ThumperPup

I noticed wear on one of my tires so went into tire kingdom where i bought them
Had them Check make sure and find out why the tire was wearing the way it was
i always get my alignment done every 6k since i have a package that gives that to me
Wheels get rotated every 3k and balanced every 6k
they came back and told me that my two rear and 1 front strut was leaking and needed to be replaced
my driver side front outer tie rod and my stab links needed to be replaced
gave them the contact info for my
Warranty service contract
they called and got the approval for 3 struts since those are all that where leaking and the tie rod
and stab links

My car has 79k on it now
is the passenger side strut is not leaking and is good still with almost 80k on it
will i really notice any different as in will it be a bad ride with 3 new struts and 1 old one
i don't really have the cash to replace the 4th one that they won't pay for right now
just my 100 deductible
so i am wondering
will i notice it ?

also i know Monroe is a big brand and they actually make alot of struts that the Factory use
but is Monroe what Lexus uses ?
is Monroe even a good shock that people here like the Monroe sense trac struts are the ones they are putting on my car
and i think they said Spicer or trw tie rod and stab links

Blueshark

My mechanic told me that Monroe struts are very good from experiences with another cars than lexus vs says, KYB, since it has a dual seal for long life. Definitively, i will use Monroe for suspension replacement. I'm curious when replacing suspension, do you have to replace all the secondary parts also, like the bushing for all the links to the suspension, that is costly. I wonder how much to replace one side without labor.

BTW, suspensions replacement are very rare on ES, do you transport heavy loads or ruff roads...

ThumperPup

No-no heavy road driving no heavy loads no rough roads Like a few times i've driven the camp and I've had a full load but that's maybe four hours with a packed car and maybe like once a month and all of my driving is Highway 50 miles each way to and from school every day five days a week I put a bout 35,000 miles on the car in the last 12 months so I drive a lot

jagtoes

I would be pretty disappointed at this type of need with such a low mileage car. Did you get a chance to look at what they call leaking/bad struts and shocks. There are only shock absorbers on the rear and if they are leaking you can see the hydraulic fluid on the shocks. As for the fronts usually the struts are inside a tube and unless you pump the fluid out it is hard to tell if they are bad. As for tie rod and ball joints there are a few tests to determine if they are bad. This all seem to premature to me and if you have warranty I would go back to the dealer and ask for their assessment. Also if you get this done I would tell whoever does it that you want the old parts back. As an example I just changed the struts on our 89 Volvo and it has 345K miles on it. The Toyota / Lexus stuff should last over 150K. Also I have 27K on my 2010 ES and have only rotated the tires once and never had a front end alignment. Tires look like they will last until 30K and front and all struts/shocks are in like new condition.

ThumperPup

If be lieing if I didn't say u was happy this stuff needed to be done cause atleast now I have a warranty that will cover it all I don't feel like I paid 2300 for a service contract that never needed to be used and now alto eyelash I think I can count in them lasting enought time till I trade the car in another 100k it's costing me 100 deductable and I got them to throw in a oil change and they are letting me claim the bad tire under road hazard and prorating it so I'll get a new micheline primacy for 25 dollars I will ask for the old struts and shocks back the oter parts don't care about but atleast I can have them and see them

ThumperPup

when i went into drop of the car after class today the service manager asked me if i wanted the other front strut repalced he said i can give you a good price of 73.00 more for it i was really hesitant i wanted to say yes but im a coleldge student and just short on cash
he said it didn't need to be done but might notice the ride off and a bit different with one with 80k the others new
he then went into the office and came back out and said ok i can do the 4th one no charge i guess he realized how much money they where already making on the job so they where just being nice and helping me out

2 front outer tie rod ends two stab links and 3 struts price was 1634 after taxes thats what they where charging and my dedutable was a 100 now same price but 4 struts

ThumperPup

drove 100 mile round trip 50 miles each way to and from school today with the new struts and riding good
no more noises when turning which i guess was probably the sway bar links or tie rods causing that
and alignment is dead on perfect smooth ride

for those that don't think the rear has struts
i think you may be wrong or maybe i am miss understanding
but i know my warranty specifically exludes shocks they only cover struts
and they paid for 2 rear struts and 1 front then the other front the shop gave to me for free so all 4 where done
but there may be shocks in the rear also hoever the rear does have struts from what i am understanding

oldgrump

The Parts Catalogue refers to "struts" for both the front and rear (the coil spring is concentric with each front and rear strut). Some cars do have separate rear suspension shock absorbers and coil springs, such as our Ford Focus.
I'm certainly glad that common sense came into play and that both front struts were replaced.