My 2004 Toyota Corolla has 145,000 miles on it and I’m the original owner. The car has been well maintained. I drive around town most of the time since I retired. It was suggested I have my front and rear shocks and struts replaced. This has not been done in the past and the car seems to drive and ride fine to me. Do you think I should have this done? The cost would be $ 2,000 total.
Being as well taken care of and conservatively driven as you stated, you probably will notice a significant difference if you replace the suspension parts you indicated.
Properly aligned, with correct pre-driven tire pressures, the car should feel, for lack of better term, ‘tighter’, as it likely did when first driven off the dealer premises new. That is, it will respond more immediately to steering inputs, yet at the same time track arrow-straight with little or no need for corrections.
1 Like
+1
Are the struts leaking, or showing signs of leaking??
Some/most strut/shock manufactures suggest replacing them every 50K miles, as under hard/emergency braking or cornering, older worn struts/shocks can cause the nose to dive and the back end come up reducing the effect of the rear brakes, making for a longer stopping distance…
So if you plan on keeping it for a while longer and you have the budget for new struts, then go for it, but if money is a little tight and you don’t notice anything, then hold off until it is more budget friendly or more of a necessity… But just because you don’t notice anything, doesn’t mean they aren’t worn… Struts/shocks wear like you boiling a frog, it slowly happens and you don’t notice any difference…
3 Likes
Thanks for replying to my car talk question.The notes from the automative place said the following:
“Front struts have torn boots, bump stops are deteriorated. Struts have leaked out. Rear struts are seeping.”
This was noted during my routine visit for oil change and general check- up that they do.
That being said, it is not an extreme safety concern other than in emergency braking, it could mean stopping in 10 feet vs stopping in 15 feet as an example… But from the description, it is recommended (not required) to replace them…
1 Like
This brings up the age-old question: do you spend $2000 on a car with a trade-in value of $800?
I would not do this replacement unless I saw handling problems and poor tire wear. Just put the money into a new-car fund.
Think about the economics:
I sincerely believe that cars from 15-20 years ago handle better than todays:
More connected feeling to the road
No nannys: “Lane keep assist”, “Blindspot”.
I could spend upwards of $30,000 on a mid-trim just off lease 2023, or on a new entry level sedan, with a modern giant tablet sticking out the dash, and steering that feels like a gaming wheel, and add thousands in interest in monthly payments.
Or:
Buy another 2008-12 Honda for $5-7,000, sink $2,000 in new control arm and other linkages into it, get a handle-like new car with only those features I want in it, and still finish up waay under the price of that 2023 or newer model.
The OP didn’t mention replacing the car or wanting a new car. $2000 is a bargain compared to dealer fees, sales tax, registration fees and car insurance cost associated with a new or used car purchase.
2 Likes
Had a customer bring in an old Corolla or Sentra type vehicle about the same vintage as the OP’s and asked to have it completely checked out, well after I checked it out and wrote up the est, it was well over $4000.00 price, he said when can you have it ready?? His wife came to pay and pick it up and we got to talking a little and he turned out to be a Surgeon (specialist) at one of the Hospitals downtown, she said it is his work car and has to be in good shape, but he doesn’t want the bums and junkies and so forth messing with his Maserati and other high end vehicles… People repair older vehicles for different reasons than you and I do sometimes… So the value of the car was far greater to him then what he could sell it for…
3 Likes
I personally get a little sluggish about jumping into a $2000 repair on a car valued for a lot less. This means that instead of doing the repair a little too soon, I will delay it until it becomes more necessary. In the meantime, other problems might appear, since the car is at an age of higher risk. Of course, this doesn’t apply to repairs that are true safety issues, or so low in cost that who cares.
Understand that worn struts/shocks increases wear on other steering, braking, and suspension components.
This can lead to more repairs down the road…
Tester
First of all, this vehicle does not use “shocks”, it has struts on all 4 wheels. Second, at 145,000 miles, the OEM struts are probably beat. So you probably do need to replace them.
However, $2000 for this service is absurd. A quick glance at RockAuto shows that even the highest-quality quick-struts will come to about $600 for all 4, including tax and shipping. Add another $50 for the front stabilizer bar links and other incidental parts. I do not think the labor to install these parts is worth $1400, not even close.
Are you healthy enough to DIY? You could literally purchase all the tools and equipment to do this job at home for less than $600, bringing the total cost to about $1200, plus then you will have tools which can be used again in the future.
That doctor is smart. I live in a city with very high poverty and homelessness, and although it’s very sad, I myself am unable to give away money to strangers who ask. And I cannot put gas in my car, or unload a shopping cart full of groceries without at least one or two people walking up to me asking for free money. Fortunately, I wear cheap old clothes, and drive cheap old cars, so when this happens, I politely smile and tell the person “I’m sorry, I am extremely poor”. Then they walk away and bother someone else. The people who are driving shiny, newer vehicles don’t get left alone so easily, even though they might be poorer than me, and in debt up to their eyeballs!
1 Like
Replacing shocks and struts on a 20 year old vehicle with 140,000 miles is one of those things that you don’t think needs to be done, but when driving away from the shop you think “Gee, why didn’t I do this sooner?” The damping forces of these items deteriorate gradually as time goes on, so it’s not really noticeable.
The cost sounds in line with what a retail shop should charge, including a proper alignment. Yes, $2000 can be a lot of money, but it won’t even cover the sales tax on a good used car.
If you like the car and plan to keep it for a while, have them replaced.
4 Likes
Yup. For years I had a customer/friend who was a surgical nurse at the children’s hospital who had both regular and on-call hours. She didn’t drive a particularly new or fancy car, but I was instructed to replace anything that had even a remote chance of keeping her from getting to work when she needed to. Some people absolutely positively have to be at work on time.
1 Like
Given the description on your invoice, and the age/mileage, there’s a good argument to be made to have the work done.
But what “kind” of shop was this? Maybe a large corporate chain-type of shop? Or a local, known-trustworthy, independent shop? If the former, I’d ask around for a local shop that specializes in suspension and alignments. Take it there for a second opinion, and have then do the work if needed.
On the subject of how much to spend on an old car, I’ve never asked “is this more than it’s book value” or something. I ask what else I could get for that X amount of $$. Or would I pay X amount for this car with new suspension? A well-maintained 2004 Corolla with 145K is absolutely worth $2K.
Hi Bcohen2010:
It’s easy to understand how many people can draw the conclusion you made about the cost of car repairs. Many of us on this forum think about the cost of doing the repairs ourselves just to save money, (and to know it’s been done right).
However, most people aren’t equipped to do their own repairs. And $2000 to replace four struts doesn’t seem out of line for a repair shop.
Here’s a question for you.
If you had your own independent repair garage, what would you need to charge to replace the struts on this car in order for you to make a fair profit?
Not to mention it could go 500,000 miles without any major repairs…
1 Like
If the cost will not cause you to put off other needed expenses have the work done .
Now if you want you can get a second opinion but it might have a diagnostic fee to do that.
Get serious, Sharon is retired so the chance that she will need those tools again is small .