joenobodyyet

Hello, I have a 2008 Honda Civic LX 4 door automatic transmission with almost 58,000 miles and my buddy mechanic said I need new front struts, rear shocks, and rear drum brake shoes.

I have done some research and am shopping on rockauto and other places to find the parts. Does anyone have any advice on which brands I should purchase? Obviously I would rather not spend $100 for rear brake shoes, but I also know I shouldn't just get the cheapest I find.

I have found Monroe, KYB, and FCS strut assemblies on RockAuto. I've seen Monroe, KYB, Gabriel, Sachs shocks but I did read that Monroe shocks make "clunking" noises. And I've seen many brands of drum brake shoes.

Any tips and advice are appreciated! Thanks!

ezone

Are they actually bad for some reason?

Leaking?
Excessive bounce?
Noise?
No you probably don't.
Exactly how thin are the linings?
Do you have a quarter million miles on them?

My dealer doesn't even stock brake shoes for any Honda because we never sell them.

joenobodyyet

He didn't explain the front struts but he did advise I get the full assemblies. For the rear, I saw the shock was wet and leaking on the passenger side. I'm not too knowledgeable on the shoes but he said I need new ones. I only have 58,000 miles on this car so I thought that was really low for new shoes.

ezone

You do not need brake shoes unless you have a habit of driving around with the handbrake on. A lot.

Seriously....I expect the cars to wear out a good 5 sets of front brake pads or more, before needing rear shoes. Before even considering checking them at all.
My GF is driving a 07 Fit with 230k, the rear shoes are original and in great shape.
Several regulars in this forum say the same about Hondas rear shoes.




That makes the suggestion of front struts rather suspect, especially if he wants to only install complete assemblies.
Do they make noise?
Leak? (a film of oil around the piston and tube is normal)
You can bounce the front end of the car to see if it is too easy to bounce....

Stock front struts aren't a regular high failure item IMO.....While I see an occasional strut that's gone bad for whatever reason, many others could outlast the cars they are bolted to.

Rear shocks....yeah. Some do leak on occasion. Pretty easy to replace too IMO.

ezone

Did your mechanic give a damn good reason for needing to sell you rear brakes? Did you get to view and measure the lining thickness for yourself?

If he's just after the cash those are not easy brakes to replace.......but you'd never know if the work wasn't actually done either.

joenobodyyet

Luckily he's my buddy and he will fix everything for free. He's a little "difficult" (he'll tell me "trust me" if I ask why I need them) but he is usually trust worthy with these things. I see shoes between $10-$20 so I'm not too stressed about those. I just really don't know the difference between the brands.

I was the one who noticed the rear shock leaking, and he advised I change both. When he changed my front brake pads (he has a shop and I don't) he said I need new struts. I can take a front tire off tomorrow and look myself. What should I be looking for exactly? I can also try to take a rear wheel off and remove the drum if it's easy, and then inspect the brake shoes. I'll check youtube for a video.

Anyone have any advice on brands? Thanks

Schlef

It is pretty crazy.. my '02 hasn't needed the rears replaced ever. I check them once a year, measure them, and am like.. yep, still good.

ezone

Forget the rear brake shoes. You cannot possibly need them.
Again, Hondas REAR DRUM BRAKE SHOES could outlast the car for most drivers.

Pull a wheel and drum and take a look, I bet the thinnest lining will be far thicker than 2mm.
The drums have threaded holes between the lug studs....screw an 8mm bolt into it to force the drum to pop loose


I doubt any aftermarket shoes would last as long as factory.
I can't really claim any first hand knowledge of this because we almost never have to replace rear shoes on Hondas.


===
Now if you have rear DISC brakes instead of drums, sure it may need fresh brake pads.
Plus if you are in the rust belt, clean the rust and scale out of the bracket so the pads can move freely.
===

Struts and shocks, it's customary to replace in pairs. (It doesn't always work that way though)
Both rears at the same time, and/or both fronts at the same time.
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If front struts actually need replaced, the car SHOULD get a 4 wheel alignment along with the job.
===
*Excessive or unequal bounce (google shock absorber bounce test)
*Noises
(usually clunks, but only after determining all other related suspension parts are not at fault)
*Leaks
As stated earlier, a film of oil seen around the top of the shock body is normal...many people mistake that for leakage.
Leakage would be when the entire bottom half of the strut tube is covered in oil, or wads of dirt has stuck to the oil.


Some shock absorber companies (and shops) say to replace shocks and struts every 50,000 miles.
Of course they say that, they reap a lot of profit from selling them.
Reality: I see no reason to replace perfectly good shocks and struts, no matter what shock and strut marketing tells you. It's a waste of hard earned money.

ezone

Red flags!




Free? What's his angle?

joenobodyyet

I will try to forgo the brake shoes.

I am looking at purchasing KYB rear shocks because I read that the Monroes make a clunking sound. KYB 343460 are the ones. Found them for around $38 each plus shipping on RockAuto.

As for front struts, I was looking at KYB and Monroes full strut assemblies. Monroe seems to not be as good as KYB, but I'm wondering if I should get the Monroe 172286 (right side) and 172287 (left side). The KYB SR4241/SR4242 are $130 each plus shipping and the Monroe 172286/172287 are $106 each plus shipping AND ALSO have a $30 rebate. So the Monroes are MUCH cheaper. Think the Monroes would be ok, costing me $80 less than if I went with the KYB front strut assemblies?

Thanks

ezone

Did you figure out if the front struts are really a problem?
Get second opinions from someone who has no monetary interest in working on your car, but actually knows these particular cars?


Monroe is the manufacturer I was referring to when I said some recommend struts and shocks every 50k. Want to guess why? (that low low price should be a clue).....From what I've had to deal with I'm not a fan of their complete strut assemblies for Hondas.


You can get OE front struts for around 130ish each from Honda dealers selling online @wholesale price. Bare struts, some assembly required (quite simple task for any professional tech/shop)....and the quality won't be a freekin gamble.
Your original springs are fine to reuse.