rear shock replacement 2003 outback

[bluebird]

This is my third post in just a few days.  The car is a 2003 outback wagon with about
195,000 on it.  It is my wife’s car so I don’t
drive it much.  Been driving it the last
couple of days to monitor the coolant leak problem (see other posts).  It definitely needs new rear shocks and I
want to buy the whole assembly with the spring and all the hardware already
done.  I cannot find them locally, tried,
autozone, advanced, napa, car qeust but can find them online.   Parts
Geek has them for 71.00 each and 1A auto has them for 249.00 for the pair.  Anyone have any experience buying parts from either
of these places?

In terms of the job I have been reading and lots of folks

say the nut at the bottom of the shock will be tough to get off.  I’m wondering if that is true as I don’t have
a torch and have never been able to make PB blaster work for me.  Any advice on this would also be much appreciated. 

[AdventureSubaru]

Soak it in PB blaster for a few days before the job. Spray it in mornings and evenings and it usually helps a lot on rusted/tight bolts. A breaker bar or cheater pipe will help you get leverage.

 

We bought from parts geek and everything went smooth. They had a killer deal on a suspension kit for our Ford Expedition to swap from air ride to strut/spring suspension. Paid less than $200. for a whole new monroe suspension for the truck.

[mikec03]

I couldn't believe that partsgeek had an assembled rear strut for $70+.   But I see that they do!  It's from FCS whoever they are.  For that amount of money, I would buy them, but first check that the spring is compressed with a top hat, as seems to be indicated in the picture.  

 

I didn't have any problem getting the bottom bolts off with a 95 and a 97 struts so you shouldn't either.  A cheater is necessary of course.

[forester2002s]

And use a 6-point socket for those troublesome bolts.

If you use the regular 12-point sockets on a tight bolts, you may end up 'rounding' the bolt-head or nut.

[forester2002s]

I see that rockauto.com have your rear strut-assemblies for about $90 incl. shipping to DC.

[Rooster2]

I have read that Parts Geek has a poor customer service department. All goes well with super prices, until you have a return. Then, it is reported you have a difficult time getting a proper settlement.

[Fairtax4me]

How long do you plan to keep this car? You go cheap on these struts and you'll be replacing them again in a year, maybe two if you're lucky.

 

I've not seen a KYB preassembled strut/spring/mount combo for sale anywhere. If it's not KYB, its not worth my time. Even though I have to assemble the strut and spring before putting it on the car, its still worth it to me to not have to repeat the job again. Of course I also have a client aspect to deal with, in that I get an ear-full from my customer if the parts I install are sub-par and cause a problem (new or the same) in only a short time.

 

I've installed plenty of Monroe, Gabriel, and other cheap and no-name brand shocks and struts and have never been as satisfied with them as I have with KYB. On an American vehicle (Ford, GM, Chrysler) usually Monroe will suffice.

 

I have ordered from Partsgeek a few times. Usually good prices, and decent shipping rates. I've not had to deal with their customer service, so can't speak to that aspect.

[bluebird]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  I plan to keep the car another year two at the most unless something really major happens like a transmission failure.  So I'm not concerned about using the highest quality parts.  seems like several people have had OK results from Geek but it seems to me rock is better known.  Prices are no that different with shipping.  One concern I have with rock is the product that  they show is a strut and does not look like the rear shock on my car.  The illustration on geek does.  Seems like you can't contact either of these place by phone for clarification.

 

I have to work on the ground so I will be limited in the size of the cheater I can use.  I'll spray with PB for a few days and hope my 6 point socket and breaker bar will work.

[porcupine73]

Yes that bolt is tight. If I had to do mine again I would just grind the nut off with an angle grinder and replace the bolt and nut. If you can't find the assemblies you want possibly could see how much a local shop would charge just to assemble the strut, spring, mount, then you could also get GR-2's which is typically the best bet. If a shop has one of those quick lever style spring compressors they can probably have both together for you in about 10 minutes.

[Rooster2]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  I plan to keep the car another year two at the most unless something really major happens like a transmission failure.  So I'm not concerned about using the highest quality parts.  seems like several people have had OK results from Geek but it seems to me rock is better known.  Prices are no that different with shipping.  One concern I have with rock is the product that  they show is a strut and does not look like the rear shock on my car.  The illustration on geek does.  Seems like you can't contact either of these place by phone for clarification.

 

I have to work on the ground so I will be limited in the size of the cheater I can use.  I'll spray with PB for a few days and hope my 6 point socket and breaker bar will work.

Yea, many of the national on line parts houses are poor about taking phone calls and giving advise. That makes the problem that much worse, if you need customer service for any reason, particularly on a return. I have found it better to think and work in terms of the manufacturer's product number, when comparing prices from different on line stores. That way, if the pixs are different, you are not concerned, as what really counts is the product number.

