Has anyone ever replaced the struts on their accord? I have a 99 accord and have been told by one tire retailer that I need new struts, and by a third party Honda mechanic that he would never replace the struts and that honda designed the vehicle that way.

any help?

I had a tire shop tell me they needed replacing every 60k.

The Honda dealer told me not to replace them unless I'm having probs with them. The honda mech inspected struts(dry) and springs and said they looked very good.

I'm experiencing a lot of road hum, the tires are cupping and feathering, and I've had it aligned by the same tire shop. I'm having it aligned again by another shop that specializes in performance balancing and alignment.

I had some probs with cupping even after several alignments at tire shops. I had it aligned at the dealer and prob finally solved. I've heard good things about shops specializing in alignments also.

Almost never do you replace the struts on a Honda. That independent Honda shop was very right and kudos to them! :yes:

You need to get an alignment done by a shop with proper equipment. Almost any tire chain like discount tire, sears, etc has this.

My dealer only charges 80 for an alignment. Might try that.

This car hasn't ever been wrecked right?

never been wrecked. but now that the tires have been driven on and are cupping and feathering, will I need to replace them or will they be alright and eventually 'correct' themselves?

never been wrecked. but now that the tires have been driven on and are cupping and feathering, will I need to replace them or will they be alright and eventually 'correct' themselves?

Replace. :/

I now have 123k. I took it to NTB to have it re-aligned and was told the struts need replacing. Guy said the same thing, ever 50k miles. Never heard that before.

If you believe ads from companies like Monroe you should change them every 50K, but I know several (non-dropped) 6thGen owners with no issues at >150K on the original shocks/struts.

The Honda dealer told me not to replace them unless I'm having probs with them. The honda mech inspected struts(dry) and springs and said they looked very good.

Ditto. :thmsup: :yes:

SELDOM do Honda struts go bad. Their shock units are typically provided by Showa, an excellent vendor. Unless they are leaking, I suggest you leave them alone.

If anything goes wrong, it will usually involve spring fatigue, especially on the driver's side (where there's always more weight). This condition is conducive to tire issues. However, unless you experience some really terrible roads, not likely to occur for a very long time. IMO, and as others point out, a precise four-wheel alignment is the critical factor regarding tire life. Ditto for correct tire balance.

Interesting experiment: With no load (no people and no cargo in the car), measure bumper height at all four corners. Compare left side measurements with right side measurements. Left side vs. right side values should provide a baseline indication of any spring fatigue.

Interesting. Today I brought the Accord I ended up buying to a mechanic - and he told me that he thought the struts needed to be replaced because of a noise he heard on the passengers side when going over bumps. He seemed very knowledgable, especially with Accords. I'll have to see how it goes. He said it's not a big deal - it doesn't HAVE TO get replaced... but he said it would provide a better ride. We'll see! By the way it's a 2000 with 133K miles.

he told me that he thought the struts needed to be replaced because of a noise he heard on the passengers side when going over bumps....By the way it's a 2000 with 133K miles.

Given the age and mileage, it could also be faulty/worn out suspension bushings.

i drove it home today (about an hour and a half on the highway) and i noticed that whenever i reached about 65 mph the passenger side of the car up front started to shake. it was a weird feeling. almost felt like there was a forwards/backwards shake going on. then there's still the loud noise on bumps - i'll definitely need to get this checked out. does that sound more like the suspension bushings?

Has anyone ever replaced the struts on their accord? I have a 99 accord and have been told by one tire retailer that I need new struts, and by a third party Honda mechanic that he would never replace the struts and that honda designed the vehicle that way.

any help?
IMHO...
As far as alignment goes,
I have had several high mileage Hondas. I have had poor experience with alignments outside of the dealer. Four separate shops tried and failed, car still pulled.
Next I took to dealer, he ordered a shim kit and a week later installed it and the car was perfect...

As far as struts,
You don't realize how bad they were until you replace them...

Although I had always went OEM on previous Honda vehicles, On my Y2K accord I recently put non OEM struts (Monroe Sensa-Trac) and it was a huge mistake. I replaced all four, but think only front were bad, after inspecting them.

