Strut dust boots necessary?

They are there to stop dirt and stuff getting down into the shock itself and therefore prolonging its life. If it was my car, I'd replace them if they were shot

 

I wold bet that over 50% of the older cars on the road have torn strut dust boots. They are there to keep debris off but really do not help to much to prolong. In my opinion if the strut was operating how you like it and that was the only reason you would disassemble the strut for I would not do it. Mine are also all torn up on the Prius I just purchased but my struts are also all shot I think and at 140,000 may be the original so I will be looking at replacing when and if I do them.
TomK

 

For a car that OLD, I wouldn't worry about it. If and when the struts "shocks" go, I'd replace them then.

 

The bounce test is useless.
Your front struts are definitely worn out at 166K miles, if original.
I suggest replacing the boots when the struts are replaced. Good luck.

 

My advice is as tempting as it is, don't take short cuts.

My old Honda Accord needed new struts and boots, creaked like an old sailing ship going over speed bumps.

I agree that at 166K miles it's probably time to replace, and whether needed or not, I'd throw the extra $30 in the pot and get the boots.

 

It does not sound like he wants to replace the struts, just was wondering about the dust boots being torn to pieces.
Unless he has owned the car for awhile and knows the history, for all he know the struts have been replaced twice already. If it just your boots, let it ride.
Opinion worth price charged.
TomK

 

I have a 15 year old Mazda MPV with the same problem. I just cut away the residue of the boots.

The reason they don't sell the split boot is that, while desirable, the boots do not directly affect the function of the hydraulic cylinder.

Ride on, forget them, and replace them with the hydraulics when you need to.

 

So much misinformation in this thread.

Yes, they help prolong the life of the strut. Just an example, but think of the minerals from rain water that can affect the strut shaft. Tiny sand and dust particles. If they didn't matter, Toyota would not have included them in the first place. Can you get away without replacing them? Probably. Will the life of your strut be reduced? I guess you'll never know one way or the other. But they DO help to protect the strut shaft from debris, dust, and sediment.

No, they are not. They are only worn out when they fail, or on their way to failure (leaking, getting softer over rebound and/or compression, etc). I had a 96 accord with 225,000 miles and the struts we perfect.
My 2010 Prius struts have lasted 229k miles, until the front driver strut failed, leaking fluid. The rest are just fine.