Ok so I just moved to Maine. They have a yearly vehicle safety inspection, and boy are they serious about it. The mechanics must have a strong lobby.

The mechanic (first time I'm using him, but he comes well recommended) says the front struts leak. The ME rules say that the vehicle fails the inspection if shocks/struts leak - I did verify that. If these things are indeed leaking, how long might it take until they fail to dampen adequately?

Now, mind you the struts function just fine at this point - no bouncing. I am annoyed because I do not want to repair something that is still working on a ten year old vehicle. I intend to keep this Vo-vo for a couple years, but then, a lot of bad stuff could happen to it within the next few months...

He wants $650 for the job (which may include the "seat/plate" I am not sure if he means the spring seat or the strut mount?). I can get a pair of Sachs OEM struts from FCP to my doorstep for $200. Spring seats add $50, strut mounts $160. In light of this, does $650 parts/labor sound like an ok price?

Sorry about the lengthy post, any comments would be appreciated.

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'97 850 n/a Wagon, 138K mi