[jim8153]

Why would you think that a tire tech who is busting beads and changing tires all day would take even half a second to notice anything about your suspension or shocks, and especially if you weren't paying for suspension service?

The way the struts are now it would have been obvious. they also claim in the receipt a "PM and Safety Visual inspection" was performed. Given that they are always looking for an upsell I find it hard to believe that they wouldnt have noticed the need for 1500 more work

 

[relee]

I have been driving for over 40 years and do all my own Maintenance. I have built and replaced several engines in my Cars and Trucks. All the tire Chains are in it for one thing and it isn't your Satisfaction.I've tried them all and it just leads to frustration.
Overtorqued lug nuts. Bad alignments, Trying to say I need ball joints when the truck has 20K. Putting tires on that are already 2 years old. Selling Defective tires. You Name it, They Tried it.
I usually save $200 to $400 per set buying online and putting them on myself.
With two cars and two trucks. I save some dough and stress.
Thanks, but No Thanks.

Thats fine but many people can not do it all.

 

[ToyotaFan95341]

….they also claim in the receipt a "PM and Safety Visual inspection" was performed.

I guess it depends on the inspector, but I’ve had several safety inspections on my Camry that has all four strut dust boots torn apart. I’ve passed every inspection with flying colors and not once has the inspector mentioned anything about my torn dust boots.

 

[jim8153]

I guess it depends on the inspector, but I’ve had several safety inspections on my Camry that has all four strut dust boots torn apart. I’ve passed every inspection with flying colors and not once has the inspector mentioned anything about my torn dust boots.

no inspection or inspector. This was the tire install guy who is supposed to inspect anything related to the wheels as part of the install. My point is that he signed of on everything being fine with the suspension during the tire install. Next day after I brought the car back, I now magically need 4 new struts and the car is making a new and much worse sound than the minor one I had asked them to look at.

 

[ToyotaFan95341]

no inspection or inspector. This was the tire install guy who is supposed to inspect anything related to the wheels as part of the install. My point is that he signed of on everything being fine with the suspension during the tire install. Next day after I brought the car back, I now magically need 4 new struts and the car is making a new and much worse sound than the minor one I had asked them to look at.

I’m curious to know what the Google, Yelp, BBB reviews are for this tire shop. What’s the name of the tire shop and where is it located?

 

[alltoyo]

Struts have a finite life, yours look like end of life . You don't provide and relevant information regarding what type of car, how many miles, when struts were last replaced, type of driving.
From the pictures it looks like you got your money's worth out of those struts, blaming the tire installer is a stretch

 

[fjguercio]

Jim8153
mainly I need to replace the struts and dont trust the tire shop at all.
But I also want him to look at the struts (especially the gobs of fresh fluid on the rods) and see what he thinks

Cars are complex and need regular maint and repairs.
The car year and mileage was not listed.... this a "flag" in my eyes

On a forum asking for assistance or guidance or confirmation.... Always list the vehicle make, model, miles on OD, and miles since the work was done last about what your inquire is.

So we Toyota that the OEM original struts are gone/replaced... that is 160k and we have second set replacement gone and think it was posted 60k or 80k miles ago. So we have a car with 200k on it.

When the car was lifted, the struts elongated with no weight on the wheels. Feel the rubber boot with hand, are they stiff and brittle, they look it. When the strut elongated, the boots may not have had the STRETCH necessary to make the stretch. Shocks were leaking and elongated. When weight put on car the struts got a good force of pressure, warmer from being in shop?, and the leaks already there.... took another leak. The test for shock is to bounce each corner and see how the rebound (s) is slowed down. IF leaking owner should have the idea the struts are on the last leg. Posted many times that the Toyota OEM struts, ball joints, strut mounts, are the best materials and there are reasons they last 150 to 200k or more miles.

I give this information to help and suggest you are..... lets just say pointing fingers.
Add me to the list of others that have not seen foul

IF you want a list of work to do to a Toyota.... go to the dealer, pay for OIL Change and ask them to look things over for a safety check and what should be done if I pass this onto my "daughter"

Tires do have issues, are you in a WARM Climate?..... take you hand and rub / feel the the tire tread looking for bumps or uneven or a flat spot. Sometimes the belt twist or move and the tire has a defect. Look the sidewall and see if any uneven area is present? Ck your tire pressure when the tire is cold...

