Strut Replacement

Hi All.



Bought a 2012 Sportwagon for my son.



Replacing struts and they don't come compressed. How do you get them in?



Now the only thing I didn't do is disconnect the sway bar on the opposite side.



Do you need to compress them to install?


TIA.

If you're talking front struts, you'll need to disconnect the knuckle to remove and replace the strut assembly.

Unbolt the tie rod end, sway bar link and ball joint, unbolt the axle and remove it from the knuckle gently. Then once you've unbolted the strut bolt and spread the knuckle, you can remove the strut and replace.

All I had to do was unbolt sway bar link both sides, unbolt ball joint, pull the knuckle off the axle (gently as above) and spread the knuckle. Some people have done it without pulling the axle but I couldn’t make that work.

The OP has never done struts before, and I would use caution here, as the springs must be compressed with a proper tool in order to swap the struts. You can seriously hurt yourself if you do not know what you are doing.

These cars use conventional Mac strut front suspension, same as many, many (better than half) of the cars on the road, since decades ago.

If you can get the assembly out, you may be able to find a local shop to swap your struts over for you.

If you are replacing the assemblies, know that most of the aftermarket "quick struts" as they are called are short lived ill fitting junk, and I would strongly advise against using them. You'd be better off leaving the original units in there.