Needs struts

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StickWare

StickWare

Active Member
My Clarity, all 101K mikes needs struts.
The dealer said all kinds of things saying how complicated this is and would be $2600

I called another repair place and he estimated $1400-$1500.

anyone deal with this yet?
 
StickWave, several of us were waiting to hear more about your maintenance and such on the other thread you started. I think you are the first needing struts. I wonder if they would be covered under the honda care extended warranty?. Sorry to hear the struts failed on your car. Are there other wear items you faced with your 101,000 mile clarity?
 
Most likely struts would be considered 'normal wear & tear' items on the vehicle and not covered. Someone who has the warranty should be chiming in any minute now...
 
I actually have the warranty. Sorry for not referring to it, but need to track it down. I do have the warranty card and know my car is registered in Hondas computer.
 
I checked my Honda Care contract and there is no mention of struts NOT being covered. But my gut feeling is that they are not covered as they are wear items. $2600 seems to be a lot. The front struts are about $200 each+ about $50 for the different rubber bushing, stops,etc. The rear struts are about $160 each+ about $50 for the different rubber bushing, stops,etc. . Total parts would be under $1k. I looked through the diagram and they looked like regular struts. They shouldn't charge extra for replacement. The rear linkage looked complicated but they shouldn't have to touch that. $1500 sound more reasonable.

BTW, these struts are for Clarity only and I don't think there are any OEM equivalent. So the replacements will have to be OEM parts.
 
All 4 struts failed at once? Red flag.

What symptoms did the car display while driving, and what prompted this sudden need to replace all of the struts? Did you complain about something or did this pop up on a “courtesy inspection”?

I also want to point out that the struts on the Clarity are no more difficult to access or replace than on any other car. Rears in particular look spectacularly easy. Fronts look typical. Not saying it’s cheap cuz OEM struts cost money just to get the parts, and sometimes it’s wise to buy and replace mounts at the same time...it adds up. IF it needs it. IF.

But if your dealer says you need all 4 struts, and they’re making a big deal out of the Clarity being harder to do than other cars? That’s two red flags. Get a second opinion, or explain your drivability problems here please so I can help advise...

Coronavirus has a lot of shops truly scrambling for work right now. They might be crying wolf on this trying to keep their shop full.
 
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craze1cars said:
All 4 struts failed at once? Red flag.

What symptoms did the car display while driving, and what prompted this sudden need to replace all of the struts? Did you complain about something or did this pop up on a “courtesy inspection”?

I also want to point out that the struts on the Clarity are no more difficult to access or replace than on any other car. Rears in particular look spectacularly easy. Fronts look typical. Not saying it’s cheap cuz OEM struts cost money just to get the parts, and sometimes it’s wise to buy and replace mounts at the same time...it adds up. IF it needs it. IF.

But if your dealer says you need all 4 struts, and they’re making a big deal out of the Clarity being harder to do than other cars? That’s two red flags. Get a second opinion, or explain your drivability problems here please so I can help advise...

Coronavirus has a lot of shops truly scrambling for work right now. They might be crying wolf on this trying to keep their shop full.
Click to expand...


Not 4. Really the right front

but replace in pairs

it’s been making a noise on bumps. It got much worse now.

when Honda had car, they said I’d need them soon

had someone look today. He said it’s completely disconnected at top and is unsafe to drive. So I won’t

I’m taking it to place next week that does good repairs. They said about $1400 for front two.
 
Sounds like textbook right upper mount broke. Common on many cars. Maybe struts are fine and it just needs a right upper mount. Mounts rattle subtly for a while when they wear and work loose, eventually turning into clunking like mad when they break, and at this point I agree unsafe to drive great distances. A full failure could even cause strut to pop into underside of your hood doing body damage on a good bump. But struts don’t usually clunk when they fail...they typically remain quiet and leak visibly, or seize up rigid, or fail the bounce test, all still mostly safe to drive with the possible exception of seizure. Mounts also don't need to be replaced in pairs, individual is fine. A broken mount also doesn’t mean there is a strut problem, nor does the strut need to be replaced if only the mount is bad. But strut needs to be removed from the car to access the mount anyway, it is an opportunity to replace...struts are indeed gradual wear items. And indeed struts themselves are recommended (not required) to be replaced in pairs due to this gradual wear characteristic...you want them to mostly match. Also agree any independent shop can handle this, if you’re gonna save $1200 over dealer prices for the pair and get the same parts, it highlights why I repeatedly put down dealer service departments on this site....

