I took in my 08 es350 w 220k in for alignment due to front right tire outside wearing bald. I knew I was gonna need struts in the back for sure, but he said my front are really bad, worse than the back (thats if he had even looked at back) but he seemed like a thorough franchise owner. He could not complete my alignment due to it needing front struts. I asked him for a quote it was 650 including parts, I said would he just do labor and he said he only buys his own parts and doesnt trust online bought parts. I asked him what brand he uses and I think he said something like FSB or something the only F starting I see is on ROCKAUTO FCS and they are only like 60 or 70 dollars a strut which seems super cheap. The labor he quoted was 2.6 hours @ 105 an hour. Any ideas on what struts I should get , if I should go with this price, as he said he would finance and Ill def need them, otherwise i could get a mobile mechanic to do it for like 120-160 thats if i can get a good price on some good front struts. Opinions? thx

 

Don't put cheap shocks.
Personally I would put Monroe or Kyb.

 

People who are on a budget seem to like the KYB QuickStruts. I would try them if I was in your position.

 

KYB was the OEM for 2008.

 

Some people have said kyb sucks recently the quality not good. Also I’ve heard Monroe is horrible too. My main question is do I even need struts I guess I’ll need to just get a second opinion. It wen to Lexus at 175k and they said nothing about them.

 

Only ordering from Lexus may be better. Unless Bilstein makes them for our cars.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...y-options.html

 

The quick struts are a cheap option. The springs are t as good as your OEM ones even with 200k miles on them. With your mileage I wouldn’t worry about the long term reliability. The good thing is that anybody with basic mechanic skills, a pump jack, and a 1/2” impact gun can blow through this job. I’m not a mechanic and I swapped the rear struts on my 2010 RX350 (the springs are separate) in an hour in my garage with a jack and a set of jack stands.

 

A strut is a shock absorber with a coil spring built into it. The whole assembly supports the weight of the car and it requires a special spring compressor to strip down and replace the struts if you want to keep the factory springs. If you go that route you would also need to replace any perishable items such as rubber spring seats, the strut bump stop, the top mount and its bearing.

A shock absorber is a hydraulic cylinder that sits separately from the spring and can usually be easily accessed and replaced without touching the rest of the suspension. Your 2010 RX350 rear shocks is a good example of that. Cars/SUVs that have a shock absorber will only have it in the rear for better packaging and cargo space, but will still have struts in the front.

I agree that KYB QuickStruts are a much cheaper option and are not as well built as OEM, but that's the whole point of this thread. The OP is price shopping for what is the best value at 220k. He didn't say he wants original equipment and the best ride quality possible.

KYB QuickStruts are good in a pinch, just don't expect exceptional ride quality like the OE. And the other benefit is they are DIY friendly as you're not messing with the springs.

 

Be sure to ask those Negative Nancy's if they have actually tried the KYB's, or is it just their opinion? Also be sure to ask them what is better, and did they actually try what they claim is better. In these automotive boards, there are often lots of opinions out there, often very little experience to match.

 

I used Monroe quickstruts all the way around. took the cheap route since the car has 200k+ miles on it. Ride quality is not that bad. Very minor creaks here and there. Nothing to pout about. Rides smooth and feels good not bouncing all over the place

 

I’m wondering if I even need them. The car seems to be great on smooth roads and corners and turns great but seems to bang soemtimes in the back it seems mostly. And it’s pretty rough here n choppy roads more so then it should be. Where can I take it to that’s not super expensive that will find out the actual issues the car needs replaced for the ride to improve. It doesn’t bounce around like one of you just mentioned it’s firm

 

Should have asked was part of the strut was bad. You likely only need the strut mount. Its the top rubber housing that contains a bearing. See KYB SM5722. You only need to replace the one with the bad tire wear.

 

Have you replaced the shocks/springs on your 07 ES? What was the result?
Thanks
Tony