Accord has 98K on it and it sort of wanders around, not tracking straight like it once did. Am assuming the Shocks/Struts need replacing. Should all four be done, or just the front? Will it require alignment afterwards?
Honda Accord Needs Shocks; Front, Back, or Both?
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Check your air pressure first. Try 34 front and 32 rear.
If the tires have good inflation and are not a cheap no name brand and/or worn out then you can replace the struts.
I like KYB for Hondas. They work well and yes you would need an alignment after.
If the tires have good inflation and are not a cheap no name brand and/or worn out then you can replace the struts.
I like KYB for Hondas. They work well and yes you would need an alignment after.
"...wandering around..." covers a lot of ground. No pun intended.
Handling issues, you say?
Tires are always #1 on the Grand List of Considerations. What are you running and how old are they?
Check for worn parts. Tie rod ends come to mind.
A 6 year old car with ~100K could have worn shocks / struts.
Seriously, join a Honda forum and see if fellow owners of 2013's have suffered worn dampers.
Handling issues, you say?
Tires are always #1 on the Grand List of Considerations. What are you running and how old are they?
Check for worn parts. Tie rod ends come to mind.
A 6 year old car with ~100K could have worn shocks / struts.
Seriously, join a Honda forum and see if fellow owners of 2013's have suffered worn dampers.
Compliance bushings are commonly need replaced on these cars. I'd check that first.
Honda struts are known to last for some time. I guess it would depend on your driving habits and the condition of the roads you frequently drive on.
My 2010 Accord with 150k miles on it is showing NO SIGNS of needing new struts. But this car is also almost exclusively driven on the highway.
Honda struts are known to last for some time. I guess it would depend on your driving habits and the condition of the roads you frequently drive on.
My 2010 Accord with 150k miles on it is showing NO SIGNS of needing new struts. But this car is also almost exclusively driven on the highway.
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Before assuming all struts need replacing I'd eliminate other less costly, less drastic, easily fixed possibilities. Tires including pressure, balance, condition such as belts would be where I'd start. If that doesn't solve then perhaps alignment check with alignment if needed. After eliminating all those, then struts may be an option.
IMO and IME 98k miles seems rather short for strut replacment, however without knowing vehicle history can't exclude them I suppose.
IMO and IME 98k miles seems rather short for strut replacment, however without knowing vehicle history can't exclude them I suppose.
I know this goes against the BITOG DIY approach, but I would ask for a second opinion to make sure that if I were to replace parts, that they do need replacing.
Tossing new parts at a problem until you find the solution can be expensive. My brother learned auto mechanics this way, but he did it by borrowing the parts from the parts store where he worked and could return them if it didn't solve the problem. He did burn through a lot of hours of at home labor installing replacements, testing, uninstalling and putting back the original parts when it didn't solve the problem, but it was educational.
Tossing new parts at a problem until you find the solution can be expensive. My brother learned auto mechanics this way, but he did it by borrowing the parts from the parts store where he worked and could return them if it didn't solve the problem. He did burn through a lot of hours of at home labor installing replacements, testing, uninstalling and putting back the original parts when it didn't solve the problem, but it was educational.
A 2013 car with 100k shouldn't need new shocks and struts.
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Originally Posted By: Sayjac
Before assuming all struts need replacing I'd eliminate other less costly, less drastic, easily fixed possibilities. Tires including pressure, balance, condition such as belts would be where I'd start. If that doesn't solve then perhaps alignment check with alignment if needed. After eliminating all those, then struts may be an option.
IMO and IME 98k miles seems rather short for strut replacment, however without knowing vehicle history can't exclude them I suppose.
^^This
Before assuming all struts need replacing I'd eliminate other less costly, less drastic, easily fixed possibilities. Tires including pressure, balance, condition such as belts would be where I'd start. If that doesn't solve then perhaps alignment check with alignment if needed. After eliminating all those, then struts may be an option.
IMO and IME 98k miles seems rather short for strut replacment, however without knowing vehicle history can't exclude them I suppose.
^^This
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
A 2013 car with 100k shouldn't need new shocks and struts.
Actually that is around when you should start testing struts periodically. Otherwise I agree with Sayjac.
A 2013 car with 100k shouldn't need new shocks and struts.
Actually that is around when you should start testing struts periodically. Otherwise I agree with Sayjac.
Check the sway bar bushing in the front and back and a bounce test to be sure putting that kind of money into shocks.
The tires are Goodyears, less than 20K, in good shape/pressure and it was recently aligned. With the excellent advice from all of you, I'll have it checked further before spending on shocks which is what I jumped to conclusion was needed. Being this is the wife's car and I seldom drive it, I did not ask the alignment shop to do anything other than the alignment. Didn't really notice until driving yesterday on an interstate that it wasn't tracking straight like it used to. Its time to get the tires rotated so I'll have the tire shop check the front end.
What model GY's are they? I'd have before and after alignment specs printed out also. So hopefully they did that when the alignment was performed. Unless the struts are leaking I'd leave them alone per the Honda dealer here.
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
A 2013 car with 100k shouldn't need new shocks and struts.
It totally depends on the conditions you drive in. All highway miles in a flat mid-western state, then no problem. If it was that many miles commuting in and out of cities with potholes left and right from bad winters then it doesn’t matter that it’s a 2013 because those would be hard miles regardless.
A 2013 car with 100k shouldn't need new shocks and struts.
It totally depends on the conditions you drive in. All highway miles in a flat mid-western state, then no problem. If it was that many miles commuting in and out of cities with potholes left and right from bad winters then it doesn’t matter that it’s a 2013 because those would be hard miles regardless.
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