Replacement struts : OEM vs aftermarket

I purchased a used 2002 Honda Civic which has a leaking front shock on
the right. I would like to get the full strut replaced. I've looked
around and found wildly varying prices for both the strut as well as
labor involved in the replacement.

The OEM parts are liquid struts and are priced at ~ $118 a piece at
the Honda dealer. A Monroe shock is priced at $169 while the part
offered at a Midas is priced at almost $230 a piece. The Monroe and
Midas struts are both gas struts and have a lifetime warranty in
comparison with the OEMs which provdes only a 1 year warranty. Again,
Sears (Monroe supplier) is charging abour half hour of their labor
rate, Midas about 3/4th and the dealer more like 1.5hours for doing
the replacement (per side). Adding up the the price for both parts/
labour and accounting for both sides, the price differences are on the
order of $100-$200 and I'm looking for additional information before
deciding which one to choose.

Here are some questions which come up -

1) what is the difference in performance between the liquid strut vs
the gas strut ? how long does each one last ?

2) what is the difference in performance of the OEM vs an aftermarket
like Monroe or that provided by an independent shop like Midas ?

The car has less than 60k miles on it - which I'm using as the
benchmark for how long the new struts should "at least" last. I've
read posts on this newsgroup that some have seen OEMs last over 100k
miles.

3) Does anyone have any inputs on the price comparison between the
parts ? Are the OEMs lower in quality compared to the gas struts or
do the Monroes/Midas struts just have a very high markup ?

4) Any inputs on how long it should take a skilled tech to do the
replacement ? I've read 2-3 hours is standard for someone doing it on
their own (ie 1.5 hours per side).

I've browsed through previous posts on this forum and the autos.honda
forum and the only thing I can gather so far is that different people
have had a different experience with Monroe/KYB/OEMs. There is both
positive and negative feedback regarding Monroe/KYB but cost
comparisons with the OEMs. There is also no discussion on gas vs
liquid.

I imagine that the car will be with me for at least 5 years/80k more
miles - so am willing to put in quality stuff if it makes sense.

Cheers.

 

That's a fair price as KYBs are about $110 via The Tire Rack.

a piece at

Is the dealer including the cost of an alignment? How about Sears?
No point in doing this work without getting an alignment.

OEM struts/shocks are fine for most drivers. The "guarantee" on most
aftermarket shocks is that they won't leak. Most shocks wear out long
before they start to leak so a lifetime guarantee isn't worth much.

FWIW I put Tokico shocks in my Honda/Acura cars and have been very
happy with them but in a Civic they would provide ride quality most
would consider overly sporty. I put KYBs into my Toyota vehicle and
they perform just fine.

 

Is the dealer including the cost of an alignment? How about Sears?

Alignment is a separate charge which I did not include in the
discussion. All the prices listed excluded the labour required for the
alignment. Yes, I agree, given that the strut is being replaced, an
alignment would be essential and I am planning on getting it done at
the same time.

Good point.

v

 

wrote in @o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

Are the OEM's just the inserts while the aftermarkets are body and insert?

 

That was my initial suspicion. My understanding is that both are
complete struts (not the full assembly ie without the spring, new
mount but still the complete strut). My knowledge here is fairly
limited so I'll point you in the direction of the diagram of the OEMs
on Honda's website. Here is link to the diagram

http://estore.honda.com/epc/images/parts/catalogs/EA/13S5A01/Estore/illustrations1/S5A3B2800.png

The part which I am referring to is part number 5 (and 6) in the
diagram. My understanding is that the insert would be a inner portion
of part number 5 and is also an option to be purchased separately.
However, my preference is to go for the replacement of the complete
strut.

Feel free to correct me if my understanding is incorrect.
Cheers.

 

if you're after the stock ride, go oem or kyb gr2's. don't waste time
with monroe's. sporty aftermarket go for kyb agx of tokico.

 

That diagram is a bit vague, having two part numbers pointing to the same
location.

I think you'd better call your local dealer to clarify.

Generally speaking, OEM is far superior to anything produced for the
aftermarket. And there is no point in replacing quality OEM strut bodies
with questionable aftermarket just to get new inserts in the purchase.

Be sure of what the price covers before you commit yourself. Remember that
you must replace BOTH shocks in the same axle set. You cannot replace just
one of them.

 

that's definitely true most of the time. however, with kyb and tokico
shocks & struts, they're at least as good as or even better build
quality than oem. of course, tokico aim mainly for the "sport" market,
so the ride may be too harsh for a daily driver, but the quality is
definitely there. kyb gr2's ride the same or just a little better than
oem, last excellently, and are cheaper.

and both these are made in japan - a lot of oem honda shocks and struts
sold here are made here. having recently bought oem shocks for my crx,
i found them to be a mix of made in japan and made in usa. the quality
of the ones made stateside is close, but not quite as good. with
hindsight, i'd have bought kyb's like i have on my civic.

you don't have an option in this case - they come as the complete unit.

 

Go with a cheap stock strut.
Unless you are road racing there is no reason to buy an expensive
replacement
The stock struts on my AWD subaru are still working great at 156000
miles with a lot of that offroad for fishing.
There is no reason it should take more than 1 hour to replace each
strut. Ask the shop manager for a reason that it takes so long...

I have replaced my sons 2 front struts in his 1990 Honda accord in
less than 2 hours.(219000 miles)
Good luck and check with your local mechanics they usually have a
lower shop rate..