Hey gang, I am going to be changing out my struts and shocks. Never been changed and the car has 116,xxx miles. I found a reasonable priced shop and I wanted to ask if there was anything else in addition to the KYB Struts and Shock absorbers and mounting kits that I should consider ordering and including with the replacement? I'm new to this and want to ensure I only need to have them swap these items out once.

Many thanks for your help!

You should replace the bushings: inner and outer tie rod ends, sway bar bushings, and stabilizer links. I've been replacing them piecemeal since having new struts/ shocks and mounting kits put in over a year ago. Last summer I had the stabilizer links replaced. In January of this year I asked my local shop to check the tie rod ends due to a creaky front suspension. They said that I should replace the outer tie rod ends, but that the inner tie rod ends were "tight". Well, now the inner tie rod ends are creaking and will have to be replaced. At 122K miles, ALL of the bushings would well past their prime. I could have saved money by having them all done in one go! The parts are not that expensive.

MoWells, this is super helpful, it was confusing figuring out which items to get and this narrowed it down tremendously for me!! I assume this would be part of a "Normal" install? And they wouldn't be going out of their way installing these bushings??

Best time to do it, while they have the car up on the lift and the wheels off. They are working in the same area. I wish that I had been advised to renew all the bushing back when I replaced the struts and shocks, as worn bushings really degrade the handling.

Parts website you recommend?

The best prices I have found for quality bushings like Moog are on Amazon. Usually less than half of retail. My local shop has no problem with installing new parts purchased on the Internet. They just don't warranty the parts. You can save quite a bit by bringing your own parts.

No offense, but those recommendations are EXTREMELY overkill. If it's not broken, don't fix it. My M has nearly twice the mileage as yours, and still has all its original bushings. I've NEVER replaced an inner tie rod on an M, they last forever. If you have no other issues other than worn shocks and struts, just replace those. And for what it's worth, my original shocks and struts made it to 205k.

Hey, thanks for all of your help so far.

So based on what you said above, I compiled this list of items, does this look like a complete list? Is there anything missing? Anything I should take off the list? I want to make sure I get it right if I am going to do this in one shot.


1- Moog EV800567 Tie Rod End by Moog $29.11
2- Beck Arnley 101-6417 Stabilizer End Link Beck Arnley 101-6417 Stabilizer End Link by Beck Arnley $30.45
1 - Beck Arnley 101-6418 Stabilizer End Link Beck Arnley 101-6418 Stabilizer End Link by Beck Arnley $38.10
1 Moog K200748 Sway Bar Bushing Kit Moog K200748 Sway Bar Bushing Kit by Moog $11.56
1 Moog K200345 Sway Bar Bushing Moog K200345 Sway Bar Bushing by Moog $11.81
1 Moog K200747 Sway Bar Bushing Kit Moog K200747 Sway Bar Bushing Kit by Moog $12.79
1 Moog K200344 Sway Bar Bushing Moog K200344 Sway Bar Bushing by Moog $12.29
1 Moog ES800337 Tie Rod End Moog ES800337 Tie Rod End by Moog $39.53
1 Moog ES800338 Tie Rod End Moog ES800338 Tie Rod End by Moog $39.53
1 Beck Arnley 101-5273 Suspension Stabilizer Bar Link Beck Arnley 101-5273 Suspension Stabilizer Bar Link by Beck Arnley $16.29
1 Beck Arnley 101-5687 Stabilizer End Link Beck Arnley 101-5687 Stabilizer End Link by Beck Arnley $16.29
Subtotal (12 items): $286.86
Total savings: $428.27

I'm just saying that after renewing my shock and struts at about 190,000 miles, I found that my bushings were starting to creak and the handling was compromised. As I have replaced various bushings over the last year and a half I have found improvements in handling and ride. Your mirage may differ. Again, look at the cost of the parts involved: not much! I think that you are going to save on installation labor by doing an r & r of the whole suspension system at one time.

Wacaban: I think that you have covered everything.

As you are probably aware, there are four stabilizer links that should be replaced.

What has been the experience of other drivers with bushing replacement?

MOWellsinVA wrote:As you are probably aware, there are four stabilizer links that should be replaced.

What has been the experience of other drivers with bushing replacement?

Again, as an Infiniti tech, "bushings" are done on an add needed basis. Replacing bushings during shock and strut replacement isn't going to save any money, as there is no overlap in time when replacing them. My M still has its original tie rods. They were so solid I chose to use a short rack when it needed the rack and pinion replaced. Meaning after 208k of Chicago roads, my tie rods are still good. It also has the original rear swaybar links, the fronts have been replaced. The swaybar bushings are still original. I still have the original upper and lower ball joints, control arm bushings, etc. There is absolutely no need to replace them as preventative maintenance in my opinion. My car still rides fantastic. If the car rides fine other than worn shocks, I'd just recommend replacing the worn parts.

