Repair questions

[dullard]

I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX, bought new almost 7 years ago. Until now I had no major repairs (other than a couple minor accidents, 2 of which was when the car was parked). I did bounce off the curb once on an icy day which bent a few parts and required alignment work a couple years ago. I've had everything repaired that was broken from those accidents.

But yesterday when I had it in the dealer for an oil change and inspection and they mentioned two problems:
1) Both front and rear struts are leaking.
2) Both lower control arm bushings are cracked.

Since I know nothing about cars, could you please answer a few questions.
1) Are these reasonably normal problems, or if not, what could have caused this to happen?
2) Are they critical problems that need immediate repair, or can I wait? What would happen if I waited and these failed completely?
3) The dealer wanted nearly $500 each ($965 total) to repair it. Is that a rip off, or a reasonable charge?

Thanks.

 

[MiataNC]

Leaking struts are typical after 5+ years. Basically the seals get worn and some of the oil seeps out and is visible during an inspection.

Bushings will also show signs of cracking on the outside edges. The rubber dries out, but that doesn't mean the inner parts are bad. The real question should be how much play is in the bushings, not how they look.

If your tire wear is normal, the ride is not overly bouncy (worn/bad struts will not dampen bumps like they should), and you don't hear "bangs" when going over bumps (blown struts will bang against fully compressed and fully extended), the struts are most likely fine.

If the car will hold an alignment, and doesn't feel loose when driving, then the bushings are most likely fine too.

I used to work for dealers, and in many cases they are covering their asses (in case you come back later and blame them for not catching things), or selling repairs that can be justified but are not "needed".

 

[nwfsnake]

It is normal for Honda control arm bushings to crack. As long as the rubber is still firmly attached to the inner and outer sleeve, don't worry about them. As for the struts, it is common for one to show signs of leaking, but rarely all four at once on a fairly new car! Sounds like the stealership is trying to generate some revenue. Struts are easily replaced at an independent repair shop for half the cost at the stealership. KYB would be a good, reasonably priced choice.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: dullard
Since I know nothing about cars, could you please answer a few questions.
1) Are these reasonably normal problems, or if not, what could have caused this to happen?
2) Are they critical problems that need immediate repair, or can I wait? What would happen if I waited and these failed completely?
3) The dealer wanted nearly $500 each ($965 total) to repair it. Is that a rip off, or a reasonable charge?

Thanks.

1) Yes, reasonably normal. Especially if your car is higher mileage. These are age and normal wear-related items.

2) If the lower control arm bushings fail completely, there will be enough slop in the suspension to make the car dangerous IMO. However, as others have mentioned, it's typical for the bushings to show some smaller cracks and still be 100% OK. You'd want to check for excess movement in the control arms to really know if the bushings are bad or not.

3) $965 total for the bushings and all 4 struts? That's a decent price, especially if labor is included. Struts are usually around $100/each though you can find them as low as about $60 if you look around. Bushings are labor intensive, which is where most of the cost is coming from on that side.

ZV

 

[nwfsnake]

Looked it all up at rockauto.com for you. Front struts are $110 each, rear shocks are $76 each, front lower control arms are $75 each. These are all heavy so shipping might be up there. Figure $600 in parts.

 

[dullard]

Thanks for the input and pricing, $965 isn't bad if the parts are ~$600.

It sounds like I can put this repair off for a bit. The ride is smooth, I don't hear "bangs", the alignment is just fine, and for the most part it doesn't feel loose. It was loose once around a corner, but there may have been residual gravel as well from the last snow storm.

The tires do have nearly 40k miles on them and they said the rear ones showed slight cupping. I rotate them about once a year - so maybe I should have done it more often. But also, could the struts be a cause of that too? I plan to replace them all before the next big ice storm this December/Jan. If the struts are causing cupping, I assume that I should replace the stuts when I get new tires. Is that a reasonable idea?

 

[cardiac]

I just did a little checking too, and if they are going to do the rear shocks, front struts, and the control arms for $965, you may just want to have it done. That is a very reasonable price. All the above advise is spot-on.....

As far as the tire cupping: More frequent rotation doesn't stop the cupping, it just spreads it out more.....Make sure your inflation pressures are correct. That is one of the culprits. Bad shocks can aggrevate this, but won't be the sole cause....