struts on the front contain shock absorbers as well as the pivot to turn the wheels where as on the rear they are just shock absorbers The replacement part is called an insert
so strut inserts on the front and shocks on the rear
the wheel alignment may be altered during the replacement process so it is suggested to have it done in suspension specialist shop
Difficulty: Easy-ish
Time: About 1 hour
Tools: Two 17mm spanners - ring and open. Long spanners may help.
As the chart below shows, it's quite normal for a shock absorber to have traces of oil around the top. However leaks like level 3 to 1 mean the shock absorber (SA) needs replacing.
Probably a good idea to replace in pairs.
As always, apply hand-brake, chock the opposite front wheel and without the vehicle raised, slightly slacken off the road wheel nuts.
Look under the car - you'll see 2 long metal rails ( the frame rails) . Support each side with a 2 ton minimum jack stand fully extended approximately one foot ( 12" ) in front of the rear wheels. Now use your jack ( preferably floor style ) to lift one of the rear wheels to relieve the pressure on the shock. Remove fasteners securing the shock, then remove and replace the shock. If the new shock has a plastic strap attached, do not cut this strap until you have mounted the shock on the vehicle. If you do not have an exposed frame rail, you'll see a "pad" in front of the rear wheel close to the outside of the car - it should be about 10 inches in from the pinch weld and about 12 inches in front of the wheel. Use this pad for the stand and lift the vehicle by the c shaped bar that goes from 1 rear wheel to the other. Do not support the car with just the jack -it could let loose and drop the car on you. Hope this helps!
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