Blackcat thanks for the heads up. I'm heading to the dealership tomorrow for new tire installation all around. I'll ask the tech then to check the shock absorbers and tie rods specifically. I'm hoping they throw in a multipoint inspection with the tire installation. Is this too much to ask for? I was also thinking of asking if they could match another infiniti's oil change price at $39.99. LAstly, is there anything I should ask the tech to check out on a 06 m45, I mean there is valve/ fuel ticking, clicking in the rear struts, pretty sure oil comsumption issues because I had to drop a qt of high milage oil when I bought the car a few weeks ago, so all pretty much point to common issues Im guessing a techs opinion will solidify that the car run for another 100k miles. Thanks!!

A dealer should do an MPI with every oil change, so no, it's not too much to ask. You say clicking from the rear shocks? Are you talking about a clicking noise when going from drive to reverse or accelerating from a stop? If so, it's the rear axles, not the shocks. You don't have struts in the rear. It's an individual shock and separate spring. You have struts in the front. If you're having new tires installed it's smart to have an alignment done as well. If there's any worn suspension components, a competent shop will let you know, as loose parts are extremely difficult to get into alignment spec.

I don't know why suspension bushings started going bad at around 70,000 miles, but I had creaking that was fixed by replacing the sway bar bushings (under the Elite warranty). By 100,000 miles, there was increasing wallowing and sloppiness in the suspension, and then new creaking in the front suspension. Each time that I replaced a set of bushings, there was noticeable improvement in the handling and ride. I would agree that most people would not have to replace these component so soon, but in my case it was necessary. I also agree that the OP should try to get a close inspection of the bushings done before replacing. In my case, the sway bar bushing replacement was recommended by the Infiniti tech, and the outer tie rods were diagnosed by my local tire store.

If you don't have sever tramlining, unusual tire wear, a steering wheel that shakes while driving on smooth highway, or any strange noises when going over bumps or turning, then you don't likely have anything that needs to be replaced in the suspension, at that mileage. It is hard to diagnose faulty tie-rod ends but the inners are pretty easy to tell. Jack up the car with the ACC on. Grab one of the wheels and turn it while watching the wheel on the other side. If you see the other wheel turn at exactly the same time as the wheel you are gripping, then the inner tie-rods are good. If there is "slop" where the other wheel doesn't move immediately, then you have bad inner tie-rods.

Sstupid wrote:If you don't have sever tramlining, unusual tire wear, a steering wheel that shakes while driving on smooth highway, or any strange noises when going over bumps or turning, then you don't likely have anything that needs to be replaced in the suspension, at that mileage. It is hard to diagnose faulty tie-rod ends but the inners are pretty easy to tell. Jack up the car with the ACC on. Grab one of the wheels and turn it while watching the wheel on the other side. If you see the other wheel turn at exactly the same time as the wheel you are gripping, then the inner tie-rods are good. If there is "slop" where the other wheel doesn't move immediately, then you have bad inner tie-rods.

Tramlining is caused by tire choice mostly, steering wheel shaking is a tire balance issue, and checking tie rods is one of the easiest at home checks you can do with a simple floor jack. M's typically have lower ball joints go bad before tie rods do, and even then, it takes some serious abuse or high mileage to typically need replacement. Your way of diagnosing a bad inner tie rod can apply to inner tie rods, outer tie rods, wheel bearings, etc.

Ho do you test the lower ball joints?

MOWellsinVA wrote:Ho do you test the lower ball joints?

Lift the side you're checking, take a huge pair of pliers and put one side on the bottom of the control arm and the other on the spindle were it bolts to and squeeze. They typically don't get any side to side movement that the traditional 12' o'clock and 6 o'clock wheel inspection shows, but they get up and down sloppy, If that makes sense. If you don't have any clunking or knocking going over bumps they're probably fine, as well as the rest of the suspension.

No clunking in the suspension, just starting to get some creaking in the front. I'll have the shop take a close look at the inner tie rods to see if they are still o.k.

I have a 2007 M45 Sport with about 120k miles. It's in great condition overall but ride seems much bumpier than in years past. It's just a rickety ride for lack of a better word. I realize, reading a thread like this, there are different schools of thought. Has anybody replaced a lot of these suspension items and had a noticeably more comfortable ride? I don't mind spending money as I love the car still but I don't want to spend money if it doesn't do much. TIA.

