A Strut Decision!
 

This is my first post. I have 1998 Camry LE with 161,000 miles. My engine runs great but my struts are SHOT! I feel every bump and my car rides extremely low when I have people in the back seat or groceries in the trunk. I am looking to replace the struts and want to make sure I do not get something cheap that will wear out quickly. I was looking on autopartswearhouse.com and saw that there are many struts available for around $70-$100. Monroe also offers a Strut-Assembly for $248 each. ( http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/se...Toyota%20Camry ). This is a big price difference so I was hoping someone could fill me in on the benefits of the different struts and strut packages. Also, any recommendations that you could make would be helpful. I do not mind spending more if it gets me a quality product that lasts but I do not like paying more just for the sake of being able to say I bought the most expensive part. Thanks in advance for the advice.

the $70-$100 part is a strut only. You will reuse your old springs and all other strut assembly parts. If your car is sitting low with weight you may have a weak spring problem as the struts don't actually hold your car up. The springs do that work and the struts/shocks dampen out the bounces. The Strut assembly includes shocks, springs, bearings, etc. It is a simple remove and replace project. Well not exactly simple, but as compared to replacing just the strut and the involved disassembly and reassembly it is simple. With the symptoms you describe I would lean towards the assembly rather than just a strut replacement. You will likely need a few other parts anyway such as spring seats, strut bearing, etc. This could get the cost of parts close to the strut assembly price. Good luck. I have to do the same on my daughters car.

Thanks for clarifying that for me. One more question, since I am going with the whole strut assembly is this a project worth trying to do myself? I have replaced my spark plugs and brakes and replaced a broken doorhandle on my car. Any idea of what this repair would cost at a mechanic?

If your replacing the complete shock assy this is a very straight forward DIY job.

If you are going to take apart the shock assy to replace the strut you will need a spring compressor. It make the job more complicted but still a DIY.

With either task give yourself extra time to learn. Once the first shock is replaced you will know the proceedure.

Remember to get an alingment afterwards.

I did the struts on my 1993 camry and I didn'nt find it was too hard (about 4hrs) When taking the springs apart you ABSOLUTLY need a spring compressor like toyomoho says or your taking your life in your hands. The shops that I checked prices on wanted $1000.00 bucks to do the job and that was made me decide to do it myself. Because I did it myself, I figured I was saving $$ so I got the best shocks i could find. Monroe Sensatracs. If your car is riding low than I would get the kit with the springs. New struts will not help your car ride higher.

At 160,000 miles your car is still a babe in the woods and is worth spending the money.

I am going to replace the whole strut assembly. This means I will not need a spring compressor, correct?

If complete strut assy with coil spring then do not need a compressor.

When I replaced my struts on my '92 camry with 216,900 miles on it, I found out that the person that owned the car before me never checked/replaced them. When I tried to replace them, everything was plain rust or stripped. It took close to 7 hours to replace them. Just make sure to give yourself more time to do something than the estimated.

The springs do that work and the struts/shocks dampen out the bounces. The Strut assembly includes shocks, springs, bearings, etc. It is a simple remove and replace project