Clark Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Hey guys, my wifes 2008 Taurus AWD is about to hit 150k and is in need of new tires. The car is long paid for and still in great shape, so Id like to spend some money while Im in there. There's not a lot of strut options for a 2008 Taurus, but the 3 "higher quality" ones I've found are Motorcraft, Monroe OE Spectrum, and KYB. I've used cheaper Monroes in the past and didn't have good luck with them lasting past a few months, but I've never used the OE Spectrums. My gut would say that the Motorcrafts would be the highest quality/longest lasting, but I bought some higher priced GM shocks in the past that also did not live long. Price between the 3 is close enough that its not a factor. Just looking for any customer reviews/complaints or personal experiences that you may have had over the years to help me make a decision! Also, I was told the front strut mounts got replaced on this car about 80,000 miles ago right before I bought it. From what I understand its fairly common on these, and I believe I'm starting to hear the same clunk again. My sister had a similar noise and same problem on her 2011 Explorer. Any input on the quality of the Motorcraft strut mounts vs aftermarket? Have there been any updates to try and help this issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Struts are not something I replace often because I primarily work on trucks. Shocks when I recommend them are always Motorcraft because I think that is what we should be selling at the dealer - point is I have never had a problem with Motorcraft. Recently my Mother's 2003 Taurus needed rear struts and I went with the Monroe Economatic Quick Struts. They were a good price and the fact that they come complete with springs and bushings made them a winner in my eyes. The car rides fine but I can't comment on how long they will hold up because it was only five or six months since installing them. There are also higher levels and options from Monroe. Sounds like you already looked at them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy57 Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I have used OE spectrums on some Euro models that have airbag over shocks or electric damping control. I have used them for 6 or more years, probably 15 sets and never had any come back needing another set. I have a Volvo with electric dampers and I drive it hard. The Monroe OE spectrums on it are fine after 50K miles. Monroe/Tenneco was the OE supplier for the Volvo electric damper control struts. I have used aftermarket strut mounts and haven't had great service from those. I know of sets put on cars where OE had gone 120K and the aftermarket MOOG and other brand names of usual OE equivalent quality didn't go 40K. Too much swappo-changeo crap goes on in the parts biz where the part in the brand name box is made by who the hell knows. On my family vehicles I purposely choose lesser parts sometimes. I have some ragged crap in my family and if it goes 285K on OE cooling fans there ain't no way it's going to last another 285K so I will get the TYC fan assembly for $100 instead of the OE for $325. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Thanks for the input guys. One interesting thing I found after looking deeper into the OE Spectrums, is that the "Limited Lifetime" warranty actually covers struts being worn out for the original purchaser. Not a small thing to overlook if you're trying to sell a customer on a new set. http://monroe-px.rtrk.com/en-US/resource-center/limited-lifetime-warranty/ http://monroe-px.rtrk.com/downloads/warranty/warranty_claim_en.pdf All 3 listed a lifetime warranty, which I assumed was the usual "defects in craftsmanship" warranty, which I now verified for the KYB's. I cannot seem to find any specific strut warranty info for Motorcraft, other then the standard 2 year warranty. The plan right now is to use this car for another 3-4 years, so this warranty is probably what's going to put me over the top for the OE Spectrums. Maybe I'll throw a fresh set in right before it gets a for sale sign in the windshield. In hindsight, this probably should have gone in the Parts forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybullitt Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I put motorcraft struts and shocks in my Taurus x at 120k. When we bought explorer last year we gave the Taurus x to my mother-in-law. I replaced a rear wheel speed sensor and spark plugs last week for her. It now has 198k on it and drives really good yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbudge Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Just a heads up, I have seen several quick struts with the dished washers for the mount on the strut shaft upside down out of the box. Don't recall who the supplier was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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