New to this forum, traded Land Rover Disco II for 2000 S70. My trusted indie mechanic wants $225 per side to replace cracked strut caps. I'm pretty handy and caps are inexpensive but I'm a little leery of compressing the springs if I pull the struts, plus the cost of an alignment. Question is: can I just replace the strut caps with the struts and mounts left in place on the vehicle?

 

If by "strut cap" you mean the front upper spring seats, then no, you can't replace them "in place". It's like any other macpheson strut assembly; you'll need spring compressor and air tools, plus an alignment when you're all done too.

 

Upon closer inspection, what appears to be "cracked" is the top of the strut mount as labeled in illustration. The rubber is worn away so the strut cap (as labeled) is contacting bare metal. I thought I could just replace the cap with strut in place, but I think you are right, I will have to remove the entire strut. Thanks for the quick response.