Blown Strut Replacement Cost – Is It Really Expensive?
October 21, 2021Has your ride quality become much worse than it used to be? Is your car getting bouncier and doesn’t tackle the potholes as it used to? That’s really unfortunate, you are highly likely to have a blown strut, and you probably want to learn the blown strut replacement cost? If that’s the case, you are at the right place because we are going to share everything you need to know when it comes to blown struts and how to tackle this issue.
Keeping the suspension components on your car in check is one of the key aspects that you need to focus on. It’s not that other problems are not important, but what is important when suspension components go bad is that they ruin your ride quality. And they also put your life in danger.
The suspension is the system that keeps your vehicle on the road. If you don’t have a properly working suspension, your car will suffer immensely and also your safety will be put in danger. And you don’t want that. When the struts are not in good condition, there is a lot of stress that is put on other components in your vehicle and they will wear off prematurely if you don’t solve this issue. But how you can solve it? We are going to help you learn about it.
In this article, we are going to learn what are struts and what are the symptoms of blown struts. Then we will cover the diagnosing process of this issue how to tell if your strut is bad and then we will cover the blown strut replacement cost. Since the cost is one of the most important aspects. So, without further ado, let’s jump into the article.
What Are Struts?
Struts or also known as coilover struts are suspension components that every modern vehicle has. In the past, there were shocks and springs which were separate from the assembly.
But on modern vehicles, these components were combined into one component that simplified the suspension compared to the previous designs and also improved the handling characteristics by a big margin compared to older designs.
The main role of the struts is to absorb the impacts from the road surface. On the road, there are a ton of potholes, bumps, and other unevenness. The role of the strut is to tackle these uneven surfaces and make sure that they do not enter the cabin and ruin the comfort of the driver and the passengers. Struts also keep the structural integrity of the chassis in check as well.
If the struts are bad, there will be a lot of stress on the shock towers. The shock towers would take all of the hits from the bumps and they will eventually crack. Which will result in expensive repairs. That’s why it is recommended to repair the damaged struts and not continue driving the vehicle like this if you don’t want to pay a ton of money on repairs in the long run.
Driving like this is also unsafe for you, the car will dive with the nose when you brake hard, it will also jump when you accelerate abruptly. It will bounce on potholes and it can take you in danger since the vehicle doesn’t have the same driving characteristics as it used to.
If this is the case with your car, you have to look for blown strut replacement cost in order to learn more about the costs to tackle this problem and that is something that we are going to cover later after we discuss all of the symptoms of a blown strut.
Blown Strut Symptoms – Blown Strut Replacement Cost
Like with every other component in our cars, when the struts fail, there are symptoms that appear and indicate that there is something wrong with them.
These symptoms can be mild and, in some instances, they can even impair you from driving your car. And which are these symptoms of a blown strut? Let’s find out.
1. Bouncy Ride
One of the first symptoms that you are going to notice is the bouncier ride. In ideal situations when the struts are in perfect working order, they take the hits when the car hits a pothole or a rock let’s say.
But when the struts are blown the car will rebound and will bounce when it hits a pothole on the road. You will notice the bounces more and more as the problem is getting worse and worse.
This lack of ability from the struts to keep the car level will affect your driving experience and also the safety of yourself and the occupants.
That’s why if you notice that your front end is bouncing, the first thing you need to do is to learn all of the symptoms of blown struts and then learn the blown strut replacement cost. Since costs are one of the most important things that you will need to know and plan your budget in order to find the best deals and get a good pair of new struts.
A bouncy ride can also damage your strut towers and that is something that we will discuss later in this article.
2. Instability On The Highway
Another symptom that is worth noting is the instability on the highway. The vehicle will have a greater instability on the highway when the struts are blown compared to when the struts are in perfect working order. Why I’m saying this?
This is the case because even on the highway there are unevenness and small cracks or bumps. If your struts are blown, you are going to notice these bumps more and more. Especially if you are driving at high speeds. The higher the speed. The bumpier the ride.
In the worst-case scenario, the car could bounce quite a lot and you might end up at the side of the road or potentially hit someone in the traffic.
That’s why when you experience problems with your struts, it is of great importance to solve this problem as soon as possible if you want to escape from potentially dangerous situations on the roads.
Especially this instability at high speeds is worrying. The car could jump and you might end up losing control and hurt yourself.
That’s why when you experience a problem like this look online for blown strut replacement cost in order for you to have a better understanding of the prices in order to solve this problem. And we are going to cover all of them later in this article.
3. Uneven Tire Wear
Uneven tire wear can also be attributed to blown struts as well. The tire wear should always be even. Everything that doesn’t look even is not good and means that there is an alignment issue on your car or some of the suspension components are damaged or worn off. How can you check your tire wear?
Checking the tire wear is a pretty simple process. You just kneel and inspect the tread wear. Take a coin and insert the coin between the thread lines. If one of the sides has more meat and both tires were changed at the same time it means that there is uneven tread wear.
Also, the tread can wear from the inside or from the outside if there is some damage to the components or lack of alignment. There will be wear lines instead of the usual wear and tear. If you notice something like this, it is a clear indication that there is something wrong and this problem needs checking as soon as possible. Especially the struts, bushings, and alignment.
If you take your car to a shop, they will quickly diagnose the problem, and if they deem that the strut is blown you have to know the blown strut replacement cost. That is something we are going to cover later in this article and this will be the key to solving your problem for the cheapest price. Since there are a lot of places that just want to rip you off.
