shock boots on my new front shocks?

[longhaul747]

I was going over my 4Runner today and noticed my just installed front shocks and struts don't have any sort of boot on the shiny metal shaft. I always believed a boot was necessary to protect the shaft from contamination and keep it from wearing out. Without it the shock would be shot inside of a year. It rides nice but it looks a bit strange when you look in that area.

Should I go to the shop that did the work and complain? They have a lifetime waranty on parts and labor so if they do fail I guess I can get them replaced but still feel it should have been done right.

 

[bgmac]

what kind of shocks?

 

[longhaul747]

what kind of shocks?

They are Les Schwab's Mountain Ryder XT house brand made by Gabriel. Ride quality and handling are greatly improved over my old worn out stock shocks.

I decided to google it and amazingly the opinion seems to be running without boots is actually better. Boots just trap dirt and other crap this is actually worse. However you can find some opinions that go the other way as well.

 

[bgmac]

Well, personally I have always had boots on my shocks...but if they have a lifetime warranty, I wouldn't worry about it. You could always call them and ask why they dont have boots on them.

 

[theizzardking]

Well, personally I have always had boots on my shocks...but if they have a lifetime warranty, I wouldn't worry about it. You could always call them and ask why they dont have boots on them.

:iagree:
what do the instructions say? warranty will be void unless installed properly and maybe even void if not installed by an authorized dealer, personally i have always ran with them on and zip tied the tops and bottoms to keep the extra crap out, the only time stuff should get past the boot and into the joint of the shock is if your submerged to that point in which case you'd want to clean them properly anyways.