vikram@gmail.com wrote:
> 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.
>

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.