Our 2000 Huyndai Accent commuter car has been making clicking noises when breaking and my husband figured the brake pads need to be replaced. The shop told me the brakes are fine but the struts are leaking and need to be replaced. They estimated $900 labor and parts. I don't think the car is worth enough to put that much money into it. But what is the worst that could happen with leaking struts? Would it make the car undriveable in a couple weeks or create hazardous conditions for driving? Thanks.
2007-01-10 07:55:44 · 3 answers · asked by roseaustinus 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The main problem will be poor road contact for acceleration and braking. Other problems will be a very rough ride, unusual tire wear and poor turning. Ether replace the struts or replace the car.
2007-01-10 08:10:49 · answer #1 · answered by Lab 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Leaking Struts
2016-10-29 21:21:39 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would take it to another shop and get a second opinon. Struts don't normally make a clicking sound when braking , even if they are wearing out.
$900 is way too much to pay. $400 is about average for a good quality strut.
Not replacing them would not be dangerous or hazardous. The struts just dampen bumps and help maintain control of car body movement. Here is the price from AutoZone for one strut.
GABRIEL_ULTRA
Strut G56522 LLT $62.99
2007-01-10 08:56:54 · answer #3 · answered by R1volta 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Struts are nothing more than expensive shocks. The only difference is the design and how you have to change them. They do the same thing. With worn struts, you will end up with a car that rides rough, bounces over bumps and just keeps on bouncing, and your tires can wear funny. (Not really funny, because they're expensive). 900 bucks is a little high, but not much. The estimate for my Neon was over 700. So I did it myself for 300. If you or your "significant mechanic other" are handy with tools, you can change them yourself with a few wrenches and a spring compressor, which Auto Zone loaned me for free. You can also just replace the front ones. You can also get what's called a unistrut, which is the complete spring and strut assembly, that way you don't need the spring compressor, but when you start doing that, you may as well pay to have it done because they're more expensive. Your car isn't exactly "unsafe", but it will certainly handle better and you won't waste your tires as fast. And you'll have a smother ride.
2007-01-10 08:19:25 · answer #4 · answered by Me again 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
leaking struts at best mean your going to get a poor ride over bumps, eventually the shock will do nothing, the car will get lower to the ground and a bump will feel like a wave.
Then there's the fact that the worse your shocks get, the worse your breaking becomes. Your shocks stop all the cars weight from leaning on the front brakes, and allow the rear brakes to do up to 30% of the braking.
In short replace the shocks, it's dangerous not to.
2007-01-10 08:02:42 · answer #5 · answered by Shockey Monkey 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The shock is broken and needs to be replaced before using the aircraft again. car shocks are no big deal when a strut breaks a strut on an air craft is A BIG DEAL GET IT FIXED.
2016-03-17 23:32:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