The Y2K accord now rides really odd on highway. It kind of slowly bounces down the road, and then on harder bumps it gets stiff all of the sudden. I prefer the stock struts. Besides the ride issues, several other things don’t work as well as original. The dust covers for example, don’t seal the strut from the weather as stock ones do.

Noise,
Also the sway bar link was sloppy, replaced and got rid of bumping noise that had plagued the car. I used Moog brand links because I was trying to get it back together that evening and O’Reilly’s was still open. They were much beefier than OEM. Looked more like a tie rod end! The original are small and look like the ball and socket end of a hood strut.

As for as longevity,
On the last several Honda's I have noticed that the front struts need replacing around 150K. Also, the sway bar bushings wear out(become loose) and need replacing every 80 or 100k. But we do drive mostly county roads, which are notorious for having uneven pavement and potholes. They are cheap and easy to change. Change the rubber bushings(four points of attachment, two are bar to body rubber bushings).
When the bushings are bad, you get a bump sound when entering drives, or at low speed on uneven pavement.


If you are considering DIY...
Not a bad job. Easier than timing belt. Just repetitive.
Get a HELM manuel, it will pay for itself many times over, rent(borrow) a strut compressor from Oreilly's. You can wrench it yourself, if you don't have an air impact(I have). Work slowly and carefully and you can save four to six hundred dollars.
Do not over compress the springs, when removing old struts. As long as you follow procedure and put the weight back onto the suspension, before doing the final tightning of the bolts, and tighten them in the correct order, you should not throw it out of alignment. But, I take it to be aligned afterwards anyway... Tires are expensive!

In my opinion, for electrical parts, struts, bushings, and brake pads; stick with OEM. They just perform better and last longer. Especially brake pads..
DB.

IMHO...As far as alignment goes,
I have had several high mileage Hondas. I have had poor experience with alignments outside of the dealer.

As far as struts,
You don't realize how bad they were until you replace them...

Although I had always went OEM on previous Honda vehicles, On my Y2K accord I recently put non OEM struts (Monroe Sensa-Trac) and it was a huge mistake. I replaced all four, but think only front were bad, after inspecting them.

The Y2K accord now rides really odd on highway. It kind of slowly bounces down the road, and then on harder bumps it gets stiff all of the sudden. I prefer the stock struts. Besides the ride issues, several other things don’t work as well as original. The dust covers for example, don’t seal the strut from the weather as stock ones do.

In my opinion, for electrical parts, struts, bushings, and brake pads; stick with OEM. They just perform better and last longer. Especially brake pads..
DB.

Danbuddy:

I strongly agree...with your excellent points. :thmsup: :yes:

Go to a Honda dealer for a four-wheel alignment. Avoid GoodYear, Firestone, etc. for alignment/suspension work. They will almost guarantee you bad results...and sell you things you probably don't need.

You give me pause to reflect, introspectively, about suspension work I plan to do (Spring 2010) on my trusty '86. It goes without saying that everything must be correct...before I snap on the new, full set of Michelins. All the struts are original, with severe spring fatigue on the left (driver's) side. I've already purchased new front and rear springs, by TRW and Moog, respectively. I also have a full set of Monroe "Sensa-Tracs." I just couldn't justify $100+ per corner for OEM Honda (Showa) units. However, I might just install the new springs on my original shock absorbers, if they don't indicate a problem when I pull them apart.

Monroe and Gabriel make low-to-middle grade replacement shocks. As you say, and per my own experience, you get a floaty feel, in motion, and hard jolts, under severe compression. I've heard several others express the same comments. However, for as little as I now drive the '86, it probably won't matter. Damn parts are bought and paid for, so I may as well use them.

In the past, I've experimented around with aftermarket brake hardware, and was rather disappointed. Yeah, you save some money, you get a lifetime warrany. So what? They pull, they vibrate/pulsate, they squeal, and wear out much sooner. Now, I use ONLY OEM Honda brake parts, on both cars. Rear drums on my '86 are original, and have never been turned (resurfaced).

Genuine Honda reman starters and alternators, along with OEM Nippon Denso electrical parts, they just can't be beat, at any price.