 

Also, last year I replaced the struts front and rear on both my 98 and 99 Outbacks with KYBs. I reused the coil springs, and they work fine. Not aware that KYB, or anyone else, sells assembled struts and springs for a Subie. Yes, an assembly is less physical work, but not that much less work. I have used KYBs for 20+ years, and am totally satisfied with their struts. Product is excellent, at a good price.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Rooster2

[idosubaru]

those bolts are beastly but the good news is they don't really shear off or strip.  use a 6 point socket and a loooooong pipe.  i'd have at least a 3 foot pipe available to slide over the end.  a 2 foot cheater bar is gonna be light if they're rusted enough. 

 

penetrant doesn't penetrate certain bushings and extremely rusted fasteners.  outside the northeast or easy stuff like bikes, household, etc gives a skewed perspective on how good it is - it just doesn't get into cancer ridden metal.  i have a YIELD ($20 - $30 a bottle) and i use it and PB Blaster as needed but it's not all that helpful on rusty vehicles. 

if you can - soak a rag with it and stuff it all up around the bolt over night so it can saturate.

but honestly i wouldn't even do it on a rear strut - they always come off with an appropriate extension/pipe. 

 

if it's really rusty or tight - loosen the bolt a turn or two and then go do something else to let the bolt cool down.  the metal heats up when removing due to that all that friction.  it will literally burn through a glove and burn your hand they come out so hot.  but that heat also makes them prone to shearing off - it causes metal to expand and compromises the material properties, making them more prone to shear. 

that's a very helpful thing to do on rusty fasteners - loosen - go do somethign else.  loosen - go do somethign else. 

but again - strut bolts on those aren't prone to shearing. 

 

cheap struts can be very questionable.  i've got a 2003 with "new" struts in it right now from a friend - and they are atrocious.  the car just floats and bobs around like crazy.  i'm stupified they would make a product that does this.  cheap mounts also suck - some people have posted pictures here and other forums of them "bulging" at the top, and i had a strut blow through a 1 week old srut mount last year - just pushed the rubber bushing right ouf ot he metal mount. 

 

you can do all the work and just have a shop compress/install the springs/mounts for you.  that might allow you to get a decent KYB strut installed with minimal price difference. 

 

for 1 or 2 years I think i'd just stick with the aged struts on the car rather than installing cheap struts?  can you just ignore it?

[bluebird]

The car is actually sitting down what appears to be 2-3 inches in the rear and it takes bumps really hard.  I live on a dirt road which is always in bad shape, so I would not want to live with it even for a year or so.  Because it is sitting down I think the springs might also be shot or broken.  another reason for wanting the whole assembly.  I have to work on the ground so a long extension pipe will be tricky, might be able to do it through  the wheel well.  I did order the assemblies form Partsgeek so we'll see how it goes.  I can probably get someone I know at a shop to put on my parts for under 100.00 if it comes to that.

 

as an aside, someone suggested that they might use an angle grinder to cut away the nut.  Thinking I might give that a try if all else failed I called my local Subaru dealer to see if they had the nut, bolt and washer.  They didn't have them but gave me the prices.  bolt about 10.00, nut 12.00, washer 3.00 or about 25.00 per side.  Hard to believe.  I'll post once I get this done one way or the other.

and thanks to all for the great suggestions.

[Rooster2]

For what it is worth......years back, I installed rear struts on a VW. I needed to have the strut assembly moved upwards to be able to bolt the unit at the top hat. I used a bottle jack to "lift" the unit up, so I could bolt at the top. Otherwise, there was no way I could have done the job by myself.

[bluebird]

Just an update.  I ordered the assemblies @ 71.00 each from Geek on Monday they arrived Thursday via fed X.  Shipping was 9.95..   since some snow from the big storm was still on the ground and more is coming today and again on Monday I decided to use the guy I know at a shop.  He did it for 12500.  Turns out one of the springs was broken so good thing I got the assemblies.  Thanks again for all the suggestions very helpful.

[Olnick]

Congrats!  Let us know your reactions--how they feel to you after you've driven around a bit!

[idosubaru]

yep, if it's sagging then the springs are shot.

 

another simple option in the future is to just hit those two lower bolts really quick one day as a "test" to see if they'll loosen reasonably well or not.  might start moving and you be like "hey i can do this" or you be sweating and say, "nah worth ma time". 

[mikec03]

bluebird

 

It would be nice if you could update in a year to see if these cheapies lasted a year at least.  These are the only people selling complete strut assemblies for the old subarus.  The cost of having even a cheap indy place to replace both rear struts is over $500 using monroe so these are an alternative. 

[bluebird]

grossgary

 

I wanted to do just what you suggested but some snow still on the ground where I have to work and very cold temps kept me from even trying the test, so I caved and took it to the shop.  I have driven the car about 100 miles or so now and it rides well on my dirt road and the highway.  The springs were not actually broken but the bottom spring support had rusted away. I think they will last at least a year but will update if I remember.

[idosubaru]

great, got it all done then. 

 

the "failed" springs i've seen in 00-04 outbacks hadn't broken either.  and when removed they looked identical to the new springs being installed.  and yet on the vehicle they had obviously collapsed and lost their ability to support the weight of the vehicle.  seems like yours were the same.