Need Advice on Honda Accord 2002 struts?

Two weeks ago I took my Honda Accord to the dealership for 40 pt. inspection. All looked good except tires needed to be rotated. Last weekend took car to Monroe Muffler for oil change and have tires rotated. They said front right strut was leaking, other struts looked poor. Said it won't pass inspection (which will need to be done in July). Wouldn't Honda have seen this in their inspection? What should I do? The car is 6 years old, only has 43,000 miles on it. Thanks!|||It's true that many shops offer their mechanics commissions so it's best to get second and even 3rd opinions before agreeing to get any repairs done.


I'd have a few shops look at it for free and show you exactly what is the problem and why.


There is one simple test you can do yourself by pushing down hard on the front end at the far drivers side and then after that test on the far passenger side of the hood.Basically once you push it down it should come back up , go back down and basically settle and stop rocking.If it seems to flood up and down very slowly or several times that's a good sign the struts are weak.


When struts leak you can tell by lifting up on the boot or rubber that you see and looking for moister , plus moister stains.Sometimes you don't have to even lift the boot up bec you can clearly see moister etc below the foot on the shaft, if so that means the struts are going.


You mentioned that you're worried it not pass inspection but really unless the struts mounts were shot or the vehicles front end was flooding or extreme play was found in the strut front end system the vehicle would pass inspection.So technically as long as the strut is still basically functioning properly such as the wheels freely turn without strut abstructions,the car sit's up high enough via the strut ,plus there is no front end flooding the car's front end has the strut assembly leak wouldn't matter at all during a inspection.


Inside the strut is basically a spring and a shock absorber and what is supposely occurring with your vehicles struts is their leaking from the shocks or shock absorber assemblies.


Basically the springs give the car vehicle it's height and the shock absorbers are for the obvious but sometimes a shock absorber can actually cause a vehicle from not just riding the bumps on the roads but actually cause the front end to become low.Therefore the leaking shock could end up causing the vehicle to not only sit low but also to be giving a bumpy ride.


So really just bec that mechanic said the struts won't pass doesn't mean it's actually true. Even if a few mechanics were to tell you that doesn't mean under a mechanical test those strusts wouldn't pass.In fact more then likely the shop that does the inspection would simply make a service memo suggesting the strusts be changed later bec they seem to be leaking.But I'm surprised a bit that if Honda dealership did a 40pt inspection on that vehicle why if struts are even leaking wouldn't they have made a service memo on the work order sheet.Obviouslly the strusts are probably working fine and that's why they didn't make the mental note even but still they should of checked the strusts fully visaully too.





Hope that helps and best of luck.By the way if you go to the big Honda specialty parts stores you can find a very cheap brand new set of warrantied struts for that car or rebuilts. I highly recommend that if you like and plan on keeping your car for some time still that you buy lifetime warranty front end parts like struts but keep in mind that the strut mounts and bearings really should be at least checked and possibly replaced too when changing struts.


I honestly feel that all in all Honda parts are half price or less considering the average costs of parts on domestic vehicles.|||Original Author - Yes, the struts were ruptured. I went to Sears and they replaced for $400. Wouldn't pass inspection unless fixed. Thanks for all who answered my question!

Report Abuse

|||Yes the Dealer would have noticed the leaking front struts. Most ASE and honest repair shops will not sell you something that you don't need with the hopes of you becoming a regular customer. Monroe and midas pay there tecs a percentage of what they sell in parts and labor and the more they can bill, the more they get paid. Take it back to the dealer and have them look at the struts, they are the front shocks for your Accord, and have them give you there opionon if there are worn enough to be replaced|||You know, I don't know.





Why don't you go back to the service department at your Honda dealership AND ASK THEM?!





The car has 'struts' in the front, which are just shock absorbers inside of springs that can turn when the wheels turn,.





The rear has normal shock absorbers.





43,000 miles is about average for OEM shocks and struts.





Replace them.