retiredva

Plz bear with me. Have a 95 ES with 192K miles with original struts/shocks (I don't know which I have). Some people tell me I should replace them at a cost of about a thousand. They say it will dramatically improve the ride. Don't have any bouncing or floating, but the ride might be a bit harsh. So I don't know what to do. Opinions??

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

spend significantly less... I would imagine even a shop would be around $700 or so for some KYB's...

retiredva

I'm sorry --- KYBs??

Would you guess that after 190K they need to be replaced or is that kind of mileage normal for the original set.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

Kyaba is the company name in Japan, KYB is their trade name here in the US... one of the more reliable strut/shock manufacturers, they supply many OEM's including Toyota with shocks/struts (being as Toyota actually owns a portion of the company)...

190k... heh... honestly, there is no way they actually lasted that long - most shocks / struts have lost a good portion, if not all of their damping ability somewhere between 50 and 100k miles....

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

here's an example... if I were to quote you book time on a shock/strut replacement for your car, I would quote you this:

Fronts - 3.4 hours
Rears - 2.9 hours
6.3 hours @ $79 = 497.70
Plus Alignment - $69.95
Labor: $567.65

KYB GR-S shocks/struts (list price)
Front Struts: $151.89 ea
Rear Shocks: $126.48 ea
or about $556.74 list pricing....

A total of $1124.00

Now, we don't charge complete list or labor on packages like this, this is what we would charge:

Shocks/Struts: $425.00 (they can probably be found cheaper other places, but this is what we would do, giving a warranty on parts/labor)
Labor: $350.00 (including alignment)
So, a total of $775 + taxes...

retiredva

Now THAT'S great info. Gives me something to work with when I go to the mechanic who works on my car -- a good guy and very fair.

Looks like I'll make the investment.

Thanks again!

retiredva

One other point. I've owned the car since 18K miles (was a customer loaner). I keep all records and I've been through them twice and can't find an invoice for shock/strut replacement. Guess I must not know a terrible ride when I feel one!

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

if you don't realize it, it's because it did it gradually over time... it's not like one day you walked out and they all of a sudden had a ****ty ride.... it has gotten progressively worse over time... also, good chance you don't ride in other cars like yours to compare to...

now, if/when you replace them, it will be like night and day difference...

retiredva

In your earlier reply, you gave prices for front struts and rear shocks. My mechanic checked under my 95 ES and said struts all around. Agree?

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

depends on who you ask...

as for everything I have EVER been taught, and by what is supported on any major suspension manufacturers site, a strut must have steering control built into its design... the rears are truly nothing more than a coil-over shock... however, it's been debated many times here and elsewhere... many people refer to a shock with a coil spring mounted on it a strut...

I always agreed with the latter up until a couple years ago when I actually argued against what I now believe and found plenty of info proving myself wrong... So, strut = has steering control and many times alignment adjustment built into it, shock = holds the car up, but has no affect on alignment (can be replaced and reinstalled without ever touching alignment settings or bolts)

retiredva

OK. As long as he puts the right thing on my car, eh? But he's (and you) the expert and I'm certainly not.
Thanks again!