Did you break in your new tires? Nothing over 45 mph for 50-100 miles. NO sudden hard stops or accelerations. Did you know as a driver that new tires and new brakes also have a break in period of 100-200 miles of gentle driving with no hwy miles. Easy Town Driving.

What tire Make & Model did you Buy?
Last time struts were replaced, what Make & Model did you buy?

 

[rvercoe218]

Brought in car for four new tires. Car came back making strange rhythmic thumping sounds. No comments about shocks. Brought in a few days later to complain got car back and now sound is worse than ever. Was told all four shocks need to be replaced. Looked at them today. Boots are shredded on all 4 and oil is leaking up and down piston rod. Piston rod and parts previously covered by boot looks very clean as if damage was just done.

I
View attachment 406790

No... shop didn't do this... old oil can be seen

 

[jim8153]

The car is a 2003 Camry with around 80,000 miles. Struts are original. This is my elderly mother's car so it doesn't get much use except local suburban driving.

The idea that all 4 struts were suddenly damaged by putting them on the lift the second time around but not the first time doesnt seem too probable. One strut maybe but I doubt all 4 failed at the exact same time. Remember the noise is now much worse and very different after the second visit.

old oil can be seen but what didnt show in the two photos are the gobs of clean white hydraulic oil on the pistons. This indicates to me that a much bigger leak was just sprung.

Again Im not saying Im 100% sure of what I suspect but I am still suspicious. When I get the struts replaced on Saturday Ill know better

 

[Joecorolla88]

Brought in car for four new tires. Car came back making strange rhythmic thumping sounds. No comments about shocks. Brought in a few days later to complain got car back and now sound is worse than ever. Was told all four shocks need to be replaced. Looked at them today. Boots are shredded on all 4 and oil is leaking up and down piston rod. Piston rod and parts previously covered by boot looks very clean as if damage was just done.

I
View attachment 406790

Mine is a different vehicle but had similiar issue, the noise of wheels turning when driving at 30-35 miles per hour. The boot is broken on mine - likely due to age and time wearing out the rubber of the boots. The struts still look clean, so no oil leak like yours - which I take it as still working as it should. The mechanic recommend I have the struts replace, which I take it as something to do in the future.. Yours here looks like the oil leaked from the struts over a period of time. See if you can wipe off the oil near the base of the spring, or if it's caked on.

 

[1ZZ-FE1999]

Those struts are 19 years old. Of COURSE they are leaking and of course they need to be replaced! Have a reputable shop inspect ALL suspension components and replace what is worn out. My guess is it will be 4 struts + end links to fix the noise but they may find bad LCA bushings too. Just get the Monroe quick struts (be sure it is the Quick Strut brand not roadmatic or any of their cheaper junk) and OEM end links and be done with it. OEM struts are gonna be insanely expensive. Comes with the territory of old cars. And yes, new tires that ride firmer could be why this issue "all of a sudden" showed up. Or, you were just paying more attention to the ride after getting new tires and noticed an issue you didn't previously notice.

 

[maleih]

New tires can accentuate existing problems.
Years ago I put new tires on my Dodge Dakota , drove it home and felt like the tires weren't balanced properly.
They rebalanced same thing turns out it was a ball joint.
I seriously doubt the tire shop ruined your struts.

Agreed. No offense OP, but I cannot imagine you are that important to the tire shop guy that did the work.

 

[fjguercio]

Old Toyota Struts....
May have some life yet, if you want to save $1600.
Bounce each corner using 2 flat palms and watch the settle.... if settles in one bounce, may still have life leaking or not

Extended struts still valid info for the Boots & Leakage..... from what I said above

What tires did you get?

