrassed when I told him to take a closer look at the brand new shocks which I had just installed.

 

If you're not noticing anything untoward, the ride's ok, I would leave it alone.

 

I replaced mine when my tires were worn very unevenly even after an alignment

 

2010 Prius I replaced front and rear at 150K with KYB. Ride got a little better, and rattles when entering parking lots stopped. Don’t forget your front sway bar links, mine were about to fall off.

 

Yeah, I'm noticing a sound that appears to be the lower ball joint on the drivers side and my tire is cupping. The front suspension doesn't have any motion I realized also recently.

New front strut assemblies and a pair of lower control arms with lower ball joints are on the way.

Reading into the Gen2's, is kind of a bummer no one has found mods like the Matrix/Vibe springs for the front or using the whole assemblies on the rear.

I'll try to spec out the front strut assembly for future cost effective capabilities since I like to haul heavy loads and don't feel the need to purchase PHEV rear suspension if I can even find one. Wondering what years and models will work if available?