How tough is it to change the struts on these cars?

[RI Nine Three]

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being an oil change or plugs and a 10 being rebuilding an engine or tranny I guess) how tough is it to change the front struts and mounts on an '03 or newer? I do have an impact wrench at my disposal btw.

Also how dangerous is it? I mean how likely is it that the spring compressors will let go or slip and cause some serious injury? That's really my main concern... I'll put up with a pain in the @%$ job as long as it is safe.

Any tips or tricks to decrease the chance of any headaches or injury?

Thanks guys and gals!

[Arild]

I am amateur mechanic and I would say that to change the struts is not hard at all. Maybe a 2 or 3?
You need a couple of coil spring clamps to be safe. And I would consider replacing the strut bearing at the same time. They can make lots of annoying noise when they start to get worn.

[SaabScott]

I would be surprised if you need to change your struts.
Your springs and/or mount bearings, yes.
But the struts are pretty durable.
I thinbk we've only changed one set due to wear/leakage.

[RI Nine Three]

Thanks for the replies!

I already bought the struts so I might as well change them as well. I was planning on the mounts and bearing anyways because they are bad on the right side so I figured I would replace the struts anyways while they are off the car. This Saturday I'm giving it a go as long as it's not 100 degrees and humid outside. If I remember I'm going to take some pics and post a how-to (or a how-not-to depending on the outcome) to get the tech section in here a nice boost.

Thanks again!

[RI Nine Three]

So I did change the struts out yesterday... kind of

After removing the struts I took the assemblies to a local mechanic who has done a lot of work for my family's cars in the past and he did the compressing and swapped over the springs to the new struts, mounts, and bearings for $40. Beats the risk of compressing the springs myself.

Putting them back in was somewhat of a pain in the butt... partly because the last bolt for the top mounts snapped (probably from using too much torque on the impact wrench). Luckily I still had the old ones around so I just recycled one of the old bolts.

All in all 90 minutes to take out 2 hours to reinstall. Now that I know what I'm doing I could definitely do this a bit quicker.

Now I'll be doing the sway bar links next week because they were completely shot.

[RI Nine Three]

I forgot to add that the ride is much better with the new struts on now. The rear is noticeably rougher over bumps now so that will be scheduled to change in the spring I think.

Also after strut replacement alignment shouldn't need to be adjusted correct?

[Arild]

The rear dampers are like a 30 min job on each side. It's almost so easy it isn't fun

When I'd changed the mount bearings on my 9-3 SS I took the car to the dealer to check the alignment, but it was perfect so that was a waste of money.

[CarbonFlash]

Well I was just going to say bring it to a shop that has the tools and equipment. It's not that much more.

And again we aren't dealing with a Chevy Cobalt or Honda Civic here. Spend a few more $$$ and have it done right without the aggravation!

[SaabScott]

I forgot to add that the ride is much better with the new struts on now. The rear is noticeably rougher over bumps now so that will be scheduled to change in the spring I think.

Also after strut replacement alignment shouldn't need to be adjusted correct?

No.
You are playing only with the suspension, not the steering.
Unless of course you had an alignment while the suspension was no good .. then it is set to that and would need to be re-adjusted.

[RI Nine Three]

Did the sway bar end links last night... what an easy job and also seems to have helped the ride even further.

Never mind the annoying clunking is gone!