That's what I'm thinking. In that case I might as well get the rears too and just do it all at once the right way before I get an alignment. I don't want to be rolling around on busted old shocks in the back after all that work and paying $100 to get an alignment.

 

+1 front's a bitch

 

Can someone walk me through what I need to unbolt to remove the front struts? Do I need to remove the tie rod end? It seems clouded in mystery as to what steps exactly are required to remove/reinstall the struts. I am just talking about what parts on the car do I need to unbolt. I realize I am going to need a spring compressor. I am also using hand tools. Can I use WD-40 or should I get a special penetrating spray? I guess for now the plan is to return the monroes and get the Bilsteins. I don't even want to be changing out the backs in a few months. Might as well do it all at once even if it takes an extra few weeks. The goal was sports suspension, not lowered just for looks with sloppy suspension. I didn't realize how important the strut choice was especially in the front. Basically all the money I saved on cheaper struts I am wasting on returning them.

 

Page one of this thread has a post, like the 2nd one I think, with a PDF for the front, and one for the rear. Everything you need to know is there.

 

Thanks but did you remove your wheel hub? I don't see the point in doing that. How does that allow the springs to come out any easier? Seems unnecessary. I didn't see Patterson remove his hub, only calipers. Also it looks like I will need the tie rod end tool. It's good to have all the torque specs though.

 

Also I heard a rumor when you are bolting the top bolt of the strut, you don't want the strut shaft to spin or it can harm the strut. I am wondering how you avoid spinning the shaft while you are unbolting or bolting it in the springs. You wouldn't want to damage the shaft with a vice grip or anything. From what I've seen people just use the air gun to tighten it, they don't seem to be doing anything special to hold the strut shaft in place. Was that just a rumor is it true that it will damage your struts?

 

To be honest, if I were in your shoes, I would just bring my laptop out to the car when I work on it because there is a lot that explains itself once you're under it. Just make sure you don't grab the shaft without something like a rag. Just no scrapes on it, but if it's not abrasive, you're good.

Side note. I didn't remove my hub and everything went pretty well. I just pulled the driver CV out a bit during the replacement and had to get it back in. In my mind, getting the CV back in is less of a pain than removing the hub so that's why I took my track.

 

Whoa that sounds complicated. So you had to take the cv joint apart? Can you explain what you did? Was this to get more room to get the spring back in? I am not too familiar with how cv joints are, except that I just google image searched them.


PS I remembered one of the Monroes was actually damaged during shipping so I am returning them. The side of the box was damaged when I got it and the outer casing of the strut had a good size knick on it. Probably nothing internally got damaged but it could've potentially been an issue or caused rusting at the least. It concerns me that the box and strut were damaged like that in shipping or from the warehouse possibly, so definitely am going to return them. It's not a part you would really want to install damaged. They were really cheap so maybe they were a scratch and dent item sold as new. Not really sure. The other one was fine though so my guess is shipping.

 

I am reading over the H&R instructions for the front struts and I am stuck on the half-axle removal and wheel knuckle detachment. From what it looks online, removing a half-shaft is a p.i.t.a.

Diguay... how did you pull out part the cv? That sounds like the best way to go. Does it just pull apart or do you have to loosen it? I'm just freaking out right now about how much work this could be but if I could do it I would save a lot of money that would pay for the struts.

 

Not sure what I want to do. I still need to order the struts/shocks. I'm still debating between trying to install them myself or take them to a shop, at least for the fronts. I was hoping to install them myself to save money but after reading the instructions, I don't get why the halfaxle has to come out and that part seems tricky. Except for that step, the rest just seems like a lot of bolts, patience and swapping the springs. I am also worried about taking it to a mainstream shop and having them tell me I need this and that replaced in addition to installing it. I called one shop I like, never taken my car there before but have talked to them a few times and they always have had good prices. There is also a European shop near me that specializes in Jags and Volvos but I'm scared how much they would charge for that. I would think any of the basic tire places can do it, but some seem shady. I don't want any bs, I just want the struts and springs and the tie rod ends, which I could do I suppose. I could do the rear springs too, it's just a b!tch to pay a shop all that money to do the fronts and still have to do the tie rod ends and rear shocks myself and get it aligned.

