 96 camry LE V4 strusses issues
On Nov 20, 10:31 am, john <conphil...@m> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My mechanic recently told me that I need front strusses and new front
> tires. The tires are in bad shape from the inner side. He told me that
> tires are in bad shape because of bad strusses. But he wanted me to
> buy the tires first ( thanks giving discount 180 dollars) and then fix
> the strusses for 270 dollars. What should I do? Please advice! Sorry,
> if I spelled the word strusses wrong.
>
> John
I think you mean struts (rhymes with ruts) specifically the McPherson
Strut. Originated in Scotland as a very popular dance move to bagpipe
music....
But all seriousness aside, not sure what your question really is, but
after 11 years, and probably some 120K, odds are you need new struts
-- if they have never been replaced before. And bad struts will cause
abnornal tire wear.
In the old days cars had simple shock absorbers, but then advanced to
the struts, which are simple also, but are a bit more dangerous and
complicated to fool around with, so for the most part, backyard
mechanics avoid working on them.
In any events, these fancy "shock absorbers" smooth out the road for a
more comfortable ride, and more importantly, help keep the tires
seated on the pavement where they should be -- giving good traction
and braking. Really bad struts can allow the tires to spend a fair
amount of time losing contact with the pavement....not good. Not only
do you lose control of the vehicle, but it eats your tires.
Sounds like something you should have noticed yourself, right....but
not necessarily....it takes place gradually and you adjust to
it....sort of like being out of alignment or having loose steering,
your brain compensates....but the safety factor has still slipped.
The price seems pretty fair for the struts ($280 or so???). Tires I
can't comment on pricewise, but if your mechanic has been trustworthy
before, this is certainly not something to mistrust about....Sounds
reasonable to me. | 
