New strut

[w1ck3dme]

According to my dealer, my car needs the front left strut replaced after my sister borrowed my car and hit a curb. They are asking about $550 for it. $300+ in labor for something I see people doing in 30 minutes on YouTube seems like dealer gouging

I'm about half minded about trying to do it myself. I'm not bad at following instructions and the instructions seem pretty clear to me.

Part looks cheap under $100 (51621-TGG-A01). Only thing I am missing is strut spring compressor and seems easy enough to rent a manual one

Can anyone help me out with some directions or reasonable repair shop?

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[charleswrivers]

According to my dealer, my car needs the front left strut replaced after my sister borrowed my car and hit a curb. They are asking about $550 for it. $300+ in labor for something I see people doing in 30 minutes on YouTube seems like dealer gouging

I'm about half minded about trying to do it myself. I'm not bad at following instructions and the instructions seem pretty clear to me.

Part looks cheap under $100 (51621-TGG-A01). Only thing I am missing is strut spring compressor and seems easy enough to rent a manual one

Can anyone help me out with some directions or reasonable repair shop?

https://www.civicx.com/threads/random-story-about-struts.20717/

I did it on a Galant recently. Done it 3-4 times over the years. Struts are struts... there's nothing special about them. Even if you had a model with electronically adjustable ones... they'd just cost 3x as much and have a wiring harness to disconnect and reconnect.

Watch a few videos. A strut compressor can be rented and returned to get all your money back from an auto parts store. Generally, you replace the pair across the axle when they're worn, but if the car is relatively new, you can probably get away with only doing the one. I'd be careful as you first drive with it as the new one may dampen a little more and make the car a little less balanced until it settles in. Plan on immediately taking it in to get an alignment done as you will likely throw it off a smidge during the course of replacing it.

Really, watch a few YouTube videos... rent a set of compressors that have the safety pins and are curled to where they actually grab the coil and can't really slip off (the ones I got from Advance Auto Parts were this style), go slow... only compress the spring as much as is needed to get the tension off the mount. Reassemble in the opposite order of disassembly. Support the lower control arm before you take the strut off so it doesn't drop down unsuported. Have an extra person there for when you put the new strut assembly in. One person needs to hold it up through the mounting holes... while the other get the 3 nuts on the mount started. You might get away with doing it yourself on the fronts but it's a PITA. On the rears, when you're either in the trunk/sitting where the back seat would be, it's impossible to both hold the strut up through the holes and get the 3 nuts on.

Good luck. It really isn't that hard.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

Depending on how much you want to spend, you can usually but a complete strut assembly and by pass using a spring compressor and disassembling your old one. Don't know if Honda offers that option or not, but would gladly have paid extra to avoid using that compressor when I did struts on my 97 tercel. While not technically hard,it was just one of those PIA things lol

 

[charleswrivers]

It *is* a whole lot quicker, easier, and arguably safer (crappy spring compressors can be exciting to work with). I know Monroe does quick struts. They have a lifetime warranty but are kind of meh. You definitely have to get the *exact* same* strut since you're only doing the one. I'd actually done a set of Monroe quick struts on a Cadillac I had before the 9th gen Si. It really was stupid easy. I was replacing the air shocks (only $50 for the pair!) in the rear and figured, what the hell... I'd do the fronts too.

It also good because you're getting a whole new mount. There's a bearing the front struts (just a pretty simple disk)... in the rear sets of rubber pieces. Plus dust boots. Also, there's rubber pieces that go between the strut and the coil, so that it stays quiet. When you replace struts, typically all the rubber pieces in the mount are replaced because they harden and shrink with age. Again, in your situation, you'll probably just fine to reuse, as you're replacing a damaged strut on a relatively new car... not a old work out strut where everything around the strut is also old.

I'm not sure if Honda makes a complete assembly. I would imagine it would raise the price 2-3x what just the strut is

I'd used a crappy set of spring compressors back in the 90s a few times. The set I used most recently were *so* much better than the old set, based on how much beefier they were... the safety pins they had and the fact the ends curved so they went around the coil itself.

When you do the complete assembly... it's literally 3 nuts up top and one bolt on bottom. Toss old assembly. Put in new assembly and put them all back on. Get alignment checked.

 

[charleswrivers]

It's $82.20 for the damper. Not too bad for an OEM part. I don't see an option to purchase as an assembly.

