Was wondering how you can tell whether your car needs new struts, new springs or both?

If you do the front end bounce test and there is excessive bouncing then I can see where the strut is probably bad but how do you know if the spring needs to be replaced too?

BTW, I've got 118k miles on my Maxima.

Thanks.

 

If springs are well-made they will last the life of the car. People change springs because they want to change the firmness of the suspension or the height of the car, or both.

The bounce test is not always reliable. If you see fluid leaking from a shock or strut, you know a seal has blown, and the shock is not long for this world. If the ride of the car seems uncontrolled or unstable when cornering, braking, going over bumps, etc. new shocks+struts are probably in your future.