VegasJohnny wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 8:50 am

I have a 2007 M45 Sport with about 120k miles. It's in great condition overall but ride seems much bumpier than in years past. It's just a rickety ride for lack of a better word. I realize, reading a thread like this, there are different schools of thought. Has anybody replaced a lot of these suspension items and had a noticeably more comfortable ride? I don't mind spending money as I love the car still but I don't want to spend money if it doesn't do much. TIA.

Shocks/struts are often the lowest hanging fruit.
Of course there are many more suspension components but this is where I would start. Especially in the front.

I once had an ancient Toyota Celica and I was on a real budget and all I replaced where front shocks and it really improved it by a lot.
YMMV of course.

PS : welcome to Nico!!!

PalmerWMD wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 10:31 am

VegasJohnny wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 8:50 am

I have a 2007 M45 Sport with about 120k miles. It's in great condition overall but ride seems much bumpier than in years past. It's just a rickety ride for lack of a better word. I realize, reading a thread like this, there are different schools of thought. Has anybody replaced a lot of these suspension items and had a noticeably more comfortable ride? I don't mind spending money as I love the car still but I don't want to spend money if it doesn't do much. TIA.

Shocks/struts are often the lowest hanging fruit.
Of course there are many more suspension components but this is where I would start. Especially in the front.

I once had an ancient Toyota Celica and I was on a real budget and all I replaced where front shocks and it really improved it by a lot.
YMMV of course.

PS : welcome to Nico!!!

Thank you! I will give that a go!

VegasJohnny wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 8:50 am

I have a 2007 M45 Sport with about 120k miles. It's in great condition overall but ride seems much bumpier than in years past. It's just a rickety ride for lack of a better word. I realize, reading a thread like this, there are different schools of thought. Has anybody replaced a lot of these suspension items and had a noticeably more comfortable ride? I don't mind spending money as I love the car still but I don't want to spend money if it doesn't do much. TIA.

OEM shocks and struts are very expensive, most people on these forums replace them with KYB shocks and struts (I believe it is struts in front and shocks in the rear for these cars? IDK, doesnt really matter in the end).
I did this as well and had a horrible time of it. I thought the ride was much bumpier than stock feel. However, after about 1000 miles the dealership reported one of my front struts was leaking fluid and needed to be replaced. I waited on doing it and then I heard and felt the other front one blow out a few hundred miles later. SO it is entirely possible both my fronts were defective from the getgo and that is why the ride felt so bad. Others have reported no issues and they felt the ride feeling was fine with them. So take that as you will.

Another option people often go with is coilovers. You can get really cheap ones for something like $400-500, and mid-grade ones for around $800-1000. These can be customized for a harder or softer ride. Though partly that will be dictated by the spring rate the coilovers have. Some places, like coiloverdepot.com, allow you to select what spring rate you want to receive. You will have to search these forums to confirm what the stock spring rate is. I believe it is somewhere around 8kg front and 7kg rear? Somewhere close to that anyway. Many coilovers come with 10-12kg spring rate as their stock, and people often select higher rates for more handling performance. You can specify a lower rate for a smoother, less bumpy ride though.

Currently, I have BC Racing "BR" coilovers and I really like them. I went with stock spring rates and after I tweaked my damping adjustment to my liking I have an ever so slightly stiffer ride than stock but a good bit better handling performance on turns.

I did aftermarket KYB from rockauto and honestly they suck. Very noisy when cold outside too

KYB for the front is shorter than the OEM Strut therefore your alignment will be out of whack. I have them on for at least 50k miles already and it's time for new pairs. i seriously do not want to do that but the OEM are so friking expensive. i haven't found a coilover that's 4-500 dollars. if anyone has them on their car, do feel free to share.

cruzad3r wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 12, 2022 7:48 pm

KYB for the front is shorter than the OEM Strut therefore your alignment will be out of whack. I have them on for at least 50k miles already and it's time for new pairs. i seriously do not want to do that but the OEM are so friking expensive. i haven't found a coilover that's 4-500 dollars. if anyone has them on their car, do feel free to share.

Someone a year or two ago on these forums wanted to go super cheap and ordered some of these:
https://www.maxpeedingrods.com/product/ ... n-kit.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313608162040?c ... sGEALw_wcB

Whether they have held up for the past year or two IDK.
Id still always recommend a known quality brand like BC Racing, but some people want to try the cheap route. Who knows, maybe they will be fine for 50-75k miles

cruzad3r wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 12, 2022 7:48 pm

KYB for the front is shorter than the OEM Strut therefore your alignment will be out of whack. I have them on for at least 50k miles already and it's time for new pairs. i seriously do not want to do that but the OEM are so friking expensive. i haven't found a coilover that's 4-500 dollars. if anyone has them on their car, do feel free to share.

That is because you have All wheel drive, but otherwise most folks will be fine.

Who's the manufacturer for the OEM struts/shocks?