Recently purchased a 2002 ES 300 with only 52,800 miles and was wondering if shocks/ struts could possibly need replacing in a vehicle with low miles but 13 years old.

The reason that I am asking is because I recently replaced the timing belt/ water pump, due to finding out that although I have low miles, the age of the vehicle could cause the belt to "dry rot".

So, even though it doesn't feel like my car need shocks/struts to me at this time, I am not sure whether or not to be concerned in the near future.

Does age cause the shocks/struts to go bad or only mileage ?

 

road conditions,load, and milage pretty much dictates when shocks/struts go bad.

You can always get a mechanic( or DIY) remove a strut and check its rebound/compression after pulling its spring to get an idea if it is time for a full refresh. I just did a refresh on our 2002 RX300 last year, its a night and day difference driving and made everything feel that much firmer and surprisingly gained a 1/2 inch or so in travel height.

 

It depends, my ES300 original shocks didn't start physically leaking until 150k miles, my GS300 shocks started clunking at 89k and it came from New York City. That being said, I'm sure your shocks still have life left, you'll probably be fine until 100k miles on the originals.

 

+1 after 300K, I decided to replace it, Day and Night. If anything do the front struts.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

That's great news! I appreciate your advice.

 

thanks for the info!