Did you guys happen to buy strut bearings and spring isolators when you installed your struts? If I don't get them will I automatically hear annoying sounds coming from the struts? Thanks.

 

spring isolators, are those the plastic thing that wraps around your spring ?

If so,

I just reused the ones that were on my factory springs.. or you could go to radio shack and use wire wrap, same thing

 

spring isolators i reused, bearings will only make sounds if they are bad when you are turning.

 

I did not replace anything but the springs and shocks. Sometimes on cold morinings they creak a bit, no biggie. I did have a low thud commiong from the rear of the car. It turned out to be my spare
So, on my 7 yr old car with 90K miles, I replaced nothing extra and have had no problems.

 

I don't have a big drop but I didn't replace anything and I haven't had any problems. Just be nice to them.

 

ARGH the org just ate my nice, informative post.

Oh well, I will type it all again!

OKay, so, if you plan on keeping the car/suspension for more than 10k miles, and you already have like 50k miles on the car, I recommend the following:

SHOULD REPLACE:
Dust boots - these are the rubber accordion-boots that cover the strut/shock pistons. OEM ones tend to dry out and fall apart after a while, so it's really important to replace them. If you do not, the shock/strut pistons will be exposed to debris, which can damage the pistons and seals, causing the struts/shocks to fail.

CAN REPLACE:
Bushings - round rubber things that prevent noise and cushion the struts/shocks.
Isolators - the plasticy sheaths for spring coils. OEM ones tend to get crappy after about 50k miles. They go between the 2nd and 3rd coils from the ends of the springs.
Strut bearings (front only) - allow strut assembly to turn, and OEM ones tend to puke out their grease after a while and make noise.

EXTRA:
Coil wrap - 3/8" from Radio Shack

 

How much are dust bootS? and where can I get them?