- Detroit Axle - 8pc Struts Shocks Kit for 2003-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis | Ford Crown Victoria Lincoln Town Car, Front Struts w/Coil Spring Rear Shock Absorbers Sway Bars Replacement

I agonized about whether to buy these or spend a LOT more on other options. I'm so happy I trusted the reviews and went with Detroit Axle. This is a 6-month review. The old strut mounts were rattling over bumps and the car sat really low. Puddles would make the belt slip and squeak. It still felt smooth and nice but cornering wasn't very fun (body roll). These struts made it all better and I have no complaints about the ride height or fitment. Installation was no problem except one of the ABS wire mounts was finicky. Initially, the ride height was a little higher than I thought it should be but as you can see in the picture, the springs have settled to an even and appropriate stance. The ride was slightly bouncy (but still smooth) at first but a few hundred miles later the car feels smooth as silk and cornering is much better than before. Feels like a Lexus! Even if these only last 2 years, at the price, so worth it to make an old car feel new.

Extremely smooth ride after installation; a complete contrast from the OE Struts that had finally worn out on my Mazda5. Perfect fit and no issues reconnecting the ABS line and the brake line. I also replaced the stabilizer bar links since it was the perfect time to also do that. Also the top of these Detroit Axle Struts can be manually repositioned (rotated slightly by hand) to align with the upper "Strut Tower" (3-hole pattern) bolt locations. Every detail...every design feature is built-in to these aftermarket Struts to identically match the OE Struts. Only time will tell how durable these Detroit Axle aftermarket Struts are. I've used these on other older vehicles and these have worked extremely well. When it comes to installation, I don't know that there are ANY "easy" Struts to install. The beauty of this product is they come Factory pre-assembled with brand new Springs, which is an immediate time saver as well as a safer car maintenance task for the DIY'er, like myself. While that costs more, I myself don't mind paying a little extra for the factory pre-assembled (entire) Strut assembly. I have never had a problem with Detroit Axle Struts. I like the paint quality and the finished look. The only drawback with replacing Struts is getting them perfectly realigned back into the main front (Cast) wheel bearing Housing. I'm talking about a very near "line to line" shaft fit back into the factory machined cast collar. It takes patience, a coating of motor oil on the Strut bottom (about 2") and careful but deliberate use of a smaller (3-lb) sledge hammer. I well imagine that all vehicle makes and models are going to be different for ease of replacement Strut installation. Mazdas are a challenge for absolutely sure, however the immediate difference in ride quality is WELL worth the effort. I've done over a dozen or so of these aftermarket Struts now. I'm still an amateur but I always, always appreciate the immediate difference in ride quality. Makes your older vehicles feel and drive young again. And if you can afford it (and the need is there), replacing the front tires (with a front end alignment!) will transform your vehicle to an even greater, smoother ride. The value is in driving your older vehicle longer before having to finally replace it.

So far so good perfect fit. Definitely need a second person to help put the struts in and the shocks. I sprayed everything down with PB blast the day before that help out a lot. On the 2012 Kia Sedona EX model you have to take off the cowling and the wiper arms and remove the wiper motor. The arms you need to make sure you mark the location with a piece of painters, tape where the wipers are located on the windshield. Also, they are very hard to remove the wiper arms themselves. You have to play with them and walk them back back-and-forth in order to get them to disengage.

It didn’t come with instructions or anything but I have a fair amount of knowledge so I knew exactly what to do. After I installed it then had it aligned, the ride quality was way better then the shocks the previous owner had on their that were way worn! They look to be a decent quality strut.

For the install I would suggest two scissor jacks to hold up the rear swing axle. At least two ton jack and short jack stands. The OE nuts that are 17mm head size are 18mm in the kit. So make sure you have both sizes. My kit didn’t come with the rear shock rubbers and washers. I reached out and customer support representative Steven offered a partial refund. For the sway bar links mine were really rusted and I couldn’t get them to break free on one side. I suggest a 4” grinder and cut off wheel and carefully cut the sway bar link lower stud. I first removed tension on the sway bar. Then cut the sway bar link (don’t cut the sway bar.) I was then able to remove the sway bar link with the strut assembly. With the strut assembly out of the way I tied back the brake lines and carefully, very slow with light pressure cut the sway bar link stud. Then knocked it out with a punch. Wear ear and eye protection. Make sure your vehicle has no grease oil or gasoline that can catch fire and have a fire extinguisher handy. For the rear shocks first impact the upper nut. Then use an Allen key 6mm and a 17mm ratcheting wrench to remove the nut. Replacement nut has an 18mm head. Gear wrench makes a 4 size ratcheting wrench. 16mm, 17mm, 18mm and 19mm. If you don’t have one get one. Best of luck be patient and be safe. Plastic wheel chocks or wheel chocks of some design are a must.

Warning you may not get what you ordered. They were shipped in 2 separate shipments which is fine except they shipped 2 different brands for the rear. We received 1 Detroit Axel (which we ordered) & 1 Raysbestos. I called Detroit Axel and they told me if they were out of what you ordered they automatically substituted another brand. They did not contact me, if they had we would have cancelled the order. My husband is a retired mechanic and knows you shouldn’t use 2 different brands as it can cause the tires to wear quicker, make it drive differently & create possible safety issues. We spoke with several certified mechanics & parts dealers who all agreed with him. The customer service person said we could return all of them for a full refund but we would have to pay shipping even though they sent a brand we did not order.After about 5 to 10 minutes and talking to someone else he finally agreed we would be able to get a partial refund & free shipping if the front ones were correct. The front ones arrived the next day & they were correct. I called back and they sent us a prepaid label to return the rear ones. I shipped them out the next day and they received them several days later. Several days later I got a message from Amazon saying Detroit Axel had refused my refund. I then had to contact Detroit Axel. I finally received notice the refund was processed 12 days after they were received at Detroit Axel. I recommend not buying from them if you don’t want a headache.

All i have done is put parts on one side as rain storms hit before i could finish. Everything fit as it is suppose to. Rear shocks do not come with new mounts. If old mounts are bad you will need new ones. Rear links are a pain to swap out and im still weighing pros and cons as old ones still seem in great condition. Front strut assembly was pretty easy to swap and links fit great. Have to raise the strut up to fit the links though. I will update after i finish and get a chance to drive around a bit. Did test after I installed rear shocks since my rear shock was blown out and it felt amazing so i assume will be great once im done.

My customer has a much smoother ride with the new parts on his 2014 Buick Lacrosse

Its perfec fit for KIA sportage 2024. Very low price.