Leaderboard

I installed one in my 2002 Xterra and it has been great. Charges well at idle and has handled winching with no issues. My buddy also installed one in his 2015 X.

Generally, replace parts when they: 1) Fail visual/functional inspection 2) Are worth doing it "while you're at it"...i.e., the cost of the part, relative to the labor process and cost to install it later, is small enough to justify replacing it now. 3) Are designated with a white X in a black circle in FSM diagrams, indicating "always replace after every disassembly". These are usually nuts in high-torque applications (suspension, engine) and gaskets/seals in fluid/oil applications. The strut mount nuts (p/n 01225-00231) satisfy #3. The strut bearing (54325-5V000) satisfies #2. The bumpstop boot assembly (54050-0W002) is a #1/#2 part in my book...it may look fine now, but if you doubt it will last another 30K+ miles (or whatever you want/expect the strut lifespan to be), just replace it. Some boots are a thin ABS material that will eventually reach a deterioration point and fail uniformly. They end up looking like a stack of shredded plastic rings, which may shorten strut lifespan if they allow dirt and salt into the strut. Parts like the upper seat, the upper insulator, or coil end sleeve tubes usually satisfy #1. You can re-use them if they're in good shape (no rust, tears, frays, crumbling, etc.). This usually depends on the age, location of the vehicle, and manner in which it's driven. Obviously, the costs of parts add up, especially if considering OEM. My personal preference about buying OEM vs. aftermarket is that unless I'm certain an OEM part will last 2x-3x longer (to justify its usual 2x-3x costs), I simply won't buy it. (But this doesn't mean I buy the cheapest parts either.)