Hello everyone I'm a new scion owner and new to the forums here. Hoping to stand on the shoulders of some of you wise guys and gals in order to educate myself on the new love of my life, My Scion tC.

So I was checking my brake pads after hearing some squealing, and as I took the wheel off I was inspecting everything for wear and tear. I noticed that the shock had a rubber housing that comes down, and seems to be intended to keep out dirt and grime, but on mine it doesn't come all the way down. Also it is very dirty around the bottom.

So my question is two part: First, is the rubber 'boot' supposed to come all the way down to cover the exposed rod inside (the car was jacked up and so the spring was uncompressed, perhaps this is why it's not covered)? Second, see all that dirt and debris around the bottom of the boot, should i be concerned about that, and try and clean it off?

Here is a pic of the offending shock:


So it seemed to me that perhaps the rubber should be sealed to the bottom to prevent all that grime that is in there from getting in. I just don't know if this is a cause for concern or not. Thanks for your 2 cents.

 

id give it a good clean if your worried about it. the boot will cover it up once you put the car back on the ground. thats just cause its jacked up.

you have nothing to worry about my friend

 

Alrighty, I was thinking that. But it helps to hear it from others who may know more about it. Thanks.

 

Its normal and you have nothing to worry about.

 

Whew! saw this on my car too and thought it was torn from the base. glad its normal! :D

(searched and found this thread )