OK, with 130K miles on the car, it deserves a bit of freshening up.

Wanted to see if there is a strong opinion on replacement struts for my '07 Hybrid. At first glance, looks like the obvious choices are OEM/KYB/Monroe & APX.

Would like to firm the ride up a bit, but don't want to stiffen it up too much as it's the commuter car of the family. A bit firmer yes: bit stiff - probably not what I'm after.

Anyone out there in the know as to what's hot & what's not?

Local shop quoted $1500 for OEM, which seems steep to me (as Ebay has Monroe/KYB sets of all 4 for $250-350), that seems to me they are implying a 10-12 hour job + Alignent. Is it that much effort (~3 Hrs/Side?)

Also, while I'm getting into it, is there anthing else I should be looking at changing out while I've got it taken apart?

Opinions appreciated.

Thanks.

Dan

 

A 3rd party shop might charge around $250 per axle. The dealer will be more, perhaps slightly less then the quote you posted.

Guessing the hrs required for both front struts are just over 2 hrs, rear would take more time as the rear deck below the rear window needs to be removed.

The customer typically does not pay by the actual shop hours needed but by a flat rate hour amount amount listed in a flat rate labor book covering auto repairs. A shop may charge you XX dollars for labor which if the job takes 4 hours may seem very high but this is based on the flat rate hours, not actual hours taken for the job.

If the mechanic can do what may be a flat rate 5 hr job in 2 hrs, that is more money for the shop and mechanic. Flat rate is common in the auto repair industry and this is what most use for work quotes.

Did you ask what was included in the quote?

If the strut assy is taken apart to change the strut the shop can inspect the upper strut mounts, plus any rubber parts such as the bellows that keeps debris off the strut rod, etc.

Taking out the strut assy's does not require taking the suspension completely apart as such your advantage in inspecting and changing other parts is limited.

However it would not be unusual if the shop came back with a list of items they thought needed replacement. They may or may not need replacing but once into a car many shops cannot resist trying to offer more repairs to make more money.

Might find a small shop for quotes, suggest staying away from large chain shops although might try Les Schwab.

Ask at the Toyotanation website for opinions on firm struts.