Struts..symptoms if u need them replaced

[bantoine2]

I've asked all of you before for advice about replacing struts and after close to 150k the INfiniti dealership found out that I have no need to replace the struts and they are in excellent condition. Symptoms of struts going bad is when your car is floaty (like a caddy) and bounces up and down on the road. As I was told..struts can last the life of a car. Some people have sad that u need to replace them maybe after 100k but there's no need to spend extra $$ when you don't even need them replaced. I had symptoms of squeakiness going over small bumps and potholes. Only suspension components i ever had replaced were 2 tension rods. After I recieved my car back from the dealership today there was no squeakiness going over any bumps or potholes....WOW!! It seems that it could have been maybe bad mounting of the tires/wheels because the realigned my car and rotated/balanced tires and I have had no squeaky noises whatsover.

After my 150k service on my 94 J30 the service guys were ecstatic how in great shape my J30 was even after 150k miles. Still runs like new

For anyone in CALI...I recommend u to go to the cerritos Infiniti dealership....EXCELLENT SERVICE plus I saved over $200 off the $500 30k service. Ask for Greg, he's a great service consultant.

[natsoundup]

I think it's a personal decision... I replaced the front shocks and upper links in my 90q at around 138-142k.... rear shocks at 147k.

I notice a pretty signifigant difference.... next up sway bar bushings.... and maybe towards the middle-end of the year tension rods.. (if I don't need to do much other work)

I was of your opinion until I made the change-outs... I am sure if someone is an aggressive drive the parts wear out more quickly

[AZhitman]

Your dealer needs his head examined.

I can't think of a single damper manufacturer who would even claim their product is good for that length of time. Tokico certainly won't, and I'd trust the manufacturer over some service advisor's "opinion".

[Q451990]

Infiniti typically says that a shock absorber is good until it leaks - cuts down on warranty claims.

If you're fine with the way the car rides and handles, then save yourself some cash - but it would definately handle tighter and bounce less with new shocks! I thought my car handled and rode wonderfully until I replaced the shocks! It was amazing how much more controled it felt. I bought the car when it was 6 years old with 80K, so the suspension was already half worn out - so I had no true reference point! Also, the old bounce test (push bumper down... if the car goes down up and returns to center) doesn't hold true with these cars. Mine passed that test with leaky rear shocks! With the new ones it's more like push down... car comes back to center and stops.

As far as your suspension squeaks, that sounds like upper links on the Q - don't know if the J has them or not. Also sounds like sway bar bushings, tension rods... the list goes on and on.

Heath

[greg_atlanta]

New shocks/struts are a great way to fall in love all over again with your car.... and a good way to get rid of the impulse to shop for a new car.

[Mayhem_J30]

remember that because of the SLOW aging of the struts you'll probably never notice that they are even bad. with bad ones premature tire wear will occur and loss of handling performance. dampening becomes minimal and hydroplaning becomes more likely.when i replaced mine i never noticed any leaks. but you could (by hand) move the piston up and down on the old strut once it was removed. i could hardly get the new one to budge.i still think the way infiniti put those struts on the front is the weirdest damn thing. luckily they began replacing them with the cartridge inserts.

[Highway Q45]

My 91 has 115K and still rides very well with what I assume are original dampers. On the other hand the shock boots are so disenegrated and rotten I can see the entire shaft at every wheel. I have never seen any OEM or aftermarket shock boot make it past 50K on any vehicle I've owned. It only makes sense if you need to go through all the same labor just to replace the boots you might as well get new struts. At < $75 a corner for decent struts it's not that expensive. I know that eventually grit and debris will destroy the shaft seals and speed up my decision. In the meantime my motto is "Drive until it dives"

[PalmerWMD]

I wont leave shocks in for more than 30/40k.in the big picture they are not that expensive and you DO feel a difference.

Fred....

[Bayarea Q]

Fred,

Is that because you really drive your car hard (in the corners)

Just curious if you did mostly highway miles, do you still feel the need to replace every 30-40K?

I'm trying to determine how warn out my suspension parts are (95Q 86K) They look fine and I have no abnormal tire wear. I guess since I have never driven an as new Q I don't have a frame of reference.

[Mayhem_J30]

i feel the shock difference everywhere i go now. after doing several spring and shock/strut swaps on cars i'm more tuned into the different feels of a suspension. never like Q45tech is tuned into the Q's suspension, but a good idea can be assumed of the struts life. just from stops, goes, corners and especially highway driving bad dampening shows it's face. personally i think highway driving is the hardest on your dampers. at that speed your vehicle has a lot of momentum in it putting lots of force on the suspension when going over dips.

[AZhitman]

Tokico blues for the Q (model # HU2892) are $146 DELIVERED to your door from shox.com....

Buyperformance.com has them for $63 each.

The Parts Bin has them for $140 delivered (1-888-628-3247), speak with Jared.

[BadQ45t]

Does buyperformance.com have the SAME shocks for less than half of anyone else?? Is that a typo?

[DAEDALUS]

I think that's the price per strut, whereas the other 2 are price per pair. Better verify the part numbers; I thought the front and rears used different parts, like the other one was #2890 or something like that.

[Mayhem_J30]

yeah the rears should be more expensive. i'm guesing $80-90 each.

[Aus94Q45]

They are two different part numbers for the front and rear. One is slightly more than the other. Are there any 94-95Q's out there with Tokico blues and OEM springs. My struts are shot at 92K and need replacement. I am trying to get a real idea of just how much stiffness the Tokico's add over OEM replacements. I like them firm, but do not want harsh. (I plan to replace the upper links and other rubber bushings while I have it apart.)

[AZhitman]

That WAS the price for the rears that I posted. HU2892 is the model # for the Blue (stiffer) rears. Fronts are actually more $$$.