is this bad and is this expensive, does this need fixing right away?
They are the main components of your front suspension system.They're a combination spring and shock all in one.Depending on what kind of car you have they can be a little pricey to replace.You may be able to drive the car without fixing them but your ride and handling can be seriously compromised.
Car Struts are used on the front end of nearly every front-wheel-drive vehicle. They are more than shock absorbers and with a different name. A strut integrates numerous different suspension parts into one compact assembly.
The strut replaces the shock, the coil spring, the upper A arm. They were designed to be lighter cheaper then the parts they replace, mainly for small inexpensive front wheel drive cars. There are some cars that have them on the rear axle also. They take special tools to remove, plus some are rebuildable some are not. Also called McPherson struts, after the guy who invented them. I don't have a car with those, so don't know how much $$$ they cost to replace.
