Rear shock Replacement

This morning I replaced my rear shocks.

I purchased a set of 2030 - SENSEN Shocks Struts, Full Set, 4 Pieces, with Lifetime Warranty .  They do not come with dust boots or covers for the push rods so I also had to purchase those.

I decided to purchase these  FEBEST Rear Shock Absorber Boot kits.  I bought 2 of them. One for each side.  After I compared them to the factory ones I removed I felt they were a match.  Sometimes you get wrong parts so it is best to verify them before getting to far into the job.  The felt like ok plastic, the bump stop portion is a rubbery material.  Seems to be sufficient for this purpose.  I'm doing daily driving and don't need anything hi performance.

2030 - SENSEN Shocks Struts, Full Set, 4 Pieces, with Lifetime Warranty

FEBEST Rear Shock Absorber Boot

Below is the unboxing of the boot kits when I got them from amazon.com

Below is the comparison of the factory book kit to the aftermarket one.

Factory shock, aftermarket shock and boot comparison.

My Original shock.

Installing was pretty easy. Here is the breakdown on how I did it.  

Is started with putting one rear tire on a jack stand to remove tension on all the parts.   

Remove the access cover in the rear luggage area.

Break free the double nuts with 2, 12 mm wrenches.

Remove the large washer.

Remove the rubber bushing.  Make sure the bushing is still good. 

The shock can now be pulled down from the body. 

Now to go under the car.

Remove the 19 mm nut holding the shock on. 

Remove the washer. 

Remove the old shock assembly.

Installed the new dust boot.

Installed New shock.

Installed new washer and bolt.

Installed original rubber bushing.  Mine was still good.

Installed the washer.

Installed the supplied lock nut.

Tightened the nut just enough to compress the rubber to approximately the same diameter as the washer.   

Another view.

Installed the interior cover.  

Installed and done.  

The whole job probably took about an hour to hour and a half.  its a pretty straight forward job as long as you have the tools.



After driving around the block a bit I could feel the difference.  Firmer rear suspension.  Less body roll on the turns.  Not as much shock from road bumps.   Much smoother feeling.  I like how they feel now but will see how they hold up after my trip to L.A next week.

More to come.


Tools used in this post -

1. 2 - 14mm combination wrenches 
2. 17mm socket, 
3. Pliers
4. Impact gun

Parts used in this post -
Sensen shock kit



Rear shock boots/covers



 Let me know if you have any questions or would like more detail. Thanks for reading.