front struts and rear shocks 1994 Volvo 850

sonydst · Post by **sonydst** » 13 Mar 2010, 13:27

Had the car in for service.

The shop said it needed front struts, rear shocks, and of course an alignment afterwards.
Questions for the experts:
Which brand would you recommend? I know of KYB and the shop also has Monroe.
How much should the parts cost me?
Does it require any Volvo expertise or is it pretty straight forward?
and
How much should the full job cost including labor?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 13 Mar 2010, 15:58

Both the KYB and the Monroe are a downgrade from your original Sachs/Boge struts and shocks.

When it comes to replacing shocks and struts it comes down to what you are after in terms of ride comfort vs handling. A Volvo 850 will never ride like a Buick or a Cadillac in terms of comfort.

For the best all around choice it is the Koni Adjustable shocks and struts but they cost as much as I pay for the cars in the first place. They can be tweaked to whatever level of ride vs comfort you want.

If you are into handling the Yellow Bilstein HDs are great but they are tough on dental work as the ride is very harsh.

The OEM Sachs/Boge are not bad.

My choice has been the Bilstein Touring Class shocks and struts since they are reasonably priced and a slight upgrade in handling from the OEM setup without a horribly harsh ride. They are a bit stiffer than OEM though.

I did put some Monroe struts on my son's 850 (he was home from college and that was all I could get locally beyond the thieves at Rick Hendrick Superior Volvo) and they were at least better than the struts that all of the oil leaked out of. The ride is OK but the handling is compromised when compared to my other 850s.

I have never used KYB stuff but they don't have a real stellar reputation on the message boards.

You might want to give Darrell Waltrip Volvo a call at (800) 689-0021, talk to Jamie or Don, and see what they would charge for OEM parts, they too are a Rick Hendrick operation but they can send you OEM parts for about the same price as aftermarket stuff. I don't understand the disconnect between the Rick Hendrick dealers on parts, my local dealership charges me list +40% while I can buy from DW Volvo for at least 40% off of list.

As far as price goes you are looking at around $85.00 - $100.00 / corner for parts at the mid range but I can't help you on labor, I just do them myself so I have no idea what a shop charges.

...Lee

sonydst · Post by **sonydst** » 13 Mar 2010, 18:15

Thank you, Ozark Lee.

I appreciate the time you take to provide such a detailed response.
You do a great service to the participants on this bulletin board!

sonydst · Post by **sonydst** » 14 Mar 2010, 16:26

Would you recommend that I also purchase the mounts or can I use the existing mounts?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 14 Mar 2010, 17:13

The strut mounts are usually OK. I would recommend new spring seats though. They all break eventually and it is the same amount of labor to change a spring seat as it is to change a strut. I have been using OEM XC90 spring seats on my 850s. They are much tougher, they fit just fine, and they are only a few dollars more. If the rear mounts are OK just leave them. They are easily changed if they fail.

...Lee

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 14 Mar 2010, 18:40

I thought I might offer my input here on the Sachs/Boge struts. These are the original Volvo struts and with them your front end will almost handle like it did over a decade ago. I had one bad strut that was leaking so I went ahead and replaced both front struts ,spring seats, and strut mounts. The whole job cost me considerably less when I supplied him with my own parts when compared to what he mechanic wanted initially (when he was going to use his own parts...like Monroe Sensetrac struts, and other acdelco garbage).

Over $150 saved and I got QUALITY parts put in an added bonus!!!

I've had the Sachs for over 7 months and I love them! Car handles great with them and they don't ride harsh at all!

Lee is right ...an 850 will NOT ride like a Cadillac ...ever...They just weren't built that way.

I totally recommend the Sachs/Boge struts...and for the nominal price difference for such a crucial part of your suspension...I would at-least keep it stock ...and wouldn't compromise with monroe struts.

Dental work is quite expensive..so stay away from bilstein HDs unless your roads are reallly bad..or if you want a very sporty ride and don't care much for comfort.

Bilstein Touring class are great...the reviews on them are amazing...

I would definatley vouch for the Sachs ...I would give them an A!

Oh one last note... make sure you get XC90 spring seats...else you'll be doing suspension work in the near future!

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!