Shock/ strut issue

[PandaSS]

If its not one thing, its another. Lately my car has had a string of problems. I found the newest one today when I was in the process of fixing a downed headlight. I was in an accident a little over a year ago. Today, when the wheel was off, I noticed that the rubber cover over the strut on the passenger's side was sagging down. That's not a big deal in itself, but when I tried to pull the rubber back up I found a bump stop inside the rubber boot. My best guess is the body shop tech forgot to put it in the actual right place and just tucked it in there instead of disassembling and reassembling the strut.

Is the bump stop necessary enough that I should disassemble the strut myself and put it in there? I don't think it'd be that big of a job, but I'd need to obtain a spring compressor and I think a special type of wrench. What do you guys think?

[Synner]

It will save a blown strut if you hit a massive pothole. If you just undo the top you won't even need an alignment. I've done a few of these and not needed a spring compressor, it barely popped off. Get the correct side of the car on jack stands and remove the wheel for access. Jack underneath the spindle so there's a little bit of pressure (hardly any at all, basically just hold it in place so it won't droop), undo the top nut, then remove the jack pressure slowly. Put it back on. Then use the jack to raise the strut into the opening, tighten top nut, then put the wheel back on and you're done. 15 minutes tops.

Or go back and demand they fix their crappy work.

[PandaSS]

Thanks Synner! I'll be sure to get on that ASAP. I'll just do the job myself. I did a little searching around the forum to figure out what it would look like if my strut was already blown. It sounds like there will be excessive fluid leaking from the strut but I couldn't find much else. Any other symptoms to look out for?

[Synner]

Pissing fluid or a wallowing ride.