Car people, I need your wisdom

[CurvyKatie]

Originally Posted by Epyon6

What’s the year, make and model of your car? I was trying to remember what vehicle you had last time I visited you, but it’s been a few years since I last saw you.

I dunno if I want to post year, make and model here.

[Epyon6]

Fair enough.

[MarcellusWalluz]

Originally Posted by CurvyKatie

I dunno if I want to post year, make and model here.

We can't guarantee our diagnosis without that info. We'll also need pictures of you posing with it (preferably on the hood), mileage, oil weight, any mods (K&N,etc...), stock wheels or rolling on Dubz?, tire model & anything else you can think of.
^^^^^None of that matters. If it's bouncing like you've got "16 switches like Dre" your struts are fully extended & not compressing. Could be excessive corrosion on the rod/piston, bent/damaged, etc...
They knew they weren't compressing which is why they put "seized" on the invoice & should have mentioned it to you.

[Michael8219]

The fact that the invoice literally says “seized” is doing a lot of work here.

That’s basically mechanic for “this thing is DONE and we don’t want to argue about why.”

Given what you’ve got, here’s how it shakes out.

Big picture
Front strut seized at full extension = strut is mechanically dead.
That doesn’t happen from “normal wear” while the car is sitting on the ground. It usually shows up after suspension is fully drooped — like, say… on a lift.
That timing is suspicious enough to raise an eyebrow.
Can a shop cause this during a timing belt job?
Yes — indirectly, but realistically. A few ways:

1. Full droop + weak/aged strut
At 110k–180k, that strut was already living on borrowed time
When the car is lifted:
Strut goes to max extension
If the piston rod is corroded or marginal, it can:
Tear internal seals
Jam in the bore
Bind on a bent rod that was “fine” at normal ride height
Once it sticks extended → pogo car forever (ADD Marcellus’ ex and 2 chubby friends to the front, but still unlikely to unstick it)
This is very common on older FWD cars.

2. Over-extension or hanging by the knuckle
If the knuckle/control arm wasn’t properly supported:
The strut can get yanked past its happy place
Doesn’t have to be malicious or sloppy — just gravity + age

3. Spring/strut rotated or side-loaded
If anything got twisted while hanging:
A slightly bent rod can suddenly become a very bent problem

What the shop will say (and they’re not totally wrong)
“It was already bad.”
And honestly?
They’re probably right — but also the lift finished it off.
This falls into the gray area of:
Pre-existing condition ✔️
Triggered by service ✔️
Hard to prove negligence ❌
That’s why you get the vague “seized” note instead of detail.

Key diagnostic tells
If someone can check anything in person, look for:
Strut won’t compress off the car → 100% failed
Visible rust/pitting on piston rod
One side seized, the other merely weak (classic)
No prior bounce/noise complaints before service
If it drove “normal-ish” before and immediately turned into a lowrider after?
Yeah… that’s a smoking gun, even if it’s not courtroom-grade proof.
Practical advice (not courtroom advice)
Replace both front struts, no question
Replace upper mounts while you’re in there
Alignment afterward (mandatory)
Don’t waste time fighting the shop unless they’re unusually reasonable — this usually becomes a stalemate

Bottom line
The strut was old and likely internally corroded
Being on the lift absolutely could have caused it to seize
The shop didn’t necessarily “break” a healthy part — but they almost certainly exposed a failing one
“Seized” on the invoice = we saw it, we’re not touching that liability

Most of the guys want the year mileage and car model and whether it’s a rust-belt car (originally from up north). Some makes are notorious for this exact failure mode. As well as the age. But understand completely why you would certainly not want to post that on an open forum. I estimated 110k to 180k miles, years can be extrapolated from that.

[GhostRiderYYZ]

Originally Posted by R.M.

I wished I would have taken an auto mechanics class instead of a home economics class. I was taught that at home.

I never took auto shop, had a father that was a Master Machinist Mechanic for the Railroad. By age 7 I was taking apart, fixing and re-assembling the lawnmower.

The cars of today you need a shop with a lift and some expensive diagnostic tools.

If I get the chance I was a 1965-1985 year vehicle so it is easier to work on, the plain stuff.

[Dorian Gray]

^^^^
The knowledge of being able to work on something with a carbs is a dying art

[Unique_Carpenter]

Originally Posted by Dorian Gray

^^^^
The knowledge of being able to work on something with a carbs is a dying art

Exactly,
A zillion years ago I rebuilt a Holly 4 barrel that was on Ford 289 including a non-stock trim of the butterfly valves.
I ended up doing three more later that year for other guys that were impressed. That paid for a few classes at college.
Also rebuilt a different 289. Btw, at Ford the 289 became the 302, and then became the 5 liter.

Gave up on the auto mechanic work when the late 70s pollution control stuff came out. So yes a carb work is a dead art as you need the zillion dollar electronic analyzer machine to do anything nowadays with fuel injectors. But, kept my hand in the rest of non-engine work so I knew what was going on. Specifically heavy suspension, frames and other stuff related to towing large trailers.

Anyway, back to this thread.
The suspension comments made by a few of the guys above are on point. There is easily a handful of things that could be off. Thus, the current objective should be to find a trusty mechanic that can handle suspension stuff and turn him loose on the problem.

[MarcellusWalluz]

We are all eagerly waiting to hear the resolution to this issue.

[R.M.]

Originally Posted by CurvyKatie

I hear that. I took ballet classes growing up. A whole lotta good that did me, lol.

I did tap. Same here Welcome back. Good luck with the mechanical issue.