Spring Replacement In Front Forks?

I have 2011 Sprint GT with 40k miles. I just had a service tech tell me that I should fully rebuild the forks, including replacing the springs for a whopping price of $560! The front fork oil change is $382.

Since the front forks have never been serviced, they are probably overdue for an oil change. Is there any need to replace springs?? I think that this tech is just mining my bike for extra money, but I may be wrong.

What other work on the front forks is appropriate at this time? New bushings? I see no evidence of leaks on the forks, but the bike is 12 years old...

Any thoughts to share?

 

Thanks Linx! Can you help me to understand what you mean when you said that the "Springs will only need replacing if shorter than the service limit"? What symptom should I be looking for to decide? Fork degradation happens slowly, so I'm probably used to the current behavior. My forks do have an oil film on them, so the seals need to be replaced along with the oil. I am hoping for someone to comment on the recommendation that I got from the Technician about bushings and springs. Thanks for any further input!

 

Thanks for the clarification! Will do.

 

My experience with this service location is that they tend to recommend additional work that may not be required. I agree that the fork oil is overdue for a change, and a film on the fork extension suggests that the seals are also overdue for replacement. When I have this work done (by another place), I'll ask them to confirm that the springs have not compressed beyond specs. Thanks for the input!

 

I hadn't considered that option. Thanks! Frankly, I will be surprised if the springs have fatigued below specs. This isn't an offroad bike with lots of abuse to the front end, so the 40k miles generally represents time with rider(s) on the seat on smooth roads. I'll see what the tech has to say when they check them out.