 

Ok after much googling and reading I am pretty confident I could do the springs myself... Tip: Search Strut Replacement X-type instead of lowering spring install. Much more resources. Looks like you have to remove the subframe bolts to get enough room to get the strut out.

 

Man, if I were you I'd take it in. Or you could put an ad on Craigslist looking for a competent driveway mechanic looking to make some quick cheddar in a days work. Maybe he'd cut a good price for just coaching you a long... It cost me $675 at a reputable performance shop, called Strictly Import Motor Sports, with new sway bar end links and $75 at Belle Tire for the alignment. Worth every penny to not feel how you are!

 

Whoa that is crazy expensive. That is basically my entire budget including parts. I did get ahold of one shop who would do the front struts for $250 plus alignment, but that would still mean I would have to do the tie rod ends or pay them to do it, which looks like an easy job, and I would still have to do the rear springs myself or pay them to do it. That's assuming it all goes well and there's nothing "extra" they have to do. I like working on my car and basically it's worth the time and money to me to be able to do it myself. Believe me, this is a huge purchase for me. I'm not cutting corners just because I don't have the money, to me it's a rite of passage. Even if it takes me all weekend to install them, that is still worth more money than I make in a week and I like working on cars, it's meditative. It'll be a big project though.

 

I paid $600 installed and aligned, thought it was pretty fair since it took two techs and all day...

 

Why does it take all day? Seems like it would only take a few hours with air tools. I have two days on the weekend which I am hoping will be enough because I only have a couple hours outside of work to work on it during the week. I'm pretty exhausted though. It has been a long week and I need time to focus on my car.

 

They were telling me the fronts were a complete B to get to and remove and re-install, they had the rears done in 30 minutes.

I just knew from looking at the directions the job was a smidgen large for me, I am okay with doing almost anything under the hood but when it comes to my suspension I want to make sure its done right.

 

Yes, this was my experience when I first did my kw's. Front is a mother and the rear is cake.

 

Yessir I was told the same thing about the fronts. Took 2 dudes all day for me too! O4, it seems like you're pretty under equipped for the job. Not incapable but it's a hard job. I would plan on more than the couple of days you have to get it done...I thought I paid a fair price as well. I like working on my junk too but sometimes my happiness and lack of frustration is worth more than the American dollar. That, and I make a **** load of them per week haha.

 

My distrust of shops and my budget (since paying for labor means I can't afford as many parts) has always kept me doing things myself. I have been working on cars since I was like 15 and I was a heavy equipment mechanic in the Marines so there is very little that I feel I can't do. Like body work and paint... not for me. I have a buddy that does that for a living ha. Some things I just dont have the tools to do. I would only recommend that someone attempt the fronts who is confident in what they are doing and knows exactly what they need to do, and is also prepared to handle any unforeseen issues that might arise, because they will. Find a friend willing to help who has more experience if you really want to do it yourself. The thing is once you do it once, if you are successful, it wont seem as hard if you end up doing it again. Just be honest with yourself about your skill and knowledge level.

 

I'm gonna give it a try. I just got the tie rod ends in the mail today. One thing that is stopping me right now is I am having a coolant system issue and my check engine light keeps coming back on every couple days with a p0128 code. The first time I got this code was about a week ago, RIGHT after I had put a bit of Sea Foam in about a quarter tank of gas. So at the time I thought no big deal, the computer is just giving me a weird reading because of the sea foam. I clear the code and it comes back a day or two later. This time I look up the error code and it's the coolant thermostat. I had just done a bunch of work replacing the coolant tank and doing a flush, so it's probably the radiator stop-leak goop I added to the coolant... So now I'm thinking my thermostat is trashed and I am also noticing my radiator hoses are all a little inflated looking like sausages, so I am realizing I have a bunch of work to do it looks like on the cooling system still. The hoses are probably alright for a little while longer, but I'm thinking I need to flush the system again and replace the thermostat and see if that gets rid of the check engine light. Hopefully that's all it is but it's frustrating this is happening right before I was wanting to install the suspension stuff.