Hey guys. Noob here. I have a 2008 white Urban Runner. Love it. My first car was a 2000 3rd Gen.

Just took it in for some rattles and squeals and some odd clicks when turning. I was told I needed new struts in the front. About a $1000. Car has 52,000 miles on it. Does that sound about right? Could be from that time I tore Joshua Tree up a few years ago.

Just wondering what I should buy instead of letting the dealership do it. And find someone in la to do it for me. I don't have a lift or anything. Car is stock. But I joined here to change that. Thanks guys!

$1000 is insane. I paid that for my complete OME lift for my 1999, all new, front and rear!

First off - welcome to the forum!

Do you have Xreas? If so the price doesn't sound far off from the typical replacement. If you're doubtful of their diagnosis, take it for a second opinion. If you have Xreas, 52k miles seems a bit young for that system but if it's leaking then who knows. There is a wealth of information on Xreas and a 'lift' sticky you should spend some time in if you're planning to change out the stock parts.

Any more details on the sounds or exactly how the dealership determined the shocks were bad? If you have Xreas they can't just replace the front shocks but will have to replace both front and rear as it's a diagonally cross-linked system.

The more information you can provide on your truck the more folks here will be able/willing to help as we can't hear the sounds or know what stock suspension you have.

Since you have an Urban Runner then you definitely have XREAS so keep that in mind. I just hit 95K miles on my '07 and replaced the shocks and struts last week at the recommendation of a tire shop I went to. I don't notice a significant difference in ride quality and I'm guessing I could have gone longer without replacing them but at least they are done and hopefully good for another 95K+ miles. 52K miles does seem rather low for struts going bad.

Thank you!

I'm assuming I do have XREAS. But I need to make sure. Apparently the front struts are leaking. It is a little bouncy. But I also live in Hollywood :-)

Are the shocks that Toyota will install if this is XREAS, the best option ? I think I may take it to get a second opinion though to make sure they aren't playing me stupid.

I will say I just had a throttle service done and can really tell a difference in the acceleration. That was their recommendation

Shocks are pretty subjective around here. Xreas will be expensive to replace and there are a lot of other more traditional shock/spring setups for cheaper. Read into Xreas a bit and look at the suspension options thread. A lot of folks swap it out for Bilstein 5100 and are more than pleased. There are also those who swear by Xreas and get it replaced when it starts leaking because they like the handling/ride it provides.

I had Xreas until I swapped it out for a coilover set up earlier this year. I haven't looked back and don't miss it one bit!

first a bunch of good advice so far to your questions...

for $1,000 I would go with non-xreas. If you decide to fix x-reas (Cross Linked REactive Absorber System) just be aware with offroading it will likely leak and require maintenance again before a similiarly priced conventional replacement setup (OME, billies etc...).... the xreas is really not designed for heavy off-roading, it was designed at a time when the SUV tipping concern was all the rage for soccer moms driving suv's like sports cars.. this is a body on frame vehicle after all, not a unibody minivan or car... xreas limits body roll and attempts to maintain the vehicle level for a "sportier" feel on pavement.

My wife has a 07 without xreas and I have an 05 with xreas. I've bought my replacement suspension for the 05 and it doesn't involve the acronym xreas...It'll be going on as soon as the weather warms up. My wife's conventional oem suspension is just fine for her needs but I may replace it with the economical option below in the next few years just as a refresh for her...

needless to say there are some real economical ways to replace xreas and maintain similar ride quality in a conventional setup... If you think your coils/springs are all fine AND if you like the current height of your 4runner then you're good to go there. IF you want to lift it a bit during this process you can either find some 07-09 FJ springs (see the sticky) or buy some new MOOG springs off rockauto. Either route should get you a slight lift (.5-1") with a firmer ride for about $120'ish in parts.

For shocks/struts it's hard to argue with billies for the value. you can get front and rears for 320'ish from one of the site vendors... setting the adjustable fronts at .85 or 1.75 should give you a lil more front end lift to level you out if you don't like the factory rake.

Lastly, I would upgrade your sway bar bushings and rear endlinks to poly (oem ones are rubber). There are numerous threads on this forum on that subject and this costs about 60 for all the parts...

To summarize, for about $500 in parts and probably 6-8 hours of your time in a driveway or parking spot, with the right tools (you don't need a lift just your oem jack and maybe a few wood blocks) you can have an all new suspension (with a very slight lift).

Up to you if you want to get your hands dirty or not.... Whatever you decide let us know in the suspension thread and post some pics to share your experience.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Reading up a bit. Sounds like the FJ springs and 5100's are the way to go.

As far as the 5100's go, is it best to call them and ask for the right part numbers ?

Also are there any good do it yourself threads here for installing? I took my Runner to an off road shop today. They were weary about messing with the removal of the XREAS and how it may effect the computer... And also how they would install 5100's with the way the holes are drilled where the XREAS in the rear are located.

Any good threads explaining this here? Excited to get this thing a little higher and be able to take it out to the desert without worrying about ruining what Toyota installed stock. Thanks guys!

the xreas has nothing to do with the ecu/ecm... it's a closed loop system that does not communicate with the computer, just rip it off and be done with it when ready.

as for your other questions in addition to the lifted thread sticky I think this sticky would be beneficial: Pre-Purchase Info, Modifications, Write-Ups, Quick Links, and FAQ's

good luck.you don't need the part numbers, just order thru one of the sites vendors/ sponsors... they have the best prices from what I found when shopping around last month for my lift parts.