Shocks or Struts in Avalon?

[Carolina03Avalon]

My 2003 Avalon is a champ and has been running great. Almost 100K with original parts. I bought used when it only had 9K on it back in 2005.

I've noticed that the ride is a little rougher going over bumps and rough roads. No pull to the left or right. No significant drop in the nose when I brake. I just put a new set of Michelin tires on it and it's still a little rough on the road. It doesn't bounce over a rough spot, it is just that you can "feel" the road in a way that you couldn't before. I drive a lot for work and I'm in the car a lot. I'm concerned that shocks or struts need to be replaced. I thought that the tires might solve the issue since they were pretty worn but it hasn't helped as much as I thought it would.

Is there a way I can determine for myelf if this is a shock issue or a stut issue? I haven't had either replaced yet and I want to make sure that I'm not going to be lead astray by the dealership.

Any idea on pricing for this replacement?

Thanks.

[toyomoho]

The car has struts, the shock absorber is built into. Strut only prices range from $50 and up depending on brand name and purchase location.

A shop may charge $500 and up for both parts and labor for all wheels.

[Florian 123]

If noise is the isseu, I repaired the Sway bar Bushings, the are split, I clued in a piece of rubber from a car inner-tube, which is about 2mm thick, this takes care of the wear of the stabilizer bar and Bushing, no need to change the Bar, took me 1 Hour no cost, the two screws that hold the bushing can easily be removed as long as the are not rusted. No need to remove any links, just jack up the car in the rear on both sides it took care of the noisy from suspension.
John in Montreal

[aznstylez]

Originally Posted by Carolina03Avalon

My 2003 Avalon is a champ and has been running great. Almost 100K with original parts. I bought used when it only had 9K on it back in 2005.

I've noticed that the ride is a little rougher going over bumps and rough roads. No pull to the left or right. No significant drop in the nose when I brake. I just put a new set of Michelin tires on it and it's still a little rough on the road. It doesn't bounce over a rough spot, it is just that you can "feel" the road in a way that you couldn't before. I drive a lot for work and I'm in the car a lot. I'm concerned that shocks or struts need to be replaced. I thought that the tires might solve the issue since they were pretty worn but it hasn't helped as much as I thought it would.

Is there a way I can determine for myelf if this is a shock issue or a stut issue? I haven't had either replaced yet and I want to make sure that I'm not going to be lead astray by the dealership.

Any idea on pricing for this replacement?

Thanks.

What size tires and wheels are you running? Is it stock? Next time, try Goodyear tires. If you wanna determine if your struts are worn out or not, get a flashlight and look under your wheel well to see if there is any oil on your struts, if there is, its blown. Another test is go over a speed bump and see if the car bounces alot or not, if it bounces alot or bottoms out, it's getting worn out.

[dapetrick]

I've driven many klunkers in my day and always wondered if I needed new shocks or struts. So I've educated myself on it and actually had a strut break. First off, a strut is just a newer, space-saving all-in-one suspension unit that houses a coil (spring), shock absorber (shock), and some other complex parts. Avys have cushy gas shocks. If I turn off all the accessories, wind the windows down, and drive slow through my neighborhood, I can hear the gas shocks when I go over bumps.

But I digress. There is a simple test every mechanic will tell you: Push down very hard on one of the 4 corners of your car. It should bounce back with some resistance. If not, you need a new strut. When I had one go, it was easy to tell, your car suddenly rides much rougher.

Another tip, I couldn't afford any but 1 strut and they wanted to put 2 on, which is a good practice, so I got them to just do one by saying ok, do 2, but show me the parts. I always do that show me the parts bit because it keeps grease monkeys from knowing if you're truly clueless.

[carreraken]

What's a good aftermarket replacement struts? I keep reading that our Avy's shocks aren't so great... I don't want to give up ride quality, and don't really care about 'sports car handling' - just want a smooth ride. Recently drove an '09 Malibu rental and I thought it rode smoother than my Avy - a heavier car but it had a better ride.

I have 53K on my '02...

Ken

[Avalon_man]

What is a good strut for an Avalon. I would like to know too. I don't want to: lower my ride, race my car, etc, etc. I would like a good replacement strut with a smooth ride.

Thanks in advance.

[PhatRoyale]

Oem

[Toyav95]

I did a lot of digging into shocks recently and TOKICO is the best replacement. It is a better shock than OEM and is slightly stiffer, but not really noticeable.

[Budabear]

Toyota shocks are infamously bad and the first thing I did when I purchased my '03 Avalon was replace the struts due to an extremely terrible ride. Put KYB's on the car and absolutely love them. Change yours and you will see a 100% change in ride. However, the tires due also play a big part.