If your independent shop hasn’t personally diagnosed this car, and you have simply told them you need 2 new struts over phone, you may have done yourself a great disservice, especially if they have ordered the struts based exclusively on your word of a dealer diagnostic. My suggestion would be to have the independent shop diagnose and ask them specifically if they can just replace right front strut mount to stop the clunking and make car safe again. If they feel struts also need replacement, ask them to physically show you why. Again I’d want to see oil leaking, or seizure, or a failure of a bounce test. Absent one of these 3, the struts are still working fine and neither needs replacement.

Unfortunately if shop has already ordered struts from Honda we might be in a restocking parts fee situation If it doesn’t actually need them. Might lose 15% of parts cost if you and independent shop decide they can be returned to Honda and not installed. That’s money out the window but it’s an 85% parts savings for possibly unnecessary expensive parts. Drink the 15% poison if necessary.

Mount alone maybe $60 plus 2 hours labor? $250 to $300 bottom line repair at most shops. No alignment necessary either, the mount sets in fixed holes and there is no upper adjustment. Alignment might be acceptable anyway on a high mileage car, but consider it an optional extra cost if you want to save another $99 or so add on.

Hard for me to diagnose over internet, but I have a lot of questions here based on what you have said...I see high likelihood of unnecessary pair of struts being installed here and am 75% confident a single strut mount replacement would get your car solidly back on the road again for about 10% of what the dealer quoted you.
 
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Holy snot. I just finally had a chance to look up part prices. I thought based on the numbers being tossed around that they would be high. But they are not. Remarkably average. Let's just assume the car actually does need 2 struts (doubful). Mounts are relatively inexpensive and IMO should absolutely be replaced while they're in there doing the struts. So here's the math:

OEM struts, full Honda retail, are $296.59 each. Mounts are $61.87 each. If you need 2 struts and 2 mounts, as per Honda dealer, you need $716.92 worth of parts. Sales tax and misc shop fees rounds this up to about $800.

So they want $1,800 labor to install these $800 worth of parts? I contend 4 hours labor, maybe 5, maybe plus an alignment. At $100/hour that's about $600 labor to replace both struts, both mounts, and do the alignment.

So $800 parts plus $600 labor = $1,400...gee what a coincidence. That's exactly your stated estimate from your independent shop. Fair price, and fair profit for the shop. Very nice. Give them your current and future business. This all assumes the struts and left mount are actually necessary. I still encourage you to ask them to prove this to you visually before they start the repairs.

But the extra $1200 the dealer wants to charge for the same repair? TRIPLE the labor cost of an independent shop? I will say it again. Triple. WTF? Those fancy Honda dealer buildings that give free cookies and refreshments to you in the waiting room indeed need to be subsidized...such niceties ain't free...I get it. But is a handful of free cookies worth a $1,200 upcharge out of YOUR pocket? That giant price quote is the reason I assumed they were telling you that 4 struts were needed. For two struts, that is one of the biggest ripoff price quotes I have witnessed in recent years.

By the way, Honda dealer obtains those $716.92 worth of retail parts for about $450 to $500 from Honda. So they make $200+ profit on the part sale in addition to the $1200 overrape on labor.

All for a car that I still am 75% convinced might just need ONE strut mount, and nothing more? Again my $300-ish out the door price for a single strut mount still stands, plus optional alignment if you're feeling saucy. And you might lose $100 restock fee if you and shop agree the struts and left mount are unnecessary and need to be sent back to Honda, having been ordered on your word.

There's all the real math for ya to help make some decisions. It's great you got the repair price from $2600 to $1400. But follow my lead carefully and you might get it all the way down to $300, or maybe $500 tops if the planets are aligned against you on the restocking thing.

FWIW I'm more than just an internet blowhard (which I also am.) I audited auto repair estimates and renegotiated repair prices between insurance companies and repair shops for over 25 years as a living. Retired now, but this is a textbook example of what I did to justify my salary in my early years, and later my fees as an independent contractor after I went self-employed. I'd charge insurance company $120 for this comparable consulting service. But for fellow EV'ers I'll occasionally do it for free now...if I feel like it...
 
