I posted this in the suspension section, but I wasn't getting any replies, so I decided to post in the general area. Sorry for the double post...admins, if necessary, go ahead and close this, but hopefully not cus I need help asap

I posted a thread earlier complaining about my Eagle F1 A/S tires cupping badly after only 10k miles. Discount Tire referred me to a mechanic to see if anything was wrong, but the mechanic said he couldn't see anything mechanically wrong with my car. I went back to Discount Tire a few days later and he referred me to another mechanic for a second opinion. The new mechanic said my struts are pretty much done, and that's why my tires cupped so badly. He then asked if I had any work done on the suspension or if there is a lot of construction around my area, because he said signs of bad struts usually occur around 80k miles. My 05 TL only has 59k miles now, and the mechanic said, based on the struts' condition, the problem probably started right around when I first put on the F1's (49k miles), which is unusual because it's so early.

Has anyone else with higher mileage had any problems with their struts? Especially so soon? I'm not an aggressive driver at all, and road conditions are pretty normal in my area. I drive over railroad tracks and speed humps every so often, but thats about it. I've brought the TL in for all the scheduled maintenance checks.

The mechanic quoted me around $1000 including labor to replace the struts and for realignment. I am fairly upset because I feel like this should have been caught when I brought my car in for maintenance...but of course my car is out of warranty now, so I am going to have to pay this out of pocket. Is it possible that the dealer might cover this or am I out of luck? What would cause the struts to go bad so quickly? Any input would be a huge help, Thanks!!

 

look at the struts for traces of oil leakage- and bounce the corners- does it wallow like a boat or bounce twice and stop?

 

1000 is a little too much, if you go to oemacurapartsdotcom you can get all 4 shocks for no more than 350 shipped, and i seriosly doubt labor is nearly 600 bucks, alignment should be around $80 at a decent shop. I say you buy the shocks and ask around to see how much for the install.

51605-SEP-A03 SHOCK ABSORBER UNIT, FR. each $75.86 for 2 $151.72
52611-SEP-A04 SHOCK ABSORBER UNIT, RR. each $81.88 for 2 $163.76
Subtotal: $315.48
Shipping Charge $18.93
Handling Charge: $3.95
**Sales Tax: $0.00
Total Order : $338.36

 

I would upgrade the shocks to TOKICO HP's and installation shouldn't be more than $250 for all 4 installed.

PM me if you need the shocks.

 

01tl4tl....The mechanic said he didn't see any leakage, but the terrible condition of my tires was a clear sign to him that my struts are bad. I bounced each corner of the car, and it does not seem to rock excessively...just one or two bounces and then stops. Is it possible that my struts aren't bad??

thanks for the suggestions of getting the struts myself and just getting them installed...i'll definitely look into it.

I think I am going to take it to a third mechanic for a third opinion, since the first two differed (nothing wrong vs. bad struts). Would it be pointless taking it to a dealer? Or do you think I could argue that the struts (assuming they really are bad) should have been detected when I brought my car in for maintenance service earlier?

 

You cant argue after the fact finds, and you dont have an official diagnosis of strut failure or the symptoms of it. How was the tire pressure and alignment all this time?
Maybe the TL doent like the tires you had- some wear out faster on FWD cars~
read a tirerack report and a mustang may love a brand but we destroy them

 

That's what I was thinking, but I figured maybe I'd get lucky hehe..guess not. I'm going to take it in to the dealer tomorrow and have them look at it so see if they find any problems with the struts or whatever it may be. They're charging me $70 just to inspect it. Is that the average cost of an inspection? I only paid $30 at the mechanic I just went to the other day...but that might just be the difference between dealerships/body shops.

The alignment seems to be fine. I don't notice the car veering to one side dramatically. It does travel slightly to one side or the other if i let go of the steering wheel, but I think that's just because the road isn't flat.

The tire pressure is an interesting story...A few months ago, the front passenger tire was a little low, so I pulled into a gas station and pumped it back up to around 30psi. The other 3 tires were ok. It was fairly cold that day (definitely under 20 degrees, but still above zero). Last week, when I went to Discount Tire complaining of road noise, they told me the tires were cupped very badly. A day or two later, I decided to check the tire pressure and all 4 tires were 45+ psi (some were higher than the meter could read)!!!

I have no idea how they got that high. I brought the tires back down to 32 psi, but I'm still confused as to what happened there. My best guess is that the air in the tires expanded now that it's getting warmer out, but I'm not very convinced. Is it possible that Discount Tire overinflated the tires on purpose to counteract the cupping or some other reason?

 

usually u change struts every 50k and springs every 100k on any car.... even if its highway driving. i wouldnt let it go much past that.

 

You must be talking about NY miles.

 

nah man most mechanics will tell u that after 50k they are no good....either they release or just blow.

 

Really? Our family has a 03 Honda Odyssey with around 90k miles on it, and i think the struts are still ok, or at least better than the TL. The Odyssey has one tire with cupping problems, but the rest are ok. But maybe the struts on the Odyssey are bad and I just don't know it yet.

So is 50k miles the average mileage to get out of struts before changing them?