Questions about replacing a strut assembly

[evident]

I'm researching replacing the front struts for my wife's 07 RX350. I thought about getting aftermarket KYB's like i did for the rears but am leaning towards going with the OEM's for the front, since i'm DIYing and will be saving a ton of cash anyways.

My question is do I need to replace the strut mount when i replace a strut? I was planning on doing so, but the strut mount + strut mount bearing are pretty expensive and thought that I could just get new new strut mount bearings and reuse the strut mount. Toyota/Lexus dealers on ebay are selling strut mount + bearing for around $240 whereas a pair of bearings will go for around $60.

Do strut mounts themselves usually go bad? I thought it was just the bearings that get worn. Could someone who's done this job before advise me on this?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Is the strut mount isolated with molded in rubber bushes? If so, I would replace the strut mount as those do wear out and since you'll have the strut out anyway it makes sense to do it then.

 

[evident]

i'm not sure...

 

[JulesMaximus]

i'm not sure...

I'm pretty sure that most of them are.

http://www.kyb.com/knowledge-center/shocks-101/what-strut-mounts-do/

 

[evident]

ah ok, looks like i should just replace both. seems to be some type of rubber bushing inside the mount...

 

[thomsbrain]

Check and see if you can get a complete assembly for a discount compared to adding up all the parts individually. On Hondas, complete, fully assembled OEM coilover/top-mount assemblies are quite a bit cheaper than adding up the individual OEM parts. Makes it much easier to just buy the new one ready to bolt in rather than try to piece together the bits that need replacing and save the few bits that can be reused.

 

[evident]

Check and see if you can get a complete assembly for a discount compared to adding up all the parts individually. On Hondas, complete, fully assembled OEM coilover/top-mount assemblies are quite a bit cheaper than adding up the individual OEM parts. Makes it much easier to just buy the new one ready to bolt in rather than try to piece together the bits that need replacing and save the few bits that can be reused.

The oem assembly is pretty damn expensive, even on ebay. I would be transferring the spring over as well (taking it to a shop to do that)

 

[bruceb]

Go with the KYB units .. they are probably less expensive than Lexus units and will work excellently. You should replace the Upper Strut Mount while the strut is apart. Rockauto,com has the KYB units for about $95 per strut. They do not sell a complete unit with the spring.
The strut mounts run about $50 each .. You will need special tools to remove the spring, but you can expect a tire or repair shop to do it for about 1/2 hr labor rate at most. You will require a front end alignment after the new struts are installed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

The oem assembly is pretty damn expensive, even on ebay. I would be transferring the spring over as well (taking it to a shop to do that)

When we replaced the front struts on my wife's Lexus IS it cost us almost a grand IIRC. They were leaking so they definitely needed to be replaced.

 

[leper84]

Absolutely would go with the complete mount. Also vote for KYBs, they'll probably feel way more responsive than the mushy stuff Lexus puts on the Rx's.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Absolutely would go with the complete mount. Also vote for KYBs, they'll probably feel way more responsive than the mushy stuff Lexus puts on the Rx's.

Well, it is an RX. Nobody is looking for a corner carver. Quiet and isolation are desirable.

 

[jlee]

When we replaced the front struts on my wife's Lexus IS it cost us almost a grand IIRC. They were leaking so they definitely needed to be replaced.

That's...a lot.

Though the (aftermarket) stuff I was looking at for my Lexus wasn't any cheaper.... :sneaky:

 

[evident]

That's...a lot.

Though the (aftermarket) stuff I was looking at for my Lexus wasn't any cheaper.... :sneaky:

haha, not looking for anything insane, just want to get the ride back to new as much as possible. Also don't want the struts crapping out in 20K miles like with some of the cheaper brands (sensen, etc). the aftermarket KYB's get mixed reviews on the message board i'm on, so i'm a little bit weary about going with them. I picked up the rear KYB's for cheap from someone who sold their car before installing them, so i'm already set there.

the original struts aren't completely shot yet, but i can definitely tell that the steering has become more vague and going over bumps isn't as smooth as it was before.

it seems that the stocks are just too damn expensive to justify imo.

 

[Midwayman]

How many miles do you have on the car? I'm going to buck the trend and say you may not need strut mounts. Sure it makes sense labor wise, but if the rubber is in good condition, there is no reason to replace them. I've done a bunch of cars in the 70-90k range the the strut mounts generally looked good. However if you have 150k on the car it might be another matter. If you do replace, the complete assemblies are really nice. I'd much rather pay a few extra dollars for them than deal with removing and installing springs, and I own a spring compressor.

 

[bruceb]

You can buck the trend, but it is wiser to change them and be sure they are good. If you don't Murphy's Law says you will likely need to do them later on. And then of course all the work and cost associated with removing the struts has to be done all over.

 

[JulesMaximus]

How many miles do you have on the car? I'm going to buck the trend and say you may not need strut mounts. Sure it makes sense labor wise, but if the rubber is in good condition, there is no reason to replace them. I've done a bunch of cars in the 70-90k range the the strut mounts generally looked good. However if you have 150k on the car it might be another matter. If you do replace, the complete assemblies are really nice. I'd much rather pay a few extra dollars for them than deal with removing and installing springs, and I own a spring compressor.

If he plans on keeping the car for even a couple more years I'd say it would be wise to replace them. It's $180 more than just the bearings would cost.

What does an alignment cost anyway? $70-80? That lowers the cost difference to $100 more if he does the strut mounts now vs waiting until they fail to do them and that's not even including the labor to remove the struts and springs at a later date.

 

[evident]

How many miles do you have on the car? I'm going to buck the trend and say you may not need strut mounts. Sure it makes sense labor wise, but if the rubber is in good condition, there is no reason to replace them. I've done a bunch of cars in the 70-90k range the the strut mounts generally looked good. However if you have 150k on the car it might be another matter. If you do replace, the complete assemblies are really nice. I'd much rather pay a few extra dollars for them than deal with removing and installing springs, and I own a spring compressor.

I'll be taking the old struts and new struts to a shop, and having them swap for me.

I agree, I will be replacing the strut mounts. I didn't realize there was actually rubber inside the mounts that could get worn in addition to a bearing.

I'm now leaning to just getting all aftermarket KYB parts and being done with it. OEM is 2.5X the price ($300ish for aftermarket KYB's vs $780 for OEM). Now i'm wondering if I could get the OEM strut mount and bearing ($200), get aftermarket KYB struts themselves if they would fit together

 

[bruceb]

I would use the mounts from the same company the struts are from. That way they are sure to fit and KYB mounts are a decent quality.