Strut replacement suggestions and how-to

Q

Quesogrande

Member
Howdy folks,

I've been looking through your Protege 5 section for strut replacement information. The Tokico blues are one of the brands mentioned more often. What I need is not high-performance, as this is a daily driver and we're moving into a house soon, so money is definitely tight.

Roger Beasley Mazda told me that my right front strut is leaking and causing a banging sound whenever I turn left, but they want $800 for the work.

So, basically:

1) What is a respected, dependable non-performance replacement for my stock struts?

and

2) Is this something I can do myself, or with the help of a friend who has replaced the struts on his Passat by himself?

and

3) If I do replace them myself, will I need to go get an alignment or something afterward?

Maybe with your collective wisdom you can all help me save $$$.

Thanks a ton in advance,
QG
 
Factory replacement would cost $73 new. The install is not that hard. There are how to's in the How To section of this forum. But I'd recommend you have an alignment done afterwards.

If you want, I have my factory struts with roughly 30K miles on them. I'll sell you the set for $100 or one for $25.
 
$800 is way to much

Les Schwab quoted me about $550 for replacements all around with the non-Mazda factory replacement is the KYB GR-2.....

You can get a set of Tokico blues for around $350 if you would like a bit more "sport" suspension....

Install is pretty easy, that would be up to you and your confidence and free time.
 
Advance sells KYB GR-2s on their website for about $63 each (for front, rear, whichever you need). These are pretty much OEM type replacement struts. They're inexpensive, relatively speaking, and should do what you need. If you're not dropped then I wouldn't worry about spending any more $$ on struts than that. You don't need Tokico HPs.

As far as DIY: If you have a friend that's done a strut replacement before then you could probably tackle this. Replacing struts on any car really isn't that hard, just time consuming. You will need a spring compressor and basic hand tools. Autozone / Advance / O'Reilly will probably even rent you a spring compressor. Good luck! Let us know how it goes. My Racing Beat catback and Kartboy exhaust hangers are in the mail. Struts are next!
 
like the others have said, you've got a bunch of options for inexpensive struts, and all would be relatively easy to change out yourself. if your friend has replaced his struts already, you'll be two steps ahead of the game.

no matter which strut you end up choosing, or whether you do it yourself or have a shop do it, it all boils down to the simple fact that you are fundamentally changing your suspension and as a result, an alignment is HIGHLY recommended. you don't necessarily need one that same day, but definitely don't put it off for long - if you do, you could find yourself having to replace one or more tires in short order due to uneven wear, etc. spend the money and get the alignment done after your strut(s) have been replaced. :)
 
susamafone said:
bah, roger beasly mazda sucks balls. do it yourself and save a lot of money
Click to expand...

I lowered my car for $110, including all cost:) Deff worth doing it yourself!
 
susamafone said:
bah, roger beasly mazda sucks balls. do it yourself and save a lot of money
Click to expand...

Got my pro5 from there for $13,700 out the door in 2003..only had 120ish miles on it...guess she was the demo...new to me at any rate.

Turned me into a mazda guy....though I suppose that speaks more for the car, and not the service dept there...

Jason
 
hey bigcheese, you can get Tokico's off of ebay for around $80 each. I paid $320 for my set of 4, and that was shipped. And if you can't do all 4, do the whole axle at a minimum. As for doing it yourself - go for it. I did my springs by myself with no prior experience on suspension. Just follow that how-to that was mentioned, and you should have no prob. The only thing is that I strongly recommend an alignment afterward, or else your tires will pay for it.
 
corksport sells protege europe-spec oem struts which are a little stiffer then stock which is what im going to be trying.
 
i just put on the kyb gr-2 in the back. the cornering didnt improve much, but the car does resist motion over bumps, which is the struts actual purpose. also the ride height i beleive is the same, if not lower than the beat out OEM struts, which would mean the gr-2 provide a lower center of gravity new out the box.
 
Perhaps save the money from the dealership and get the lowering springs and do both yourself at the same time - eh?
 
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