Hi, I’m new here.
I have a 1997 Camry with only 60,000 miles and have only been on roads, never been off road. Firestone said I need new front and rear struts for $1700. Is it reasonable/likely that my car needs new struts?
Thanks in advance
Few things going on here.
#1 The car is 10+ years so. So there might be a legitimate need to replace the struts.
#2 Take the car to a good independent. Firestone is NOT known for being honest about repairs. Their mechanics all work on commission. That means that for every part/service they sell they get a cut. They’ve been caught selling UNNEEDED services.
#3 $1700 is VERY expensive. Check around. The car is 10+ years old. I wouldn’t put the BEST shocks on there.
A Camry driven that many miles on good roads should NOT need struts. Our Nissan has 125,000 miles and is still on the original set, and it’s older than your Camry.
Firestone personnel ARE ON COMMISSION, and will push whatever they think you can be scared into. Please get a good mechanic to inspect the struts. If they both are DEFECTIVE, rather than worn, that’s another matter, but not likely.
Honda in the past had a set of optional adjustable struts in the rear of their Accord. These did not last very long and were discontinued. I trust yours are the standard struts.
A new set of struts will greatly improve the ride on your car. Shocks and struts tend to wear out slowly, and, without a catastrophic failure, like total oil loss, you just never notice the ride degradation. But, you’ll notice the ride improvement with a new set.
However, $1700 is way too high. Get another estimate.
Simply get a 2nd opinion on the matter hopefully from an independent recommended garage.
I could care less about mileage your car is old at 12 years and Camry name is irrelevant and struts are likely well worn. Some cars it is more noticeable, but a car like a Camry is a rolling appliance(albeit comfortable one) that is devoid of any driving experience and numbs out the feeling were you would pick up the notion of needing new struts.
$1700 seems really steep if needed at all.
Lots of warnings about mechanics on commission. Do you know what mechanics are on commission? most and the best.
That being said, with the documented problems from Firestone and the very low mileage on your car,second opinion is called for.
In defense of anyone trying to diagnois bad struts it is tough to call. The change in handling happens so slow the driver just can’t put his finger on it.
Of course you have the obvious (some slight seepage can be normal) and the bounce test is so often inconclusive,some mechanics say tire cupping is the telltale sign,are you having any of these problems? if no I would run the car to the mentioned 125K mileage and never pay that price.
It’s entirely possible this vehicle could need struts. It’s 13 years old and 13 year old rubber in the struts does degrade.
That being said, I agree with oldschool’s comments completely.
Take away the commission, charge the customers for actual time, and you’ll see a lot of 8 hour front brake jobs for example.
I’ve also seen struts that would pass every bounce test no matter how many times they were shoved on, but when the struts were removed and disassembled one could plainly feel weak spots in them.
A totally failed strut can be diagnosed with a bounce test; an iffy one may not.
ve also seen struts that would pass every bounce test no matter how many times they were shoved on, but when the struts were removed and disassembled one could plainly feel weak spots in them.
A totally failed strut can be diagnosed with a bounce test; an iffy one may not.
It seems a lot of people don’t understand that modern cars and struts are different and the old bounce test is no longer valid.
Thank you everyone for your input. I took it to a independent/family business mechanic this morning and had it assessed. The very polite gentleman told me that he can tell it’s on its way out but nothing urgent. He said I can use them until I “cannot stand the ride of the car anymore”, which is very different from what Firestone told me: that the worn out struts are eating up my tires.
More importantly, he estimates it’ll cost $1000, as opposed to $1700 from Firestone.
I think I’m just going to leave the current struts on. I’m fine with the feel of the ride now, although blue book value of the car is ~$3000 for a private party sale, I’m not sure if I want to spend $1000 right now.
Again, thanks to everyone for your comments.