It's easy enough to do, but I'd take the shop up on that offer for sure.

$220 incl parts is fair.

done it myself 1x on the miata, wasn't too hard.

Some struts dont have to be compressed.

I've done it myself on 5 different vehicles that I've owned over the years.

My advice would be to pony up for the good struts if you are going to keep the car.

If you're handy with tools and you have a nice floor jack, do it yourself. You'll do a lot of cursing with the first one but the second one will go quite a bit faster.

Make sure you also get new bump stops.

I've been putting off replacing the 13 yo OEM suspension on the Maxima for a while. I plan on doing it myself too but I'm waiting for warmer weather. I think you will also need a spring compressor as well If you look on Ebay you can find an entire set of shocks/struts and springs for $500 for the basic OEM equivalent stuff. I'm going with Tokico blues because I don't need adjustable suspension. If you buy a Hayes or Chiltons repair the instructions should be pretty straight forward. I have a Hayes for my Maxima and it looks fairly easy but time consuming.

The trouble with OEM equivalent is that alot of companies claim to be, but then you buy it and find out that "equivalent" just means it bolts up OK, but it doesn't ride or handle like OEM. Unless it says Motorcraft, it isn't the exact same strut that Ford designed. Aftermarket companies don't have access to Ford's technical specs of how soft or stiff the strut needs to be. All they do is buy a test car and build a strut that fits and performs "OK" by their mediocre standards. There's two types of aftermarket, shit and non-shit. Monroe, Gabriel, and Ebay brands you've never heard of are shit......they will be softer than OEM 9 times out of 10. Anyone who values good handling should either stick with true OEM straight from the dealer, or buy a known high-performance brand like Tokico or Koni or Bilstein.

You may also need the upper rubber boot and bearing.

Agree with this. Can't tell you how many times people have changed their struts only to have a strange popping noise when they turn afterward.

IMO, its worth it if they've never been done, particularly if your car has 100k or more miles, to at least LOOK at the ball joints too. I cant tell you how many buses I've ridden on in the last 5 months, all public transit that you can hear that when they turn, or go over bumps.