PSA and question on shocks

[toyotawave]

With how expensive aftermarket parts have gotten I’m sure most people just go with oem, but just wanted to say to always stick with OEM! These Monroe rear shocks are clearly much smaller than the Toyota ones. I also did have to buy new retainers that fit the oem shocks and they were more expensive than the shocks! I did have a question though, since I don’t have a small enough torque wrench for the top nut, how tight should they be? The squished rubber pucks tell me it’s way too tight?

 

[toyotawave]

Top bolt for reference

 

[toyotawave]

Figured it out when installing the second shock, it seems that the flanged retainer needs to be added second from the bottom, so it can properly mount into the hole (see photo). I realized this when i noticed how much the second shock moved around in the hole and after moving it down, it helped with tightening the top nut snug but not overly compressing the rubber pucks. I originally had that flanged retainer on the very top.