On Oct 26, 11:09 am, vik...@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.

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..