Toyota Repair: shocks, spring compressor tool, worn shocks

Question
QUESTION: Ted,

Does the Toyota Rav4 have gas shocks?  There seems to be oil or an oily substance around the top of the front shocks, under the dust boot or upper insulator and all the way down below the lower spring seat.  
Does this mean the shocks are bad?
And, do worn out shocks cause any wear on other suspension parts, other than some pre-mature tire wear?

Thank You,

Rick

ANSWER: Most of toyota's struts/shocks are gas filled. Yes it sounds like they are leaking and should be replaced. Although worn shocks don't cause other suspension part to wear they are a safety concern and worn struts/shocks can cause vehicle instability especially when cornering.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ted,

Once the shock/coil spring assemble is removed, and you have the coil spring compressed, my Toyota manual shows using a "special service tool" to hold the "Spring upper seat" when removing the top nut from the shock.
What do you use in the shop, or what else can you use?
And, what is the oily substance if the shocks are gas filled?

Thank You,

Rick

Answer
We use a special spring compressor tool to compress the spring, it can also be done using compressing tools from an autoparts store, this procedure can be dangerous if not done correctly, I would advise to have a repair shop or the dealer replace the struts once you have removed them. The struts use a gas filled chamber as well as an oil filled chamber.