Strut and shock replacement ideas

I would love to have some input from other members.

I have 45k miles on the Mazda5, and am having a hard time getting the dealer to inspect the shocks/struts. I have a feeling that one or more are bad due to the unsteady feel,, poor handling, occasional noises I have heard, and other members on this forum who have had the same experience. I have not inspected each one for leaks, but the dealer said if they are not leaking they will not be replaced under warranty.

However, upon reviewing the factory service manual, the inspection process involves removing it from the vehicle, and depressing the assembly 4 times while observing for noises, and uneven shaft speed. I told the advisor this, and asked since you have to remove it to inspect it properly, can we have the new parts on hand to replace anyway. They are asking $290 for both rear shocks, plus labor, if the shocks are not defective. This is a little over twice the price I can get the OEM shock from another dealer.

So it comes down to this, do I keep fighting the dealer to possibly get a shock replaced, or will they replace both if just one is bad?

Or do I bite the bullet, and get some "improved" aftermarket shocks and struts. I am not looking at lowering, autocrossing, etc., I simply want something that is comfortable, responsive, and can handle a load better than the stock ones, a big big bonus would be adjustability.

How about try the other dealer you mentioned?

IMO, 45K is a good amount of miles for stock OE dampers (shocks/struts). I am not surprised they feel worn. Dampers wear gradually over time and most folks do not realize they have lost the original ride and handling. They may well have a leak, but dampers are a wear item (like brake pads and rotors) and do wear out requiring replacement at times.

That said, it can't hurt to try the other dealer.

I agree, they are a wear item. However I really expected to log another 20k miles before I would start thinking about replacements. Something feels just plain wrong to me. This will be the first Mazda I have ever had that felt like it needed new struts/shocks before 60k.

From my experience, I am a lot more sensitive to this than others. Also with several years of auto parts store experience when I was younger, I was able to see which shocks blew up first, and which ones are better than others. Monroe/Gabriel lasted 20-30k miles, KYB/tokico were often 50-60k miles or more. Does anyone know who makes the OEM Mazda5 Shock/struts?

On a side note, what ever happened to electronic adjustable suspensions? I do see that Tanabe makes a nice electronic system, but it only fits the RX-8.

25 years ago, my father bought a brand new 1984 Mazda 626 that had an OEM 3 way adjustable electronic suspension, with a button on the dash for "Sport", "Normal" and "Auto" modes. When the factory struts were worn out in "Normal" mode at 80k miles, my dad just left it in the "Sport" mode for another 40k miles. If I am not mistaken, those were Tokico shocks, similar to the current Tokico "illumina", and each strut had an electronic servo on top to turn the adjustment shaft, and switch between the different modes.

Ideally this is what I want, some type of on-the-fly adjustability.

Rocket said:

How about try the other dealer you mentioned?

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I guess I should have mentioned that the other dealer is just a mailorder Mazda parts house on the other side of the country. (wedge)

Whereas I need to get them installed.

That said, I am leaning towards aftermarket, and adjustable, such as the Koni's, but am still undecided.

Mazda5 srtuts

Hi I have mazda5 for 5 years. I put 48000 km and recently I hear abnormal noise from suspension. After diagnose which cost me 60$, dealership confirmed the noise and recommended replacement of rear swaybar bushing and front struts and wheel alignment which is going to cost my about 1000 $. Dealership is saying that this is not covered under the extended warranty and it is wear and tear. It feels strange, after putting 48 000 km in town I have this kind of problem.I am just wandering if there is anybody with the same problem and of course any advice is welcome. Thanks

skala, 48000km seems pretty low for strut replacement, but it all depends on what type of roads you drive on. Our '06 had a blown rear strut at 65000 miles and recently, one of the front struts started leaking at 75000 miles.

I replaced the rear pair last year with KYB GR-2 for US$80 total. I did work myself and posted a DIY in the How-To section. I just ordered the front struts for US$190 (2 KYB struts + bumpstop/dust cover). I'm thinking about replacing the front struts myself but it's a tougher job than the rears. I have been quoted US$260 for labor and I'll need to do an alignment afterwards.

The rear swaybar bushings cost <US$10 a pop. If you are comfortable working on a car, those are really easy to replace.

I am sure some of you will not agree, but you can't really said the shocks wore out too early because it is "only" have xxxxx miles on it. We all know the shocks and structs move up and down with the condition of the road.

If your area have more uneven surface and you drive at a higher speed. your shocks and structs will wore out earlier than smoother surface and lower speed. Also, our shocks and structs not really do well will heavy load due to it physical size limit... after all, they were designed for Mazda3 and Ford Focus, and our Mazda5 are much heavier than Mazda3....

mazdadude said:

On a side note, what ever happened to electronic adjustable suspensions?
Ideally this is what I want, some type of on-the-fly adjustability.

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The drive to cut costs. The manufactures buy the cheapest components that they can get away with. Also maybe a bit of collusion with the aftermarket and replacement industry (which are often the OEM suppliers as well). Gotta keep that cash flow coming in and job security ya know...

Rancho makes a nice air adjustable shock that can be equiped with a remote controlled adjuster. A bit pricey and I doubt they make a shock specific to Mazda cars, but there you go.

One thing I noticed in test driving the 5 was that it seemed over damped a bit. This is usually classified as "sporty" but really what it was is a compromise by the designers in having to choose a fixed damping rate on the bargain-bin shocks they are told to use by the accountants. I suspect this might also be a contributor to tire wear issue suffered by some 5s as well.

There have to be aftermarket adjustable "racing" shocks for the Mazda 3/5. KBY or Koni are ones I am going to investigate.

a10thunder said:

I replaced the rear pair last year with KYB GR-2 for US$80 total. I did work myself and posted a DIY in the How-To section. I just ordered the front struts for US$190 (2 KYB struts + bumpstop/dust cover). I'm thinking about replacing the front struts myself but it's a tougher job than the rears. I have been quoted US$260 for labor and I'll need to do an alignment afterwards.

The rear swaybar bushings cost <US$10 a pop. If you are comfortable working on a car, those are really easy to replace.

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I'm nearing 100K mi and one of the first items on my list is shocks; just wondering how your GR-2's are holding up to the urban pothole mess that passes for a road in the northeast.

JamesG123 said:

The drive to cut costs. The manufactures buy the cheapest components that they can get away with. Also maybe a bit of collusion with the aftermarket and replacement industry (which are often the OEM suppliers as well). Gotta keep that cash flow coming in and job security ya know.

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To be fair, equipment like shocks, tires etc. is chosen to compete at any given price point with other comparable models. OEM tires usually have inferior handling and wear characteristics but can shave $300-400 dollars from the cost of a new car than better quality tires. In the case of a Mazda 5, it is competing directly with Kia Rondo and Chevy Orlando. The total of those cost differences could easily tip the balance into the competition's favor. Marketing departments are obsessed with price points, so we are stuck with cheaper components, unless they add value people are willing to pay for. I am guessing most people who go car shopping assume the tires are adequate (they are brand new!)

By the way, there is also a bulletin on rear springs rubbing on arc welds in the rear spring housing. I noted paint rubbed away on the springs on my 2007 Mazda 5, but replacing the rear shocks completely eliminated the clunking, and rear sway bar bushings eliminated the creaking when the temperature outside was low.