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This is just for my interest.

There are cheap shock absorber rebuild services. They tell they can rebuild my strut. But manufacturer has told that it couldn't be rebuild (Twin tube oil-gas cartridge).

Before I go for a rebuild, I want to know the possible horrors.

Since the shock absorbers and the struts affect for the wheel alignment and the stability of the front wheels, if they get damaged (Lets say if bursts) there is a possibility for a big accident.

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Am I correct ?

If so how common those accidents from strut bursts (Mostly those from rebuild ones)?

Edit 1: (As requested in comments)

My car is a 1987 Toyota Tercel 4wd DX Wagon 1452cc manual driven car. Front strut cartridges are KYB 363037. Present cartridges are worn.

Edit 2:

  1. They told they cut the cartridge about 2 inches below the top (where the manufacturer has weld it) and then refill and re-weld it.

  2. I am asking what happens if it is broken at the welded point which is 2 inches below the top end of the cartridge. (Sorry : no one has given a reply for this yet)

  3. A new cartridge is around $60. Re-builders charge around $20 for rebuilding.

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  • make, model and year - and what is broken the strut or the insert (shock absorber part)?
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Oct 17, 2017 at 14:29
  • worn or broken?
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Oct 17, 2017 at 14:59
  • What exactly is included in the rebuild? A lot of times they replace the strut but reuse everything else.
    – CharlieRB
    Commented Oct 17, 2017 at 17:35
  • usually the "non-rebuildable" ones are just welded up vs "rebuildable" are designed to be taken apart in some way. so to rebuild a non-rebuildable one, they will have to cut and re-weld, and i think they usually do that near the top. either way, if the weld is good, your structural strength should be about the same as stock.
    – agent provocateur
    Commented Oct 17, 2017 at 18:04

2 Answers 2

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The part you're concerned with breaking is not the part they would replace when rebuilding the strut. They're going to replace the gas canister which is in the middle of the spring. The spring bears the weight of the vehicle and the gas strut they're going to replace dampens the movement of this spring.

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I would say the the likelihood of the steel tube being compromised is very low. It would have to be extremely rusty or have some sort of defect in it. The likely shear points would be where the strut attaches to the body and where it attaches to the control arm. Also, may I ask why you're getting your strut rebuilt? From my own personal experience it has been more cost effective to replace both the spring and the strut at the same time by buying a pre-loaded strut. It costs more initially but I can't imagine that the labor to rebuild a strut would be cheap. Pre-loaded struts would be something to look into anyway.

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