broken rear shock; 107K miles; replace all shocks/struts? suspension bushings?

[Dave G]

My car is a 2006 Baja Turbo with auto trans and 107K miles.
I've got a broken rear shock on the passenger side. The car is driving as if the suspension was disonnected when I hit any bumps, etc. I looked underneath, and that rear shock is leaking some thick black oil substance. The rest of the suspension looks okay, and nothing else seems broken or disconnected.

When replacing that bad shock, I certainly plan to replace both of the rear shocks, but should I also replace the front struts?
The front suspension doesn't feel like there is anything wrong, but it also doesn't feel like it did when it was new.
And the rear suspension hasn't felt new in quite a while.

The ride height is fine, just like when it was new, and I like it that way. Do I need to consider putting in new springs?
The mileage on the car is all highway miles, so the springs haven't had a big workout over the life of the car. I'm thinking that the springs don't need to be changed, but I'd like to hear opinions from others.

I don't see anything particularly wrong with the suspension bushings, but they certainly are not like new. While the shocks and/or struts are being replaced, should I have the suspension pieces removed and have new bushings installed? Is that going to be a lot more expensive?
The plan is to have the work done at my local Subaru dealer. I have not talked to them yet. I wanted to get opinions here first.

Thanks in advance for any opinions.

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[Baja_Gernaut]

That's good you actually spent the time inspecting the car yourself. Your baja could be premature for any crushed bushings or imperfections in the rear. I would replace both rear struts only from any mechanic other than the dealer. The job is too easy to pay the dealer 89 dollars an hour for labor. If you know or seen a shop, ask them about replacing your rear shocks only. And remember don't go cheap with shocks because you get what you pay for.

[Benhart21]

I'd say $89/hour for dealer labor is on the cheap side. Most I know of are over $100/hour. As far as the springs are concerned, they should be fine and not require replacing. At a minimum, I'd replace both rear shocks, but if it were my car, I'd do the front struts as well. With 100K on them, it couldn't hurt. Bushings are probably not necessary, but again it couldn't hurt to do them. I'd certainly get the wheels off the ground and grab whatever part the bushing is in and give it a few tugs to see if there's any obvious wear.

I was wondering something along these lines. I'm looking at replacing the shocks/struts in my car sometime soon and was looking at options that aren't the OEM parts. I've found some that are listed as Outback/'03 Baja fitment, and I'm wondering if the slightly taller springs on the '04+ would be problematic. I have no idea if that extra inch would over-extend the shock since we've got some gnarly potholes and such around here.

[sfeather11]

Hey there,
I put 05 springs all around on my '03 to get the extra 1" lift. They worked out well. I also put the '05 shocks on the rear only (my right rear was broken anyways). IIRC the only difference is an extra 1" travel for the rear shocks. The front struts are the same part # for all years, so I left them alone and just changed the springs. I've never had an issue in the last 2 years.

Peace!

[aceman67]

How do you remove the rear strut I understand one side has an access panel behind the drivers seat how do you access the passenger side you need to remove the whole panel completely

[Grubby Baja T]

Aceman,

The top of both rear shocks are accessed behind the rear seatback (fold rear seat bottom forward and seatback down flat). Then remove the plastic pieces (I think there are 3 pieces that have to be removed). You can then access the two nuts on the top of each rear shock.

Mike

Originally Posted by aceman67

How do you remove the rear strut I understand one side has an access panel behind the drivers seat how do you access the passenger side you need to remove the whole panel completely

[bmann]

Old thread, but just to add to the fun, you have to remove the whole panel. Though it looks like there are places you can get leverage to pry apart the little "cup" on the passenger side, it's fastened to the panel permanently. Pulling the whole panel off isn't super difficult, it's just held in by clips that will release if you pull it toward the front of the car. There is also a horizontal clip at the bottom, once you get the two forward facing ones free.