You can see what parts are entailed in this view... You'd just disassemble it and reassemble it in the reverse order.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

Another tricky part was getting the nut tightened as the shaft wants to spin and your not supposed to grab it with any kind of pliars or anything like that. Getting it off the old one won't matter since its already damaged. If I remember correctly,the shaft has a,square end and once its in the mount won't spin,so I had to grip the mount with locking pliars. I don't know if all struts are like that though. Charles, can you chime in here,its been a while since I did this lol

 

[charleswrivers]

Another tricky part was getting the nut tightened as the shaft wants to spin and your not supposed to grab it with any kind of pliars or anything like that. Getting it off the old one won't matter since its already damaged. If I remember correctly,the shaft has a,square end and once its in the mount won't spin,so I had to grip the mount with locking pliars. I don't know if all struts are like that though. Charles, can you chime in here,its been a while since I did this lol

That's a *great* point. I don't think they're all the same. I do know I've seen some that were notched for a flat tip screw driver. I've seen others that have a little 'hole' It's *not* just hole if you look close, it's actually for an allen wrench.

Yeah... those things will spin forever if you don't have something to put at the top of the strut to hold it in place when you're taking that one nut off. A lot of times they're nyloc nuts so there's a bit of tension.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

I also forgot to add to make sure you torque the strut mount AFTER you put the weight of the car down on it, don't do it while its jacked up.

 

[dc2turbo]

If you hit a curb hard enough to bust a strut. I would check your other suspension parts to see if they got bent

 

[civicdabest-foo]

Depending on how much you want to spend, you can usually but a complete strut assembly and by pass using a spring compressor and disassembling your old one. Don't know if Honda offers that option or not, but would gladly have paid extra to avoid using that compressor when I did struts on my 97 tercel. While not technically hard,it was just one of those PIA things lol

It *is* a whole lot quicker, easier, and arguably safer (crappy spring compressors can be exciting to work with). I know Monroe does quick struts. They have a lifetime warranty but are kind of meh. You definitely have to get the *exact* same* strut since you're only doing the one. I'd actually done a set of Monroe quick struts on a Cadillac I had before the 9th gen Si. It really was stupid easy. I was replacing the air shocks (only $50 for the pair!) in the rear and figured, what the hell... I'd do the fronts too.

It also good because you're getting a whole new mount. There's a bearing the front struts (just a pretty simple disk)... in the rear sets of rubber pieces. Plus dust boots. Also, there's rubber pieces that go between the strut and the coil, so that it stays quiet. When you replace struts, typically all the rubber pieces in the mount are replaced because they harden and shrink with age. Again, in your situation, you'll probably just fine to reuse, as you're replacing a damaged strut on a relatively new car... not a old work out strut where everything around the strut is also old.

I'm not sure if Honda makes a complete assembly. I would imagine it would raise the price 2-3x what just the strut is

I'd used a crappy set of spring compressors back in the 90s a few times. The set I used most recently were *so* much better than the old set, based on how much beefier they were... the safety pins they had and the fact the ends curved so they went around the coil itself.

When you do the complete assembly... it's literally 3 nuts up top and one bolt on bottom. Toss old assembly. Put in new assembly and put them all back on. Get alignment checked.

I like this advice. Sorry to bump up such an old thread, but my 1.5L's touring needed a rear strut replaced after its "seal blew."

Never had this happen on a Civic/Honda product before. I suspect either faulty stock component, or, more likely I think, the crappy roads where I live with potholes deeper than coke cans.

Fortunately it was covered under warranty, but I can imagine my local Honda dealer charging arm and leg for this if it happens again after the warranty expires which is very soon.

Indeed it looks simple to do, some nuts at the top and a few bolts at the bottom, just a PIA to do.

I have watched the Youtube videos, but nothing specific to the CivicX. Does the CivicX need any special tools to do this like you need when you service the rear brakes?

My plan is to replace both with reasonable quality stuff the next time one of the front/rear end struts blows, which I suspect will happen in the near future given the roads I drive on.

Can anyone recommend a quality brand for strut assemblies? I know little about the landscape of strut manufacturers. The name Monroe comes to mind. I'm not replacing anything now, but I like looking into this stuff when I want to kill some time on a weekend.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

I had just taken of my rear tires to put on my splash guards and I don't have struts in the rear. Its a shock and a spring next to it. That would be even easier. I don't have a touring though, so I'm not sure what they have.