4. Front End Dives Under Braking – Blown Strut Replacement Cost
If your front-end dives under heavy braking then it is a clear sign that there is something wrong with your strut assembly. It is normal for the front end to dive when you brake hard but if the front end dives excessively even for small braking, then this means that something is very wrong with the suspension.
This is the case because there is no fluid inside the struts. This allows the struts to compress rather quickly because of the sheer force that is involved in the braking process.
This diving by the front end will also mean that the braking distance would be poor, compared to a properly working strut assembly. The length of braking will decrease by a big margin if your struts are bad.
The only way to solve this problem is to replace the strut with a new one and make sure that the problem is solved permanently. Prices may vary from shop to shop and we are going to cover the blown strut replacement cost later in this article.
5. Rear End Squats When The Car Accelerates
If your rear end squats when you are accelerating can also mean that the car has blown struts or rear shocks. This is the case because the vehicle is bouncy, the struts compress as the car accelerates, and this acceleration will affect the movement of the body.
The car will tend to lean back when the car accelerates. Meaning that it is going to squat when you are starting to move from a standstill. If your shocks or struts are completely shut, this will be quite noticeable and is going to affect your ride quality as well.
The body roll will also increase if the body dives or squats. The car would be difficult to control and it could also involve you in dangerous situations on the roads.
The best thing you can do in this situation if your car squats is to visit a shop that does alignment and other suspension work and they are going to tell you about the condition of your shocks and if you should replace them or not.
Also, we are going to give our own take on how to diagnose a blown strut later in this article but first let’s cover all of the blown strut symptoms and blown strut replacement cost.
6. Visible Leaks Coming From The Struts
Another symptom that is often visible are the leaks that are coming from the struts. But how come leaks from struts?
This is the case because struts are filled with hydraulic fluid which is red in color. This fluid makes them perform and absorb the impacts. But why do they leak?
Struts are starting to leak because the seals that are holding the fluid are starting to fail. When the seals start to fail, the fluid escapes from them and leaks on the ground.
If you notice how your strut is wet with hydraulic fluid is a clear sign that you have blown struts. This symptom is a clear indication that you need to have your strut checked and replaced.
But how much does the blown strut replacement cost? Well, we are going to cover that later in the article, but first, let’s finish all of the symptoms that are connected with this issue in order to help you out to pinpoint your problem.
7. Cracks On The Strut Tower
One of the worst symptoms that you might notice are the visible cracks on the strut tower. These cracks will be visible when you open up the hood and see where the strut is mounted that some cracks have started to develop.
This is the case because you either were involved in a serious incident or you haven’t changed your strut and you have driven the car for too long like this. This is the case because blown struts do not get the hits in a similar fashion compared to new struts. This puts some extra stress on the strut towers and makes them develop cracks.
The solution for this problem would be replacing the strut towers if they are too far gone and this can cost you thousands of dollars. Or if the problem is in the early stages an experienced welder will be able to bring the strut towers back in proper working order. But what is the blown strut replacement cost?
Well, we are going to discuss that a bit later but first, let’s see how to diagnose this issue quickly and effectively.
How To Diagnose Blown Struts – Blown Strut Replacement Cost
Diagnosing a blown strut is a pretty straightforward business and you can easily tell if your strut has failed or not. There are two ways that you can tell if a strut is bad and we are going to discuss them in this chapter before we cover the blown strut replacement cost in the next chapter.
The first way that you can try to test if your struts are good is to apply pressure on the place where the strut is located. Just make sure that you don’t bend something, be careful when you are doing this work.
If the car sinks in quickly and rebounds, it means that the strut has failed. When you apply pressure on a good strut the response from it should be stiff and the car shouldn’t move up and down by a lot. If there is a lot of play and the car bounces, then the strut is probably blown and needs replacement.
Another way is to inspect the strut for leaks. Grab a flashlight from your phone and turn it on. Rotate the wheel fully left and see if there are leaks at the bottom of the strut. If the strut is leaky and oily, then you know that you are dealing with a blown strut and this strut needs replacing with a new one.
But what is the blown strut replacement cost? Well, we are going to answer that question in the next chapter.
Blown Strut Replacement Cost
Now we came to the important question and that is the cost of replacing a strut on your vehicle. The average cost for a single new strut is around $150 if you drive a Chevy Cruze. On more expensive vehicles the prices can also go up in value. The average price is somewhere between $250 to $500. Although there are also some really expensive strut assemblies for luxury cars that can cost even $1,000. That’s why you should take note of this if you are having a really exclusive model.
The labor on the other hand usually costs somewhere between $50 to $100 per hour. This work requires a couple of hours of labor and it will cost somewhere between $200 to $500 depending on the shop you take your car to.
Also, you will need to do an alignment on the front end and this will also cost you somewhere between $100 to $150 to do.
Replacing the strut by yourself is also an option. In this case, you will only have to buy a new strut and do an alignment. If you are mechanically inclined, you can perform this work on your car easily.
Conclusion – Blown Strut Replacement Cost
In this article, we have covered a lot when it comes to the issue of blown struts. We learned what are struts and all of the symptoms that surround this issue. You have to learn all of the symptoms in order to be able to diagnose the problem quickly and effectively.
We also gave some tips on diagnosing the problem. Lastly, we have covered the blown strut replacement cost. Knowing this is of huge importance and will help you immensely in order to plan your budget.
If you want to continue reading you might want to learn more about strut bar vs sway bar, coilovers vs springs, and wheel bearing noise.
