Reader Question: I attached the quote I got because I have not received an e-mail yet. I am not sure how long it takes to get one.
I have a 1998 Toyota RAV4 that has 120k miles on it. I have not had any problems with it until recently. When I take a curve regardless of speed and hit a small crack/bump it feels like the back end wants to come out from under me.
I took the truck to a mechanic today and after they spent the whole day with it, they said I should take it to Toyota since they could not be sure what the problem was.
They thought maybe struts and worn tires on the handling thing but were not sure enough to recommend fixing it unless I wanted to try it. Here is my question - they said usually you should replace the struts at 60-80k miles.
I have never replaced them and nowhere in my manual does it list replacing them in any of the miles/service recommendations and the Toyota place has never mentioned it (I had the 60,000 and 90,000 mile service done at the dealership but I do my own oil changes & plugs, etc). I looked at an online site who said 80,000 miles for the shocks/struts.
How do I know whether to replace them? The tires are wearing poorly and unevenly, and while I just had the tires rotated & balanced less than 2k miles ago, it's out of alignment again, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's what it was. The tires have about 30k miles on them but I have kept them rotated and balanced every 5k miles.
However, I am looking at US$1,100 for struts and new tires, so do not know if I want to experiment, would rather know I need to do the work before spending the money. I considered taking it to the dealership again, but the last 2 times there they did not do all the service it needed and I had to go back.
What is your recommendation?
Thanks,
Witt
Hey Witt,First off, thanks for checking your auto insurance. I would however, HIGHLY recommend you get a quote with a higher deductible like $1,000. Unless you are accident prone, the savings you will get from carrying such a high deductible amount will huge. You can then take that saved amount and place it in a high yield mutual fund for emergencies. I carry $1,000 on all my personal vehicles.
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