I had a tire shop tell me they needed replacing every 60k.

The Honda dealer told me not to replace them unless I'm having probs with them. The honda mech inspected struts(dry) and springs and said they looked very good.
60K is normal for an American car. Honda's seem to really last...

Usually by about 150k or so the Honda factory shocks, although most don't show leaks, lose high speed compression damping. They don't absorb as well over short sharp bumps, and the car "slams" over bumps. The low speed damping was still ok, low speed damping is when the suspension goes over large "frost heave" type bumps and the car moves through a large range of travel over longer period.

This is the reason that at 177k the '98s got all new all around. The slamming got too bad. The damper fork bushings on both ends usually do begin to collapse at this mileage and should be changed out too.

Hondas used strictly on the highway are usually thrown away with original shocks. I've seen many late model GMs with Bilsteins with the originals at 300k.

If the car is cupping the inner edges of the tires, it's going to need camber correctors, most likely on the rear suspension. Over time, between spring and bushing sag, the camber goes too far negative. The '98 here has this issue. I've had it aligned and was told the rear was excessive negative. You need to find a shop that does performance alignments or specializes ONLY in alignment work. Preferably on cars like performance and/or Euros. Yes, Euro cars, they have unique requirements to get proper alignment that most general shops don't deal with.

Years ago I worked with a KMart flunky service adviser, he'd try and sell shocks and struts on cars with as low as 10k on them. I'd get into HUGE arguments over this. Even the biggest POS cars, i.e. Chrysler Minivans, don't need them that often. The fights went on between me and another tech in the shop. He was one for doing belts/hoses every 2 years or 24k, changing coolant in all cars with "universal" crap and even worse. He finally got fired for charging a customer for new shocks/struts on a car that never had them installed.

lol to above.



Each time I brake, the car moves dramatically forward... If you know what I mean. Once I brake, my body shifts forward a lot more than it used to when I brake. Like... I don't know if it's the brakes or the shocks that need to be changed. The brakes have been changed for about... 8-10k ago. Thank You for your help.

hmm im at 236200 and im runnin on stock suspension... ive never had any problems and quite frankly it rides pretty smooth....

shocks and struts or recommended every 60 yo 75k, there is no sure way to know if they are bad unless u notice rougher riding but it doesnt meant it is them u can push on front or rear of car to see how lose it is and test it and thats all a shop can do. they dont need to be leaking to be bad the inside seals that restricts the flow so it gives proper ride stiffness wear out faster on really bad roads. No shocks are lifetime they might say they are but none can last the life of the car unless u putt around and drive on really smooth roads. Different shocks are made for different types of driving and loads, which change how they ride on your vehicle.

Tires is another problem with ride and alignment. I had stock tires on my car and they were wearing on the right sides in front and ride was pretty rough, air pressure was correct on all 4. There wasnt anything visibly wrong that u could see to say there was a bad tire other then the wearing and had it aligned and steering wheel wasnt center. I recently bought new rims and tires and went with some bridgestone potenza and it rides way better, it corrected my alignment problem steering wheel is now back centered and it rides straight.

So it could possibly be a bad tire maybe rim I dunno but could try rotating front to back ones and see if it helps.

hmm im at 236200 and im runnin on stock suspension... ive never had any problems and quite frankly it rides pretty smooth....

If you're saying you're on your original suspension that is f****** amazing.

yeah im still on stock...ORIGINAL suspension. and yeah thanks. i take care of her she loves me and i love her. i dog her sometimes but she loves it. im telling you taking care of your car yields great rewards!!! im still on stock engine... suspension....tranny...etc etc. only thing changed is exhaust and intake....

I'm still on my original suspension at 180K. I have dreams about Bilstine's, but my new job is 25% less pay, So I have less money... And it Bilstines or nothing...

I'm still on my original suspension at 180K. I have dreams about Bilstine's, but my new job is 25% less pay, So I have less money... And it Bilstines or nothing...

Congrats on the new job, Bruce!! :thmsup: :yes: :dude:

Congrats on the new job, Bruce!! :thmsup: :yes: :dude:

Yeah that. Big congrats on the job, Bruce!!!