2002 ES 300: only 82k miles on it.
A mechanic said I need new struts and possibly also mounts. With such low miles, how could struts go? I've read 9 out of 10 times you may only need new mounts? What do I believe?

 

struts typically get weak after 50,000 miles or so... it may not be that they are bad, but they might not be like they were when they were new...

mounts, unless making noise, would be preventative maintenance, and save some labor by doing them now, instead of more labor later if they do go bad...

strut replacement is ride quality related (unless one is bent or leaking), then it's a handling issue possibly... strut mounts are replaced when making noise when going over bumps, turning, or when they are physically coming apart...

 

If you need to replace struts, should you also replace the mounts at the same time. Would it make sense as you are already spending the $ on labor...or time if you do it yourself?

 

If your car truly has struts then it's a real good idea to go ahead and do the mounts. If your car has coil over shocks, it's really a toss up. A true strut has a top plate that turns when the car turns - it has a bearing in it to allow it to do this. It is a common failure and when they go bad, they make all kinds of noise. Coil over shock cars have an upper shock mount (some people like to call these struts, though they technically are not), and there is no bearing inside this - they can go bad, but at a rate of about 25% of what a strut mount does...

 

I've noticed usually when the mounts are going bad they squeak a lot, but as others have said I would just swap them out especially since your opening everything up anyway.