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Would still love to hear what a HV Capacity check says for your car. As most have said, you have to be the highest mileage Clarity on the forum!

Good luck on the struts!

Cash
 
craze1cars said:
Sounds like textbook right upper mount broke. Common on many cars. Maybe struts are fine and it just needs a right upper mount. Mounts rattle subtly for a while when they wear and work loose, eventually turning into clunking like mad when they break, and at this point I agree unsafe to drive great distances. A full failure could even cause strut to pop into underside of your hood doing body damage on a good bump. But struts don’t usually clunk when they fail...they typically remain quiet and leak visibly, or seize up rigid, or fail the bounce test, all still mostly safe to drive with the possible exception of seizure. Mounts also don't need to be replaced in pairs, individual is fine. A broken mount also doesn’t mean there is a strut problem, nor does the strut need to be replaced if only the mount is bad. But strut needs to be removed from the car to access the mount anyway, it is an opportunity to replace...struts are indeed gradual wear items. And indeed struts themselves are recommended (not required) to be replaced in pairs due to this gradual wear characteristic...you want them to mostly match. Also agree any independent shop can handle this, if you’re gonna save $1200 over dealer prices for the pair and get the same parts, it highlights why I repeatedly put down dealer service departments on this site....

If your independent shop hasn’t personally diagnosed this car, and you have simply told them you need 2 new struts over phone, you may have done yourself a great disservice, especially if they have ordered the struts based exclusively on your word of a dealer diagnostic. My suggestion would be to have the independent shop diagnose and ask them specifically if they can just replace right front strut mount to stop the clunking and make car safe again. If they feel struts also need replacement, ask them to physically show you why. Again I’d want to see oil leaking, or seizure, or a failure of a bounce test. Absent one of these 3, the struts are still working fine and neither needs replacement.

Unfortunately if shop has already ordered struts from Honda we might be in a restocking parts fee situation If it doesn’t actually need them. Might lose 15% of parts cost if you and independent shop decide they can be returned to Honda and not installed. That’s money out the window but it’s an 85% parts savings for possibly unnecessary expensive parts. Drink the 15% poison if necessary.

Mount alone maybe $60 plus 2 hours labor? $250 to $300 bottom line repair at most shops. No alignment necessary either, the mount sets in fixed holes and there is no upper adjustment. Alignment might be acceptable anyway on a high mileage car, but consider it an optional extra cost if you want to save another $99 or so add on.

Hard for me to diagnose over internet, but I have a lot of questions here based on what you have said...I see high likelihood of unnecessary pair of struts being installed here and am 75% confident a single strut mount replacement would get your car solidly back on the road again for about 10% of what the dealer quoted you.
Click to expand...

Wow. Thanks!!!

I don’t know much.
The guy I’m taking it to is very fair. He will look at it before ordering parts. He said if only one is bad, I could fix one if it’s a money thing. It is a money thing because I don’t have a job now.

I’ll ask him about mount only

thanks so much
 
@craze1cars
We had previously discovered some part commonality with the front hub / bearing between the Clarity and CRV / HRV vehicles.
Admittedly much less likely, but did you happen to look for commonality with the struts when you were reviewing OEM pricing?

P.S. I think I just answered my own question. I just looked at both front and rear, and did not see any alternate "fitments"...
 
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I haven’t noticed any. Struts and mounts appear to be Clarity specific with OEM being the only option.

Used OEM is another alternative to save on part price. Readily available and often used struts come with mounts attached at no extra cost, but smart to clarify with seller that mount is included,
if considering used struts.
 
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Struts and related parts are Clarity specific and there is no 3rd party aftermarket parts. OEM only. @$300 a piece, Honda parts still cheaper than my BMW parts!
 
On eBay, there are used struts (from totaled cars) available. $155 plus shipping (listing says free shipping and $20 std shipping) from a 2018 with 13k miles.
Search for "CLARITY 2018 Strut 1784404 PASSENGER (RIGHT) STRUT, FREE SHIP, WARRANTY INCLUDED" or just search "Clarity Strut."

Several other listings, some lower in price, all with usually low miles. If you put a few of them on your eBay "watch" list, wait a few days and sometimes they'll email you a lower price offer, or just ask. Chances are, there are few people with enough miles on a Clarity to need replacement struts, so they'll bargain.
 
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