Struts blown at 85,000 miles ?

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2012 Mazda5 Touring
My 2012 mazda 5, we owned since new

The front passenger side had been making a clunking noise over bumps

Took to dealer to do hatch recall, and had the dealer check it out

I thought it was sway bar bushing

Dealer says passenger side front strut is completely blown and driver side is leaking

Is it feasible for struts to be blown at this mileage ?


1) if I replace both, what brand would you guys recommend?

I looked on tirerack and I am confused as some are sold as front shock for about $65 and some say front strut housing for $180 each


I just need front strut/shock not the housing, right ?
 
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I would just replace the strut mounts as well because they will probably be worn.

Before you buy anything, take the car to a mechanic, not a dealer and let him decide what is worn and needs to be replaced.

If you live over rough roads or corner hard, worn struts at 80k Miles is possible. I recommend using bilstein for your replacements.
 
The OEM suspension is really that under-built for the 5.

$65 is probably a strut only which would require teardown of the current strut assembly (spring, mount) and reassembly on the new strut. You can buy an entire ready-built assembly for around $120 / side which includes new strut, spring, mount and is way easier to install.

KYB and Monroe are the standard OEM quality brands (I'm partial to KYB), Bilstein is higher end, Sachs and Gabriel are OK but not great.

I'd recommend the whole assembly if you plan on keeping the car for another 85K, Rockauto is an excellent source for DIY parts if you're still trying to decide on what to buy.
 
Mileage is really not a strong indicator, as it depends on how hard those miles were.

But if you have more than 50-60k miles, you most likely will benefit from new shocks and struts.

If I had to do it all over again, I would get the same Koni FSD's again.
 
Mileage is really not a strong indicator, as it depends on how hard those miles were.

But if you have more than 50-60k miles, you most likely will benefit from new shocks and struts.
All freeway miles

So my car needs new shocks AND new struts? I am confused
 
All freeway miles

So my car needs new shocks AND new struts? I am confused
Struts are what you have up front, shocks are what you have in the rear.

A vehicle will have either a shock or a strut at each wheel, never both. ... The major difference between shocks and struts is that a strut is a structural part of the vehicles suspension system where a shock is not. A strut is also crucial part of the vehicles steering system and greatly affects alignment angles.
 
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I would just replace the strut mounts as well because they will probably be worn.

Before you buy anything, take the car to a mechanic, not a dealer and let him decide what is worn and needs to be replaced.

If you live over rough roads or corner hard, worn struts at 80k Miles is possible. I recommend using bilstein for your replacements.
I am on Rock Auto website. Do I buy the strut mount separate?

I appreciate the help. Newbie with this.

I will go with Bilsteins as you said.

Yes my regular mechanic will check it. But I peeked under there, and definitely leak on the struts can be seen.
 
The OEM suspension is really that under-built for the 5.

$65 is probably a strut only which would require teardown of the current strut assembly (spring, mount) and reassembly on the new strut. You can buy an entire ready-built assembly for around $120 / side which includes new strut, spring, mount and is way easier to install.

KYB and Monroe are the standard OEM quality brands (I'm partial to KYB), Bilstein is higher end, Sachs and Gabriel are OK but not great.

I'd recommend the whole assembly if you plan on keeping the car for another 85K, Rockauto is an excellent source for DIY parts if you're still trying to decide on what to buy.

I used to use KYB, but lots of horror stories recently. Bilstein would be great.

Where can I buy the WHOLE assembly as you recommended?
 
Struts are what you have up front, shocks are what you have in the rear.

A vehicle will have either a shock or a strut at each wheel, never both. ... The major difference between shocks and struts is that a strut is a structural part of the vehicles suspension system where a shock is not. A strut is also crucial part of the vehicles steering system and greatly affects alignment angles.
Appreciate the help.

I am thinking of doing the repair in about 2 months.
 
I am on Rock Auto website. Do I buy the strut mount separate?

I appreciate the help. Newbie with this.

I will go with Bilsteins as you said.

Yes my regular mechanic will check it. But I peeked under there, and definitely leak on the struts can be seen.

I believe the strut mount is sold together with the strut? Easier Instlalation and less labour required. Hopefully someone with more information can chime in.

I would recommend having your mechanic inspect the suspension in and out before ordering anything in case you have other parts that are worn such as tie rods, control arms ball joints etc

Good luck
 
I used to use KYB, but lots of horror stories recently. Bilstein would be great.

Where can I buy the WHOLE assembly as you recommended?

Whole assembly can be bought at a lot of places (rockauto, amazon), but you're limited to only the manufactures that offer a whole assembly which looks primarily to be Monroe if you're staying out of the economy brands. Bilstein only sells the struts/shocks separate in which case I'd recommend buying their strut or shock and corresponding mount (mount brand isn't too important, it's just metal and rubber).
 
Whole assembly can be bought at a lot of places (rockauto, amazon), but you're limited to only the manufactures that offer a whole assembly which looks primarily to be Monroe if you're staying out of the economy brands. Bilstein only sells the struts/shocks separate in which case I'd recommend buying their strut or shock and corresponding mount (mount brand isn't too important, it's just metal and rubber).

Here is the Monroe. Not sure if that is the whole Assembly. When you go to Rock Auto and Select Struts thats what comes up:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7682668&cc=1501076&jsn=462
 
Yeah
I looked on Amazon and Rockauto.

Couldn't find the full assembly as you suggested.

Those are both strut only, would require you or your mechanic to disassemble the current assembly to reuse any needed parts like spring/isolator/bump stop and reassemble with your new strut and mount.
 
Struts are what you have up front, shocks are what you have in the rear.

A vehicle will have either a shock or a strut at each wheel, never both. ... The major difference between shocks and struts is that a strut is a structural part of the vehicles suspension system where a shock is not. A strut is also crucial part of the vehicles steering system and greatly affects alignment angles.

Everyones understanding and definition of what all these terms mean is extremely misinformed and all over the place, so lets not jump to any sort of conclusions here. Based on what Ive learned from talking to suspension experts on a bmw forum, it seems like the most common definition for these words was that a strut is the gas-filled thing that compresses, and the shock is the spring that goes around the strut. This seems to be the correct terminology.
 
Yeah
I looked on Amazon and Rockauto.

Couldn't find the full assembly as you suggested.

Whoa, looks like nobody makes an assembly for the 2nd gen 5, only the 1st. I guess the volume wasn't there to justify a new assembly, my mistake.
In that case, you're going to have to obtain the strut and mount individually. If you end up DIY, invest in a heavy duty spring compressor, avoid the harbor freight version.
 
Everyone’s understanding and definition of what all these terms mean is extremely misinformed and all over the place, so let’s not jump to any sort of conclusions here. Based on what I’ve learned from talking to suspension experts on a bmw forum, it seems like the most common definition for these words was that a strut is the gas-filled thing that compresses, and the shock is the spring that goes around the strut. This seems to be the correct terminology.

'mazdadude's' explanation is how I've always understood it. When referring to suspension, there's no confusing struts and shocks.
If a suspension expert refers to a spring as a shock, they don't know what they're talking about. Sounds like the person that points at a monitor and calls it a CPU.
 
Whoa, looks like nobody makes an assembly for the 2nd gen 5, only the 1st. I guess the volume wasn't there to justify a new assembly, my mistake.
In that case, you're going to have to obtain the strut and mount individually. If you end up DIY, invest in a heavy duty spring compressor, avoid the harbor freight version.

Thanks. Makes sense. Was thinking if I was crazy that I couldn't find the assembly.

Looks like strut only to order then. Appreciate the help.
 
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