I need to replace the 2 front boot struts on my Prius v5 wagon. It has 96000 miles 2013. It has been kept in the garage 90% of the time. Should I replace the boot or should I replace the whole strut? My neighbor said to wait till the strut fails and then replace. Any one have a word of advice? Thanks
The struts are fairly easy to replace. Aftermarket options are available at websites that specialize in selling them. For most, you just need to input your year, make, and model for your car. You will be presented with a list of available struts that are compatible with your application. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I agree with you neighbor. Of the dust boots are deteriorated but the struts are not leaking, it is not necessary to replace them until they fail. All struts weap oil to keep th seals lubricated. Unless the oil is running down the sides, the struts are still good.
Not sure about plunging into this; would it be overkill to remove the shock, replace the boot and reinstall: https://www.carparts.com/blog/damaged-strut-boot-repair-or-replace/amp/
The front struts are the MacPherson type, combining the shock absorber with the coil spring mounted around it. Removing the strut from the car is fairly easy, but getting to the rubber boots requires compressing and removing the spring. There are tools for doing that, but the compressed spring has a lot of stored energy, and the tools to do that safely might be more money than you'd want to spend to use maybe one time, and a mishap in that spring-compressing business can do grievous injury.
Lol, when I saw the word boot, I thought the OP was from the UK and asking about the hatch struts. It was confusing when the front boot was mentioned, I thought it was a bonnet? It never occurred to me that they were asking about the dust boots/covers on the Macpherson struts. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
