I need to replace the front struts on my '01 Pathy and was trying to find a new fully assembled strut assembly w/spring. Only 2 vendors I'm aware of who sell these are Gabriel and Monroe, but neither has them for an '01. Are there any other manufacturers who have the "ready strut assemblies"? Anyone have experience as to their quality?

Welcome to Nico!

I've read a few threads around here on ready struts, but as far as I know no one's found any. The popular OE replacement choice is KYB GR-2 for the front and KYB Gas-a-Just for the rear or Old Man Emu for the performance-minded. I'd recommend getting new coils at the same time. I read a few stories of coils rusting through and breaking, and because they really firmed up the ride for me. Moog sells coil sets that will only run you about $100 total for the front and rear. If you're interested in adding a few inches to the ride height, now's also the perfect time to consider those options



If you still decide to do it yourself, you'll want to get some of the parts needed from the dealership or online. For each side on the front, you'll want 54050M, 54329N, 54034+B, 54034+A, 2 × 40056X, and 2 × 54040B. You’ll also want 54040BB, 3 × 54040BA, 54320, but you can also get those as part of a shock mount kit. KYB and Raybestos make good ones.



For each side on the rear, you'll want 2 × 55034+A, 56210D, 089128421A, 55040C, and 089129441A. If your bump stops are torn up, then 55240 and 081568251E too.

The rest of the parts won't need to be replaced unless they're damaged. I highly recommend courtesyparts.com if you buy online; just make sure you have them verify the parts you're getting against your VIN.

The other option is to buy all the parts you see there and assemble the front struts yourself on your downtime so they're ready to rock come the weekend, but naturally it'll cost you more to get the other parts. If you do go that route, be sure to get 54040, not the separate two pieces.

You can rent spring compressors from most car parts stores, but read up on the procedure before you tackle it; compressed springs have enough energy to seriously injure or kill someone if they get loose. The whole procedure's a pain in the butt, but it makes a huge difference in ride quality, as you can guess.

Post back if you have any other questions and good luck!

Atraudes, thanks. I'll price out all the components. I did find a seller on Ebay who was selling complete, fully assembled struts/springs, but I'm not sure of the quality of these units. I'll spend a bit of time and will decide in a few days. Thanks again.

No kidding! Can you post a link/brand name/picture? How much are they going for?

$350 for the front set of 2. here's a link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/96-97-98-99-00- ... de&vxp=mtr

Nice find! It's too bad they don't say what the brand is, though there's a good chance it's KYB since they're one of the few companies that make them for us.