I have been told by two mechanics to get my shocks and struts changed. One offers a lifetime guarantee on the parts but the other does not. The one with the guarantee will cost me about $400 more. I have 114,000 miles on my car and will probably keep this car until it dies. I think I would rather save the money now and worry about it much later if it ever comes to it. What are your thoughts?
The trouble with guarantees on shocks and struts is what determines failure? The problem is similar to tire guarantees in a crude way. Probably thee only way you will get them replaced for failure it if they leak. You might find that they don’t control the suspension the way you like long before they leak. The same way with tires, They are more susceptible to hydroplaning to more they are worn. Do you really want to let them get down to the wear bars?
For Beadsandbeads, As a Tech I had a terrible time with a certain Service Advisor when I marked that the car needed tires,his response,“they aren’t at the bars yet” he did not understand the slope of tire performance,and this was for BMW. I sold a lot of tires for BMW’s I felt people need tires way above the minimum.
A little strange ,a Advisor that won’t try and sell.
Make sure to ask the question, does the lifetime guarantee cover just parts OR parts/labor.
I would go with less expensive parts myself.
What are the prices being offered? The quote lacking the guarantee might be worth what you pay.
As long as the price is less than $700 for a set of four struts, I would go with the warranty.
If you don’t need shocks or if they are not around when you do, or they say that they are not covered for this or that, or you can’t find your paperwork etc, then you are out $400. How much do shocks cost?
The $400 extra more is way too much. I recently had the muffler replaced om my wife’s car. The shop with the “lifetime” guarantee, excluding installation, (Midas) charged almost twice as much as the local shop which had a 2 year guarantee.
Needless to say I went with the local shop.
Without knowing the brand of the “lifetime” parts vs. the “non-lifetime” part, it a little hard for me to make a call. But from my (non pro) experience it sounds like the $400 extra is the suppliers cost of a set of replacements. You already have 114,000 miles, will you have the car at 228,000 miles?
My humble vote: Save your money
Check the local shops, I got the lifetime parts and labor for my muffler and exhaust for 1/2 the chain price and over the 15 years of ownership had 3 free mufflers, one did cost 7 bucks for a new u clamp. The other great thing was the catalytic converter was split at one time, and they welded it back together for a minimal charge, I doubt a chain would do that, and never had any problem with the emission tests!