Do the evaluation of tires yourself before spending money on struts.
Sounds to me you have a tire defect, twisted belt, or "flat spot"..... I got a 2006 Camry in FL, got flat spot on way home....
it had a thump, got worse, then started shaking.... it does happen

Then ck the front tires for a lost wheel weight... or none at all. I like to note the weight on each tire.... so you know if you loose a weight you know. Most times the life balance or road hazzard would take care of this NC

 

[RT27]

Im having the struts looked at by another shop on Saturday. The facts that still leave me suspicious are.
1) Got into an argument with the sales tech counter guy who wanted me to come back with an appointment even though his boss told me to bring the car in that day after I complained about the new tire noise. He was pissed his boss overruled him and this is what I suspect was the motive
2) The noise is now much different and 10 times worse than it what from my original complaint. Continuous vs intermittent and completely different sound.
3) Didnt capture it on the photos but at least two of the piston rods has gobs of clean fresh fluid stuck to its side.
4) If struts were already damaged before the tire change they would have noticed it, espcially all the gobs of leaking fluid. Why is it only after I complained about the tire noise that they now find that the struts are bad
5) The struts are about 80k miles old

Im not 100% wedded to the idea that I was screwed but again lets not pretend that shops dont ever do anything shady

Usually they will tell you shocks are needed when they are fine. Like above removing weight let them drop fully now you got clunking. Before all nice and settled in kind of stuck.

 

[Old Mechanic]

The struts and shocks that came off my ECHO at 180k miles were dry as a bone (20 years old) and still had gas pressure in them with no signs of leakage anywhere. I was surprised how good they looked. If they have 80 k miles they must have been in a very rough environment. My parts car shocks and struts were not leaking either, at 170k, even though the dust boots were not in new condition on the parts car rear shocks at 20 years old. I got KYB replacements (OE supplier) loaded struts in front and tube shocks in the rear on special at Rock Auto for $235 total . The originals still extended due to the gas pressure still being in the shock-struts.
How could all 4 get that bad at that mileage? In Virginia yours are an inspection fail for leaking, not the condition of the dust boots, they can be in pieces and still pass.
My low mileage 2000 Echo has 95k miles in it and is 22.5 years old (5/00 prod date), shocks and struts are still close to 90% with no leakage or broken boots and they still ride just fine for me.
Maybe grandma lives a mile down a dirt road?
That might explain the condition of those in your pictures.
I worked on cars for 30 years for a living and I would not know how to make them look like that, while changing tires.
Something doesn't add up, that damage is easy to see unless it was not lifted up far enough for the tech to see those leaky struts.

 

[Partschanger2]

Brought in car for four new tires. Car came back making strange rhythmic thumping sounds. No comments about shocks. Brought in a few days later to complain got car back and now sound is worse than ever. Was told all four shocks need to be replaced. Looked at them today. Boots are shredded on all 4 and oil is leaking up and down piston rod. Piston rod and parts previously covered by boot looks very clean as if damage was just done.







I





Tire shops mostly do tires and wheels.

I went to Tires Olus and after the new tires were installed the steering wheel shook all over. Turns out the tires weren't balanced properly. Another time the weights were all installed on 1 side of the tire instead of split. Every time I went there for the rotation there was a problem and I ended up wasting time and having the tires rebalanced. 1 time I was told that 1 of the wheels was bent and needed to be replaced. They said they put the bent wheel on the rear. When I drove the teuck the front tires shimmered. Went to another tire place and the bent wheel was on the front.

 

[jim8153]

The struts and shocks that came off my ECHO at 180k miles were dry as a bone (20 years old) and still had gas pressure in them with no signs of leakage anywhere. I was surprised how good they looked. If they have 80 k miles they must have been in a very rough environment. My parts car shocks and struts were not leaking either, at 170k, even though the dust boots were not in new condition on the parts car rear shocks at 20 years old. I got KYB replacements (OE supplier) loaded struts in front and tube shocks in the rear on special at Rock Auto for $235 total . The originals still extended due to the gas pressure still being in the shock-struts.
How could all 4 get that bad at that mileage? In Virginia yours are an inspection fail for leaking, not the condition of the dust boots, they can be in pieces and still pass.
My low mileage 2000 Echo has 95k miles in it and is 22.5 years old (5/00 prod date), shocks and struts are still close to 90% with no leakage or broken boots and they still ride just fine for me.
Maybe grandma lives a mile down a dirt road?
That might explain the condition of those in your pictures.
I worked on cars for 30 years for a living and I would not know how to make them look like that, while changing tires.
Something doesn't add up, that damage is easy to see unless it was not lifted up far enough for the tech to see those leaky struts.

