howards11 Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 (edited) 2000 Forester, 72K miles; the mileage is mostly city driving here in Philadelphia, PA. My mechanic said my struts are weak but not leaking or exhibiting other signs of failure. I don't when I'm going to replace this car because of financial reasons. I might turn it over to my daughter once she learns how to drive. Questions: Should I replace the struts now ? The ride does seem a bit bumpier now than before. If I should replace them what brand should I ask my mechanic to use; OEM, Monroe, NAPA, KYB ? As a rule my mechanic uses mostly NAPA stuff. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. ~Howard Edited August 16, 2009 by howards11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattocs Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I've been looking into replacing the struts on a 96 Outback, and from my research I've found a lot of people like the KYB GR2 struts. Rockauto has then for $65. I doubt they are much more for your Forester. I called around for prices (parts, labor) for rear struts, and it ranged from $500 to $750. I'll be doing it myself if I end up fixing them. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 My mechanic said my struts are weak but not leaking or exhibiting other signs of failure . . . . The ride does seem a bit bumpier now than before. How does the car's handling on the road feel to you? Does it wallow or bounce a lot? Does it feel at all unsafe to you? If so it'd probably be wise to replace them. And yes, KYB GR2s seem to be widely recommended for Subarus and other Japanese cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 How does the car's handling on the road feel to you? Does it wallow or bounce a lot? Does it feel at all unsafe to you? If so it'd probably be wise to replace them. And yes, KYB GR2s seem to be widely recommended for Subarus and other Japanese cars. The Forester seems OK in terms of handling but like I said the ride was much better in the past. It doesn't bounce a around lot but sometimes bumps in the road make you feel like you are in a roller coaster. My wife complains when I take a bump a little too fast. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I highly recommend the KYB struts. I have put them on several cars, and have been very happy with them. They perform well, and last a long time. I will buy them in the future. Years back in the 1970's, Monroe got a bad reputation of producing shock absorbers that wore out in a couple of years. That was a long time ago, so maybe with time, and transition to struts, their quality has improved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Maybe I missed it, but buying Used can save a ton, and if you can replace them yourself, save even more. Buy the whole assembly and it's a pretty easy swap (remember to mark the top strut bolt). Over on SubaruForester.org they frequently have them for sale. Just get 'em w/lower miles <30K?? Good luck, Td Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 you are not gonna find used ones with less miles than you have now. I would ride it out another 30-40 miles....unless you notice tires wearing or you feel the weakened sag on bumps, dips in the road. most shocks are good for ore than 70k miles. and like the person said they are not leaking, so ride it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 you are not gonna find used ones with less miles than you have now. No offense, but from reading/experience, the '98-'08 will all work. I bought a set from an '08 w/18K. Thanks, Td Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 2000 Forester, 72K miles; the mileage is mostly city driving here in Philadelphia, PA. Also, I just noticed the 'City Driving'.... ....That may be more like 100K+ miles for an average city/highway car. So, I wouldn't be too surprised they are getting soft. Td Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 Also, I just noticed the 'City Driving'.... ....That may be more like 100K+ miles for an average city/highway car. So, I wouldn't be too surprised they are getting soft. Td YEP.............72K stop and go city driving on our lovely Philadelphia streets. I think I'm going to have my guy replace them just as soon as I have my wife's rear struts replaced on her 2000 Camry. My mechanic said her rears are "loose" but the fronts are "tight". ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 YEP.............72K stop and go city driving on our lovely Philadelphia streets. I think I'm going to have my guy replace them just as soon as I have my wife's rear struts replaced on her 2000 Camry. My mechanic said her rears are "loose" but the fronts are "tight". ~Howard insert suggestive joke here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 I got an estimate from my mechanic to replace all 4 struts. Using KYB struts the parts are $700.00 plus labor of $620.50. Grand total is $1,320.50. I asked him about using Monroe and the price difference is almost nothing. Labor would of course be the same. Does anyone have any other suggestions on how I can save some $$ on this job ? Please don't suggest doing the job myself. I am not a mechanic. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
555jay Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 (edited) Your mechanic must have an insane markup on his parts. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KYB-GR-2-SHOCKS-STRUTS-SUBARU-FORESTER-1998-2002_W0QQitemZ300340983148QQcmdZViewItem Labor feels kind of steep, too. I did my own for all 4 corners in 3 hours, including disassemble and reassemble each upright. They don't charge $200/hr for labor, do they? What does the "labor book" say? Edit: My buddy says we did it in 2 hours. Edited August 26, 2009 by 555jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 (edited) Your mechanic must have an insane markup on his parts. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KYB-GR-2-SHOCKS-STRUTS-SUBARU-FORESTER-1998-2002_W0QQitemZ300340983148QQcmdZViewItem Labor feels kind of steep, too. I did my own for all 4 corners in 3 hours, including disassemble and reassemble each upright. They don't charge $200/hr for labor, do they? What does the "labor book" say? Edit: My buddy says we did it in 2 hours. 555jay: My independent mechanic charges $85/hr for labor. His estimate for the front is 4.10 hours for the front and 3.20 hours for the rear. Thanks for the link. If I purchase the parts on my own and if I have a problem with them who stands behind them? ~Howard Edited August 27, 2009 by howards11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
555jay Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 You can double-check directly with the ebay seller, but they usually are authorized KYB vendors, just using ebay as their e-commerce storefront, and you would have your full KYB warranty (limited lifetime) on parts defects through them. If the price difference on parts was $30, it wouldn't be an issue, but in this case the additional cost of shipping in the event of a warranty claim must surely be outweighed by the gross difference in cost upfront. http://www.kyb.com/technical/warranty.php I still feel like that's a whole lot of labor charge. 3x4 strut tophat bolts, 2x4 strut-knuckle bolts, 1x4 strut top bolts = 24 off, 24 on. 438 minutes of Labor means he'd spend over 9 minutes on each bolt. I know I'm being a bit cheeky, what with no spring compressors, but come on! Maybe someone else will chime in on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Get another estimate...ANY Mechanic can do struts. There is something to be said for getting the parts and labor done @ the same place for future warranty/repair issues - no finger-pointing - but it shouldn't cost that much. good luck, TD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 I'm going to ask my guy if I purchase the struts will he install them. I priced them at Tire Rack and they are way cheaper. For KYB they are: $69 each for the fronts $72 each for the rears New strut boots are $14 each The total with UPS ground shipping would be $378. A savings of $322 !! The ground shipping is OK because they are coming from Wilmington, DE so that's either 1 or 2 days to Philadelphia by UPS. I know he's ripping me on the parts and I'm pissed about that. I don't know who to use around Philadelphia to use for the install. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 I called a local dealer and got a quote on the phone. For replacement of all 4 struts with Subaru replacements he said around $1,400.00. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 I visited my mechanic today. He's OK with me purchasing the struts and he'll do the install. The parts have been ordered from Tire Rack and have been shipped. They should arrive this week. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 The struts have been replaced. According to my mechanic the old ones were TOTALLY gone. The struts were $310. I purchased them from Tire Rack. My mechanics labor came to $715. So the total job ran $1,025. The Forester runs great. It feels and handles a lot better. Plus my back doesn't hurt from bumping down the road. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Congrats, Howard. I'm happy for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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