Struts?

[DeniseNJ]

First of all, we need a car board on the forums.

Also, the tire guy said I need new struts bc they are all rusted out. But it looks just like surface rust to me. I think if I clean them, they would be fine. If I do end up getting new ones, which does anybody recommend? Detroit Axle is cheap but are they any good? They have good Amazon reviews but some ppl say they are junk, since they are actually imported from China. But some Chinese stuff is perfectly fine and some stuff is junk.  Not sure about struts.

It's a 2010 Pontiac Vibe, FWD, 4 speed automatic, 1.8L engine, 114K miles.

[HPstache]

First of all, we need a car board on the forums.

Also, the tire guy said I need new struts bc they are all rusted out. But it looks just like surface rust to me. I think if I clean them, they would be fine. If I do end up getting new ones, which does anybody recommend? Detroit Axle is cheap but are they any good? They have good Amazon reviews but some ppl say they are junk, since they are actually imported from China. But some Chinese stuff is perfectly fine and some stuff is junk.  Not sure about struts.

It's a 2010 Pontiac Vibe, FWD, 4 speed automatic, 1.8L engine, 114K miles.

I have installed 3 different set of struts brands KYB, Tokico and Moog with no complaints.  Are you planning on installing the new ones yourself if you get them?  there are generally special tools required if you are swapping your springs from your old to your new.  Make sure you also have proper tools for the job like a torque wrench as you will be tightening critical bolts.

[ChickenStash]

Are you experiencing an overly harsh or bouncy ride? Unusual tire wear? Any evidence of the shock body leaking? If no, I'd just ignore it unless a little surface rust really bothers you.

For decent quality parts, also try Rock Auto. They carry the usual suspects like Gabriel, Sachs, Monroe at good prices. There's always a 5% discount code floating around in the Googlesphere. They also have full strut+spring assemblies so you wouldn't have to deal with a spring compressor to swap the old spring over to the new strut. 

[DeniseNJ]

I'm definitely looking for the whole assembly rather than mess with the springs. I do have tools, torque wrench, breaker bar, etc. Scotty Kilmer recommends KYB, but they are much more expensive than the detroit.  I'm not having any trouble with the ride at all. They aren't leaking either.

I think I'll just clean and spray with some anti rust stuff. When I do have issues, I'll go with the KYB.  Thanks.

[HipGnosis]

I'm a big fan of Rock Auto.
Find your car / the part you need (which they make easy) and then read the ratings and reviews.
I'm often amazed at the reason(s) given for 1 & 5 star ratings.  Many don't apply to me.

[zolotiyeruki]

Another Rock Auto fan here.

I just replaced my shocks a few weeks ago.  You'll need a spring compressor tool, which you can borrow for free from Autozone.  I splurged on the KYB shocks, and they've been...fine, I guess?  No complaints here.  It's not like I'm taking this car to the track, and need to minimize my lap times

100,000 miles is a common interval for changing shocks, although I think mine were originals when I changed them at 238,000 miles...

[DeniseNJ]

Another Rock Auto fan here.

I just replaced my shocks a few weeks ago.  You'll need a spring compressor tool, which you can borrow for free from Autozone.  I splurged on the KYB shocks, and they've been...fine, I guess?  No complaints here.  It's not like I'm taking this car to the track, and need to minimize my lap times

100,000 miles is a common interval for changing shocks, although I think mine were originals when I changed them at 238,000 miles...

Scotty Kilmer on Youtube recommends the KYB shocks.
I have been perusing  Rock Auto, making a shopping list. lol. Now that I'm into cars, a total newbie, I just want all the things.

But first I'm going to scrub the rust off and see how bad they actually are. My next project is to put in a new bluetooth radio. and roof rails. and new hubcaps.

[BlueMR2]

I've heard good things about Detroit Axle.  KYB I've used years ago and was disappointed and have been avoiding.  They may be better now.  For long life I'm a huge fan of Bilstein's Heavy Duty line.  I put over 200,000 HARD (combination of year round daily driving, road rally, rallycross, autocross, drag strip, and road course events) miles on a set before they started leaking.

Highly recommend a quickstrut assembly over replacing the guts.  Avoids the complexity and danger of spring compression and dealing with a potentially stuck gland nut.  Also, I often see that the springs have pitting on them by the time the strut housing has rust...  Pitted springs may continue to last a long time, or they may not...