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I don't know as much as I should about my car, but I've been getting relatively strong, irregular vibrations from the front of my 2004 Civic lately. I took it in to balance and rotate my tires, but when they are in terrible condition (near blowout on the front drivers side tire). I've driven almost 15k miles since my last rotation, and the front tires are in far worse condition than the rear tires (rear drivers side appears to be fine).

The local mechanic recommended replacing the struts along with the tires because of the ware on the tires as well as the fact that the car did not pass the 'bounce test'...when he pushed down on the car it bounced back in a sloppy horizontal motion as well as vertical.

We are relatively new to the area and I do not know if I should trust this mechanic. Do I really need to change the rear struts as well or is the minimal damage on the rear tire due to being in the front a year and a half ago? Will I need to change the rear struts eventually anyway?

I appreciate any advice. I will take better care of my car from now on!

Thanks!

 
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Yes you should replace the struts if they are shot and bounce like a basketball when you go over a bump. And yes the struts do effect tire wear so it is highly likely if you don't replace them your new tires will have the same issues.

But bounce the car for yourself if you don't trust the guy. If you don't know what it should look like push down on the trunk lid of a friend or family members car that is new and then compare to the bounce in your struts. It is fairly obvious. Always make sure your tires are properly inflated too they can not only effect tire wear but also your alignment. Lastly you need to check your Lower Control Arm bushings. Its very common for the front bushing to be shot and cause uneven wear on the front tires. Hopefully that helps.

 
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OH and ....should you replace all the struts at the same time? I would assume yes, but I honestly don't know but there are some serious suspension guys on here that will chime in.

 
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thanks for the input! I will check out the Lower Control Arm bushings. I've halted replacement of the rear struts until further notice.

 
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depends, does the rear bounces as well or just the fronts?
If you don't carry much weight in the trunk they could just be fine.
I myself do all of them at the same time, it would be a mess for me to remember when i did change what...
naturally, if you have a firmer front and bouncy back when your back shocks give away and blow, you will just spin the car if you do a sudden move like trying to duck a pedestrian and end up hitting anyway because of the spin.

 
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If it were mine, I'd change the rears also.. Then again, I do all my work myself, and they're easy as hell to swap. 4-14mm nuts on the top and a 19mm bolt at the bottom. That one's the hardest part about swapping the rears

 
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If you don't trust the mechanic get a second opinion and make no mention that you've already had it looked it. Nevertheless, shot shocks are pretty easy to diagnose. You should be able to feel that it is not taking bumps normally when driving it. If you want to learn about your car, do it yourself, save some money and have some fun

 
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same here, including the part of doing myself