 

[charleswrivers]

Shouldn't need anything other than metric tools. Sockets specifically as you can't get a wrench on the center nut in the mount, though wrenches would work on the 3 that typically hold the mount to the frame. You'll likely need to either pull the rear seats or the trunk fabric off to get to the mounts on the rear... but I doubt you need anything. Trim tools are handy sometimes, but a couple flat tip screwdrivers and a gentle hand is also fine. Mind you I haven't done a Civic... but there's nothing special about them. I've done electronic adjustable suspension in others, and it just adds an electrical connector to connect/disconnect.

I use a jack/stand for the corner of the car I'm working on... then another floor jack to support the control arm I'm working on... as you need something to support it and I find that raising/lowering/wheeling around the corner slightly gets everything to line up rather than trying to wrestle around/lift anything by hand. Depending on the shock/strut, an allen key in the center of the shock/strut assembly to disassemble it from it's mount. Obviously a set of compressors to compress the spring on the strut assembly.

Monroe makes some aggressively priced stuff, and they come with a lifetime warranty, and they have some good applications for passenger vehicles, but they don't seem to last that long. I've had good luck with some KYB, Bilstein and Tokico. This is over a wide range of different vehicles I've changed shock/struts on (Galant, Xterra, 300zxs) but they gave OEM, or better, level performance and longevity. The only thing I used Monroes for was a Cadillac. Their quick struts in the front and the fact they had pairs of rear air shocks to replace the OEM air shocks for only $50 for the rear pair couldn't be beat. They seem to review unfavorably over time so I think their longevity may be so-so. Lifetime warranty or not, I wouldn't want to have to re-do struts again and again and file a claim to get them covered with Monroe. My one experience was fine though. I don't think Monroe is an OEM parts supplier for anyone I'm aware of. KYB and Bilstein are. Tokico made some great adjustable shocks/struts I've used on Zs in the past, but I haven't used them in years. They were outstanding at the time, though. I loved their Illuminas.

 

[charleswrivers]

I had just taken of my rear tires to put on my splash guards and I don't have struts in the rear. Its a shock and a spring next to it. That would be even easier. I don't have a touring though, so I'm not sure what they have.

Yeah... rear struts... while not rare, aren't as common as shock setups in my limited experience. That Galant was the only car I've done shocks/struts on that had rear struts. It makes it a bit quicker and keeps you from needing compressors. It would probably take as long if not longer to pull what you need to pull to expose the top of the mount, get the car up on a jack and the wheel off to actually pull of the shock/mount and put the new shock on the mount.

I recommend *always* replacing the random rubber pieces unless it's practically new. They shrink a little, harden and that actually play into the ride. Also, if the isolators break, it creates play and a rattle. The only way to replace it is to do a full disassembly again. For the (what I've seen) $10 bucks or so for the rears and maybe double that for the fronts for it all... it pays to just replace everything.

 

[civicdabest-foo]

Some mint advice in this thread.

 

[charleswrivers]

Some mint advice in this thread.

Hope it's useful. One thing... I cheat as I have one of those electric impact wrenches for disassembling most things. It makes breaking big fasters loose easy. There will be a bolt/nut that runs through the bottom of the shock/strut and goes through the lower control arm I think it is. It will be on *tight*. I would 1) spray it with some penetrating oil... new cars aren't bad but age/dirt/grime makes them hard to break loose and 2) either have an impact wrench, an actual breaker bar... or have a sturdy 1/2 drive ratchet w/a pipe or something to slip over the handle for extra leverage. Those bolts, at least on the Galant which is fresh in my mind as I did those just a few month ago, were torqued to 200-something ft-lbs, by the book. While I'd always advise to torque things properly... just realize if you're a 'good and tight' sort of guy, they should be tightened beyond what you could do with just a standard sized 1/2 ratchet. I've got a snap-action torque wrench and I had to put some 'stank' on it to get it up that far. We've got a lot of valves in the navy that are torqued in the 190-250 range... so I knew it was going to be a decent amount... but if you 'good and tight' them with a regular ratchet, it won't be enough.

And lastly (because I've done this) if you do struts... there's a left side and a right side. For some... it may actually make a difference. For others... they look virtually identical, but there a spot on them that differs, side to side, in where you attach brackets for the brake lines. Don't mix them up. Once they're out of the box, it's hard to eyeball them and tell the difference. You could conceivably install them, only to not be able to attach the brackets for the brake lines.

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