When to Replace Shocks and Struts

• The nose dives noticeably under braking, or the tail squats hard on acceleration.
• The car keeps moving after a bump instead of settling in one motion.
• Cupped or scalloped tire wear — a strong indicator of damper failure.
• Clunks over bumps from a failed top mount or bushing.
• Visible oil film running down the damper body.
• The steering feels floaty or wandering at highway speed.

Pushing down on a corner and watching it rebound only detects severe failure. A damper can lose 40–50% of its control long before it fails that test. Look at tire wear patterns and how the car settles over expansion joints instead.

There is no fixed interval, but 50,000–100,000 miles is where most original dampers are meaningfully degraded. Rough roads, heavy loads and potholes shorten that considerably.

Replace in axle pairs. A new damper on one side and a worn one on the other produces uneven grip under braking.

A strut is a structural part of the suspension and carries the spring; a shock is a damper only. Struts therefore need the spring transferred, which requires a spring compressor — genuinely dangerous with the wrong tool.

A quick-strut or complete assembly comes pre-assembled with spring, mount and bearing. It costs more in parts but removes the spring-compressor step and replaces the top mount and bearing at the same time — usually the better buy for a home mechanic.

Parts run roughly $60–$150 per shock and $120–$350 per complete strut assembly. Shop labour is typically 1–3 hours per axle. Budget an alignment afterwards on any strut replacement.