was told my rear struts are bad, not sure when they were last changed since i have only had my car a year. its a 2000 neon with around 135k.

first of , i can tell that my rear driver side strut is leaking, whereas the passenger rear one is not.

secondly, i looked up videos on how to tell if your struts are bad and found the bounce test:


i went ahead and bounced the rear struts and they bounce like the working ones on the video. they do not bounce a alot like the ones that are bad in the vid. i also went ahead and bounced the front ones and they bounced the same way, like the good ones in the video.

however, when i bounced the front struts, no sound was coming from them. but when i would bounce the rear ones, i can hear a liquid sound as if the liquid was being turned into bubbles, sort of like a low squish sound.

assuming i have to replace the rear ones, do i have to buy the complete assembly:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...78_5913_132732

or

just the actual strut itself?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...62_1759_104512

also ,what are the bad things that can happen assuming i do not replace them for a while

Thanks

 

you would only need the strut itself. the assembly would be for if your springs are worn. at 135k, i'd say they're probably fine. based on what you stated, i'd go ahead and replace that strut if i were you.

negative effects of worn strut? The initial problems you will have as it loses it's ability to function properly is a rough ride. This is the result of the tire bouncing which causes accelerated tire wear and loss of tire contact with the ground. The car may become unstable as a result of the tire losing contact with the road which may result in an accident. That's worse case scenario, but certainly worth getting it resolved.