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I would have said the exact same thing.... I noticed no deterioration in the ride of my car before I blew out a strut. However with the replacement struts I can drive quickly over bumpy things (say a dip turning from one road to another or going into a parking lot) and my car will not rub where before the replacement it did. The old ones were clearly worn even though for the most part they operated fine.
1) It depends. The first place I got a quote from (firestone) quoted me $815 parts/labor for the front struts. I had a local shop install them for around $200 and bought the parts myself... right around $200 for struts, boots, and mounts.
2) I'm really happy with the KYB struts I purchased. Very close to the original ride, and perhaps a little stiffer when going through dips. IIRC KYB doesn't make a mount for the 3 so I just bought the monroe mount. Everything was purchased through rockauto.
Maybe I'm lucky?
I took a semi fast sharp turn the other day and the dip was no worse either.
2) I'm really happy with the KYB struts I purchased. Very close to the original ride, and perhaps a little stiffer when going through dips. IIRC KYB doesn't make a mount for the 3 so I just bought the monroe mount. Everything was purchased through rockauto.
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Thanks for the info. I checked the rockauto website and saw two brands of strut assemblies for the Mazda 3, but KYB was not mentioned. The Monroe brand was fully assembled with no need to compress the springs,but i don't think i am interested in that one. Is the KYB strut pretty stiff? I prefer a softer ride. How does ride and damping quality compare with the original struts?
Also saw a very nice 20 minute long YouTube video for strut installation for the Mazda 3.
Well, I finally replaced my suspension (71k miles) all around: KYB struts up front and shocks behind. Apparently the 05 Mazda 3 has struts in front only and I am told that the newer Mazdas have struts all around and is better. Can someone comment on this?
I find the rear suspension still feels a little harsh and I can hear some squeaks and rattle. I'm going to isolate the noise by removing all stuff inside the car that might contribute to this noise.
I had new KYB struts installed up front and new rear shocks installed on my 05 Mazda 3 and the rear suspension still feels somewhat harsh and there is a rattle below. The rattle could be the oil pan shield (which requires several bolts to hold it in place or, worse still, something else with the rear suspension. Earl Schaub, the installer, says that initially the suspension will feel harsh and needs breaking in. Car has 71k miles in odometer.
I recently bought a 2012 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Sedan (skyactive) with 77,000 miles. I had never driven a Mazda before, I really like the car.
I decided although the stock struts and shocks, springs (2 new tie rods installed by dealer who sold me it) were fine i am having new Bilstein B-6 Performance Struts (Part no.35-110736 / 32-110743) $211.00 each and Rear Bilstein shocks (24-196529).$99.00 each . And also swithching out to Whiteline sway bars.
$440.00
Labor is about a grand-
Work gets done in two days - yeah !...... looking forward to seeing extent of improvement.
For 2012 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Sedan - sky coils are fine, I am not lowering the car but now would be the time if I was going to.