The car was very gently driven on paved suburban streets. Surprisingly car still rides well and doesnt bounce when each corner is pushed down.
I read in another thread that shady tire shops will sometimes damage the boots and squirt lube on the pistons to then be able to claim you need new struts. This would explain the streaks/gob of fresh looking fluid on my pistons. Cant see how they would still be there, if this was a preexisting issue as gravity would have swept it clean. The old oil staining is a different issue and does show the struts have been slow leaking but even these seem strange that the tops of the strut body with the old oil doesnt have any dirt on them.

Also the new noise is hard to explain given it wasnt there after being on the lift the first time.

I dont mind the money for new struts, probably could use them anyways, but I dont like the idea that something funky is going on.

 

[fjguercio]

ck tires for flat spot or twisted belt on side wall.... exp the front

Car is lifted by the body... so the tires hand down and the struts will elongate.... the pressure in strut also cause to elongate. Put car back on wheels and it could leak more because the pressure is increased.

The strut shafts is clean because there is seal in the strut that wipe the center rod clean with every stroke.... dirt and grime is what causes this seal to start failing and you get oil. Not a big deal for the shaft to be clean.

Feel the rubber it will be hard and stiff.... it is shot
Does not mean the strut is shot... if it passed the bounce and watch test.

CarCareNut on youtube, toyota master mechanic.... said to use the toyota OEM struts and ball joints.... others have said the same. I am a believer also.

Flat spot on new tire can give you everything being experienced

Failing strut will most likely just give you a "floating" ride

At 80k there will not be a shot strut, strut mount, or the ball joint..... rythm sound is rotational... so tire or loose wheel bearing. Since new sound and getting worse.... inspect your tire... it does happen... has happeded to me few times

 

[1ZZ-FE1999]

ck tires for flat spot or twisted belt on side wall.... exp the front

Car is lifted by the body... so the tires hand down and the struts will elongate.... the pressure in strut also cause to elongate. Put car back on wheels and it could leak more because the pressure is increased.

The strut shafts is clean because there is seal in the strut that wipe the center rod clean with every stroke.... dirt and grime is what causes this seal to start failing and you get oil. Not a big deal for the shaft to be clean.

Feel the rubber it will be hard and stiff.... it is shot
Does not mean the strut is shot... if it passed the bounce and watch test.

CarCareNut on youtube, toyota master mechanic.... said to use the toyota OEM struts and ball joints.... others have said the same. I am a believer also.

Flat spot on new tire can give you everything being experienced

Failing strut will most likely just give you a "floating" ride

At 80k there will not be a shot strut, strut mount, or the ball joint..... rythm sound is rotational... so tire or loose wheel bearing. Since new sound and getting worse.... inspect your tire... it does happen... has happeded to me few times

Use OEM if you want to throw $3-4k at the car lol. I agree on OEM ball joints. But a car this old…it needs to be in immaculate shape to consider throwing OEM struts on vs a quality quick struts. Obviously OEM will ride the best and last the longest. But shops are charging at least $120 an hour for labor and will charge labor to assemble the struts, in addition to install. Whereas the quick strut, you will not be paying shop labor rates for assembly since they are assembled already.
OEM if you want, but my Monroe quick struts have been solid on my 04 cam. I’ve put 60k miles on them.

 

[ddyer]

You are looking at about $350 for the Monroe Quick Struts at Rock Auto plus shipping.That is for all 4. Parts stores will charge you almost triple for those.
I have put about 30K on them in my 99 Camry and they are doing fine for the money.
Put them on 5 years ago for $330 shipped and got a $200 rebate back from Monroe.