Hey, My 99 Protege DX has 75,000 Highway miles on it and I was told at my last oil change that my struts are getting weak. I was just wondering if this is normal for them to go bad this soon? I really can't tell any difference in the way my car drives now compared to when it was new. The garage I take it to is a very good shop and I trust them but i was just wondering if this sounds right to you guys..?

Thanks,
Barry

 

That sounds reasonable to me. My 99 Pro has ~67k miles on it and the struts have noticeably worn out. They aren't trashed and the car still drives OK (doesn't bound up and down) but it has become more "floaty" over broken pavement and doesn't feel quite as stable as it used to feel when cornering hard.

Stock shocks and struts on most vehicles don't usually last more than ~60k miles unless you buy premium struts (like Bilsteins) or drive on mirror-smooth roads all the time. The reason you haven't noticed a problem is probably because you drive the car all the time and don't have anything to compare it to. Struts usually get worse and worse very gradually (they don't suddenly fail unless you hit something). Go to your Mazda dealer, drive a new Protege and then make a judgment

BTW I plan to buy some Tokicos Illuminas after they come out.