# Confused about strut replacement and broken springs **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** cl, acura\ **Created:** [August 25, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-about-strut-replacement-and-broken-springs/74277 "2012-08-25T03:28:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snowflaque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@snowflaque](https://community.cartalk.com/u/snowflaque)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-about-strut-replacement-and-broken-springs/74277/1 "2012-08-25T03:28:09Z")
Acura 2003, CL with 105,000 My mechanic tells me I have a collapsed spring and should replace rear strut assembly I was under the impression that these were sold as a " cartridge" containing spring and strut–but almost nobody seems to offer this Must I buy a spring and strut separately if I want a choice of brand and model? Apparently Monroe makes a " cartridge "like this,but I don’t have a good opinion of the brand–would rather buy KYB or Tokico Thanks for any advice John ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-about-strut-replacement-and-broken-springs/74277/2 "2012-08-25T03:48:36Z")
Back in the day, a cartridge meant a slide in shock absorber that was used to replace the the old internal parts of the strut, which were removed and discarded. Since the piston was considerably smaller than the original, this was not the best solution but it was much cheaper than buying a new strut assembly… ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-about-strut-replacement-and-broken-springs/74277/3 "2012-08-25T19:11:22Z")
The strut cartridge is available, as is the strut mount which often requires replacement. Maybe the springs are failing. Maybe that model is prone to spring failures. Maybe the mechanic is more certain that the customer won’t come back dissatisfied if the entire strut is replaced rather than just the cartridge. But buying a “loaded” strut makes the job very quick and virtually eliminates any chance of getting the vehicle up on a lift and seeing it hang there while additional parts are ordered and additional charges approved by the owner. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-about-strut-replacement-and-broken-springs/74277/4 "2012-08-25T21:09:18Z")
Go to [tirerack.com](http://tirerack.com). ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-about-strut-replacement-and-broken-springs/74277/5 "2012-08-26T02:31:34Z")
Some car manufacturers use well designed and manufactured MacPherson Strut suspensions…Others use components that look like they were made by the Paper-Mate Pen Company for use in their retractable ball-point pens…