roadfrog

My car is going on 75k miles or so and I wonder whether I should consider replacing the shocks. Back in the day, this was a routine replacement, but now it seems that it isn't done as often, if at all.

I see KYB replacements on EBay for relatively cheap.

So what have 'y'all done? Keep in mind, that I do not have air.

riknchar

The front shocks & actuators on my 2008 LS600hL were replaced at 58K miles, and the rear struts were replaced at 41K and 47K miles respectively. Not sure if this is premature wear, but it seems a bit early to me... If yours aren't leaking or causing a rough ride, probably no need to preemptively replace them...

Devh

It really depends on the kind of roads you drive on. I would inspect all of them for leaking, then I would compress each one lightly using a hydraulic jack under the tire while the car is on jack stands and listen for any abnormality. If there is none I would worry about it.
When the car starts to boat around then it's time to replace. Toyota cars and trucks have been known to go the distance on the original struts unlike some other makes. Having Air suspension is another story entirely.

williakz

What would you hear normally and abnormally?

Devh

Usually struts will wear together but sometimes you may have the introduction of air either due to a bad shock seal or the regular loss of fluid over time as the shock ages. There is always a little fluid loss every time the strut is compressed and decompressed.
This will increase the compressibility of the strut with the introduction of air and usually but not always you can hear some air mixed with the fluid as it passes through the valve. The strut will be loud and abnormal compared to the others.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

The 600 is only offered with the air suspension correct? And yes, that mileage is rather early for all 4 to fail.

Worn shocks or struts will also lengthen your braking distance and can cause uneven tire wear. Can you bounce the car with your weight? In other words, using your body weight how much can you compress the shock at each corner. Really worn out shocks you can rock the whole car. Does the front end dip when braking hard? KYB is the oem manufacturer. RockAuto has them for pretty cheap too.

williakz

Ah, I think I know the sound you're describing. As always, thanks for the info.

Devh

Your are most welcome. I should add that this is for a twin tube design and the mono tube may exhibit a different kind of behavior.
In both designs there is a nitrogen bladder and as the car ages it will loses some pressure and ability of the gas bubbles to dissipate in the fluid will be reduced. Also as the fluid gets older it can also lose its thermal stability and boil over causing shock fade kind of like boiling your brake fluid. This can be appreciated when the suspension is put to the test and gets heated. When that happens your dampening will be greatly reduced and can become dangerous. I never seen that happen even with cars with over 200k on the original suspension but I imagine for racing it can.

is150

iTrader: (10)

Like others have suggested try pressing down on the corner panel above the wheel in an attempt to compress the shock and spring. If your able to easily compress the shock/spring the shock is possibly worn.
Jack the car up and take a look at the shocks and see if there are any leaks.
Are you having any noise or a bouncy ride?

Vvman

I was in a similar situation a year ago, car had 62k miles and dealer said my struts were still going strong. However, decided to take the plunge (KYB) as they are cheap and I am a firm believer that old shocks having clocked that kind of mileage would have been way beyond their prime.

No regrets as the KYB rode as least 10-15% firmer, especially noticeable on twisting roads and in the stopping department.

Doublebase

I'd just check for a couple of things...you can try the bounce test (press down on the fender, release...the car should settle in and not bounce more than once. You can check the struts for leaks. And the tires are a great way to see if you have problems with your suspension. If the tires are cupped it usually means the shocks are weak/leaking and can't control the spring any longer, which will cause the tires to bounce and scrape off the road causing tire cupping. You can google tire cupping to see what it looks like.

I hear these struts are a piece of cake to replace and not all that expensive.