2010 Prius - 70k miles - Struts, Strut Insulators

Ouch! It's an easy job. You can get a complete set for about $100-150.
That is just a dust boot. This plastic that always cracks and/or breaks.
Does the car drive smooth? Do you hear a thud when you go over a bump?
Also, does it drive straight? Do the tires wear evenly?

 

I wouldn’t unless your car sways

 

Can you raise the front yourself, see if there's evidence of oil leaking from the shocks? Hard to judge from pictures, but it sure looks clean, like it's just a broken boot. Maybe paranoia, but in the back of my mind I'm wondering if they cut it. Don't listen to that voice I guess.

To repair a broken boot you pretty much have to take everything apart anyway? This thread debates the need to repair boots:

Strut dust boots necessary? | PriusChat

 

Also, they may have been thinking that for the price of labor to replace those cracked boots you might as well do the shocks too. To me that's backward thinking. The plastic is only there to keep the shocks clean and to extend their life. With this much mileage behind you, you might as well wait until you are certain that the shocks are worn out.

 

Tires showing cupping wear?

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Tell them to go pack sand.................

Those photos were (I'll add "probably") taken with the car on a lift and the wheels hanging from the suspension, causing the struts to be at fully extended position. This stretches the dust covers to the maximum, which could easily be WHY they tore, especially if the boots were a bit brittle. Once the car is on the ground and sitting at normal ride height, those gaps are going to close up and probably disappear.

Unless you're experiencing significant suspension/steering/odd tire wear issues, I would not, under any circumstances give them my money.

 

Welcome to Prius Chat .

I drove our 2010 with the boots in the same condition for over 70 k miles before swapping them out a couple of months back at 184 k miles (they were the original struts).

The parts price makes the job expensive, as it isn’t hard to do, just time consuming given you have to remove the windshield wiper cowling to have access to the top strut assembly nuts .

But I waited with it prius and now that I have the new ones installed, the feel is different and better.

 

There is no reason to replace if the only issue is the boot --- think about all the shocks running around w/o boots. The idea is to protect the rod from stone damage.

depending on the types of roads -- shocks and struts can last over 200k if highway miles.

most aftermarket are firmer -- so ......the difference is more noticeable when changed.

 

Please tell us what dealer you went to in California.

 

Could you tape it up? What would be the best tape?

 

We should call out the dealers that try and rip us off. I'm not saying that's the case here, but in the future I wonder if we should name the dealer?

I agree with Mendel. I would find somebody to put some duct tape around it. Go to a tire shop, ask them to put it up on the lift, hand the guy the tape, and slip him 25 bucks.

 

If you want to get inventive, take some black flexible plastic or cloth (like cut a garbage bag into a wide strip) wrap it around the gap area overlapping a little bit onto the good parts of the dust cover. Then use some black zip-ties at the top overlap and bottom overlap area. Make sure the zip-ties are seated into one of the "valleys" in the accordion. That would connect the two pieces of dust cover and not be blatantly obvious since it's in the shadows most of the time.

 

This stuff plus zip ties? It comes in various widths: 1.5" or 2" might be easier to handle.



Might be a real handful though, coaxing it into place inside the springs, with a bit of tension.

I think @TMR-JWAP 's idea is as good as anything, doesn't overthink it.

 

Can you recommend "all in one" replacements for my 2006 front struts? Thanks!

 

I’m a fan of OEM, so that’d be KYB. If you go the fully assembled route, ensure the top but is torques to spec .

Otherwise you might have a rattle.

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

Would be a good meet up, but all I can offer is the apartment complex parking lot and some tools