Struts for Jeep

December 19, 2011 2:23 PM

Jeep Cherokee filter. I think my 1999 Jeep Cherokee needs front struts. Monro says $600!! Anyone have any experience with this? What would you expect to pay/ did you pay for this? Thank you!
posted by mikedelic to travel & transportation (6 answers total)

Anecdata: my old 1999 pontiac grand am needed front struts, total was $700 including struts, mounts, springs and labor. I know that the same parts for my 1997 malibu are $450 not counting labor. The job is around 2 hours book time total. The price for your jeep is probably fair.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2011

I checked the cost for parts on a 1999 Jeep Cherokee. The struts appear to cost between $30-100 apiece, so their quoted price may be high. I'd get a second estimate from a local mechanic.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:43 PM on December 19, 2011

Struts are dangerous work. Most places have spring compressors in a cage. They are labor intensive. Even just with the price of the struts, you also need struttop bearings, spring pads, and strut bellows. Some of these don't apply, some of them may be included with the strut or strut cartridge.
posted by narcoleptic at 4:12 PM on December 19, 2011

I am not sure at all that jeep cherokees have struts, nor do grand cherokees. I believe they all have solid axles front and rear and use a coil spring with a seperate shock absorbers. I have changed them on a 95 cherokee and it was definately shocks and they didn't change that before production ceased in 2001. I have also changed them on a 97 or 98 grand cherokee and they were also shocks, not struts. I could be wrong but either way 600 is way to much. For both front struts (assuming it is struts, and not including springs or mounts) about 300-350 sounds right. I would take it to an independant shop and get them to look at it and give you an estimate. Monro is notorious for being expensive and doing unneeded repairs.

The easy way to test them is get on that corner of the vehicle (any of them, but check all of them) and start bouncing the vehicle with you body weight. Climb on the bumber and start bouncing the vehicle up and down. jump off, the vehicle should stop bouncing with one oscillation (jump off when the vehicle is all the way down, it should bounce up once then stop at normal ride height). If it keeps bouncing you need new schocks (or struts). Also look at the shock/strut, if it is leaking oil it should be replaced regardless of the bounce test. A good shop will show you either test and explain it all to you. These are not complicated vehicles and just about any shop can handle this repair quickly and easy. This is bread and butter stuff for car maintenance.

If you do have shocks.They are usually pretty easy to change, are usually about 20-30 apiece (part cost only-about 20-30 to change one in labor also) and can be changed pretty easy with a couple of wrenches and a how to guide online.
posted by bartonlong at 4:47 PM on December 19, 2011

I got used struts for my 1993 celica, as they came 'preassembled' and just had to put them in place, no coil compression etc. One of the used ones failed, and I got another one, but all that, including labor, was still cheaper than new ones.
posted by defcom1 at 8:50 AM on December 20, 2011

bartonlong has it. Shocks not struts on the 1999 Jeep Cherokee. Monro is trying to sell you struts it's time to find a new mechanic.
posted by Floydd at 9:12 AM on December 20, 2011