[Jetta555]

i am gonna replace my struts and shocks here in the next week or so and before i take it to get it fixed what all do i need? i am looking at kyb struts and shocks and was wondering what all should i replace with it as well? do i need other parts of the suspension? im sorry if this has been asked before i just cant seem to find info for my year focus. thank you for any help!

 

[sailor]

Strut mounts & bushings should be done at the same time for a minimum. Bump stops & boots wouldn't hurt. Check if any special boots come with the KYB's.

You can reuse everything, but why ask for trouble in the future requiring taking them apart again?

 

[onlycodered]

Any particular reason you're going with KYB's? The stock replacements are actually really inexpensive. The OEM struts I'm looking at for my '09 are only $53 each from Tasca Auto Parts.

 

[Jetta555]

Any particular reason you're going with KYB's? The stock replacements are actually really inexpensive. The OEM struts I'm looking at for my '09 are only $53 each from Tasca Auto Parts.

Honestly the oem are not so sturdy im my opinion. my warranty covered the replacement of my rear shocks two separate times because of manufacture defects. i am wanting something i can trust and the two names all my mechanic guys are saying are monroe and kyb. doing my homework and asking around makes me feel that the kyb will give me the right amount of stiffness compared the the monroe ones which i heard ride very stiff with a bumpy ride. plus monroe is kinda like a "one size fits all" type company were kyb is more specific with its makes for specific cars.

 

[onlycodered]

Honestly the oem are not so sturdy im my opinion. my warranty covered the replacement of my rear shocks two separate times because of manufacture defects. i am wanting something i can trust and the two names all my mechanic guys are saying are monroe and kyb. doing my homework and asking around makes me feel that the kyb will give me the right amount of stiffness compared the the monroe ones which i heard ride very stiff with a bumpy ride. plus monroe is kinda like a "one size fits all" type company were kyb is more specific with its makes for specific cars.

Sorry if I'm derailing this thread but I'm interested to hear about what issues you had with your shocks. I bought my '09 with 54k and I'm at 62k now and I haven't noticed any issues and I haven't heard of any common issues with the OEM ones on here either. What happened with yours? Was it the struts or just the shocks you had issues with?

 

[Jetta555]

Sorry if I'm derailing this thread but I'm interested to hear about what issues you had with your shocks. I bought my '09 with 54k and I'm at 62k now and I haven't noticed any issues and I haven't heard of any common issues with the OEM ones on here either. What happened with yours? Was it the struts or just the shocks you had issues with?

its perfectly ok lol but it was the both the shocks in the rear started instantly creaking and talk about a rough ride. they said something along the line of the pistons werent holding the right pressure or something like that. i felt like they never changed anything. to me motorcraft makes alot of great stuff, struts and shocks not one of them lol. It may of just been my stroke of luck but it made me think different of them. kyb or monroe are my two picks. my car also has almost 105k on it and i had it since mile one.

 

[Jetta555]

Strut mounts & bushings should be done at the same time for a minimum. Bump stops & boots wouldn't hurt. Check if any special boots come with the KYB's.

You can reuse everything, but why ask for trouble in the future requiring taking them apart again?

thank you for the help. im looking and it doesnt look like they come with any boots just the hardware. so all i need with the struts and shocks are mounts, bushungs, bump stops, and boots? i want to make sure i replace everything that is recommended so i dont have to break it back down lol

 

[sailor]

That should do it just fine.

Don't bother running out for KYB mounts/bushings either, a couple recent reports here of their not lasting & not being warrantied because used on 'lowered" car.

Shocks are their specialty, don't know where the poor mounts came from.

 

[onlycodered]

That should do it just fine.

Don't bother running out for KYB mounts/bushings either, a couple recent reports here of their not lasting & not being warrantied because used on 'lowered" car.

Shocks are their specialty, don't know where the poor mounts came from.

Definitely agree on this point. OEM mounts are always a best bet in terms of build quality. I almost bought a set of Monroe strut mounts for my fiancé's Sunfire until I realized they were 90% plastic compared to the entirely metal original ones. Aftermarket tends to make really cheap mounts for whatever reason with the exception of adjustable camber mounts.

 

[mac.mogul]

Unless you're doing some sort of performance driving, I see absolutely no reason to buy aftermarket suspension components.

 

[onlycodered]

Unless you're doing some sort of performance driving, I see absolutely no reason to buy aftermarket suspension components.

OP said he had a bad experience with OEM shocks in his car so I can understand why he might want to try another brand.

 

[mac.mogul]

He's not going to have a 'better' experience with a different brand's set of 'cheap' replacements.

 

[onlycodered]

He's not going to have a 'better' experience with a different brand's set of 'cheap' replacements.

Since when are KYB struts cheap replacements? I've heard nothing but great comments on KYB struts.