Arkenbrien

Hello,

I have a 2000 honda civic with 200k on it, still going strong...ish.

I'm not much of a car guy, so when after taking it to the dealer for some maintenance, and they said give us $1300 (plus 79.99 for alignment) to replace the struts otherwise the car will fall unto itself, I did do more than a little panicking. After all, they said, they should be replaced every 140k miles, and I had gone for 200k on stock struts. I couldn't afford 1379.99 at the time, so I - very carefully - took my poor civic home.

I then took it to my local car mechanic, and he said that while yes they were old, they weren't going to explode or anything, but he'll do a complete service for 700 when I decided to do something about it.

That was a couple thousand miles ago. It's going to need to be replaced soon, and I might as well start planning for it sooner rather than later.

So what do you suggest? Will buying the struts myself save me any money? Where would I get them?

Thanks.

Poopies

iTrader: (4)

It depends on the struts you buy and the ones the mechanic wants to use. If you want cheapies, it'll be a lot less but you get what you pay for. You can buy a complete set of Tokico HP struts/shocks (generally considered the best OEM replacement) on Ebay for between $400-$600. Remember that you'll probably want to replace the mounting hardware so you don't have to take everything off again, but that won't be too expensive.

Arkenbrien

Okay, thanks.

What exactly is involved in the mounting hardware?

Pardon my n00bness.

Poopies

iTrader: (4)

I'm talking about some of the parts here: http://estore.honda.com/honda/parts/...++30&dl=206925

The bases (Number 9) in particular. The bump stop and collar too maybe. Use your best judgment, but remember that you probably only want to do the job once if you do it yourself.

Here's a link to the front: http://estore.honda.com/honda/parts/...++28&dl=206925

Arkenbrien

Okay, thanks.

So basically, it looks like I might as well replace the entire assembly.

_____

I found this on amazon and ebay:
It looks like to me it has everything associated with the suspension.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

on the 00, front double wishbone, so if being a$$ tight in semantics, they would be shocks or dampers. But them again, it's just semantics

Top hats are one thing that *could* clunk after a suspension work, so recommend just going and do the change - easier done once. Yes, do all parts that will involve removing the shocks/rear struts, especially ones that have rubber parts.

another that are famous for causing clunks, clanks, etc are the sway bar endlinks (anti-roll bar, since i was being a$$ in semantics before :P) . Good thing is that these does not require removing the shocks/struts, so you could just leave them and change if they make noise.

Ah, better let the shop know that civics could make suspension noises if springs are not "indexed" correctly - there's a certain position that they are supposed to be placed. Can't remember if this would apply on the 2000, though, with the double wishbone... Anyway, if this is true to 2000 models, the top hat should have an arrow to place the spring.

Poopies

iTrader: (4)

Ah, forgot about that double wishbone setup. Totes jelly

Arkenbrien

So should I replace the double wishbones as well, since I'm in there?

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

If you can align the car, no, no need. Depends on if bushings are ok though

Arkenbrien

I really appreciate all the advice you've given me.

I found this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009R6ZNAA

It seems like it has everything associated with the suspension that was mentioned.

Is this a good buy?

I found some replacement parts, just the struts, that ran about 50 a piece, so about 200 for a full set. But obviously, the rest of parts will have to be commandeered from the old suspension. So if I were to take it into the shop to be done, would it save me a whole lot if I bought something like I linked above over having the mechanics disassemble/reassemble the suspension in terms of labor?

Thanks

old97civic

Probably too late but wanted to leave a nugget of info for any others that may find this thread...

On old cars like these, and depending on where you live (ie salted roads), there is a high probability that the bolts that connect the shocks/struts to the other suspension components will be seized in the bushings and may be difficult if not impossible to remove. In my case I replaced the rears and ended up having to cut off the welded nut on the trailing arm (broke the head of the bolt off) and replacing the control arm (bolt was free from nut but was seized inside bushing). This means new bolts would be required as well.