Leaking strut on 2001 Acura EL 1.7

[Henri Fournier]

I took my 2001 Acura EL 1.7 in for regular service (odometer 109,335 Km) and noted that I was hearing a clunking sound from the left-front when going over small bumps. After the service, I was informed that I had a strut that was leaking badly and that it would need replacing, but that I should really replace both (~ $750 CDN).

Questions:
1. Should a strut need replacing after just over 100,000 Km?
2. Is this normal or a known issue with the Acura EL / Honda Civic?
3. Is this component covered under the 5 year - 100,000 Km warranty?
4. Should this problem have been discovered during the last maintenance (96,000 Km includes inspecting suspension) while still under warranty?
5. Should I replace both?
6. Should I have to pay for this, or ask that the dealer cover it under warranty?

Any other advice would appreciated. Thanks.

 

[johngdole]

Struts do need to be replaced in pairs. They deteriorate very gradually and are hardly noticeable but tend to need replacement after 50K miles. This will depend on a lot of external conditions to say when exactly they need replacing (see the Monroe FAQ below).

Do check with your service manager to see if the dealer is willing to consider it as a good will replacement, but I doubt it after the bump-to-bump warranty expires. But if it leaked at 96K km then they should have noticedit -- if it indeed leaked at the time.

$750 CDN sounds a little steep for two struts. Consider getting Bilsteins with a desired level of damping and new mounting parts. You will need an alignment afterwards.

From Monroe's FAQ:

http://www.monroe.com/tech_support/tec_faq.asp#2

Q: How many miles do shocks and struts last?

A. It's hard to say how many miles a shock or strut will last since the amount of work they do (converting suspension motion to heat) varies by road conditions; however, Monroe suggests that they should be inspected by your local Monroe Expert Plus dealer or any ASE Certified Technician once a year, or every 12,000 miles. For example: Unlike a tire, which rotates a specific number of times per mile, a shock absorber or strut may compress and extend several times per mile on a smooth road, or several hundred times per mile on a very rough road. There are other factors that affect the life of a shock or strut, such as, regional weather conditions, amount and type of road contaminates, driving habits, loading of the vehicle, tire / wheel modifications, and the general mechanical condition of the suspension and tires.

 

[High Tech Misfit]

$750 CDN sounds a little steep for two struts. Consider getting Bilsteins with a desired level of damping and new mounting parts. You will need an alignment afterwards.

Since the OP is in Canada, $750 doesn't sound too steep, provided that it includes the labour.

 

[High Tech Misfit]

Since the OP is in Canada, $750 doesn't sound too steep, provided that it includes the labour.

My bad. I missed where you said "CDN".

However, IMO, it is still not overly steep if labour is included.

 

[Henri Fournier]

High Tech Misfit wrote:

My bad. I missed where you said "CDN".

However, IMO, it is still not overly steep if labour is included.

Yes, that would include labour. The parts alone were around $500 CDN and the service guy said he checked after-market parts and that they were only $20 less.

Henri

 

[jim beam]

Yes, that would include labour. The parts alone were around $500 CDN and the service guy said he checked after-market parts and that they were only $20 less.

Henri

only $20 less??? rubbish. google is your friend.

 

[Busiu]

This is a chronic problem with 2001 & 2002 Civic's and 1.7 Acura's. You're lucky that you got 100,000 Km out of them. Often people, including myself, have had to have the struts replaced after the first 30,000 km.

I would most certainly go after the dealer to have them replaced. They were more than likely leaking at your 96k service interval. There is also a TSB out for these struts because of known defects.