My mechanic showed me a picture of my rear struts and said they were leaking and should be replaced. How bad do these look to you all? And what do you think is a fair price range to change rear struts? This is a 2014 Honda CRV, 10 years old almost 100K miles.
Yes they are leaking. Yes they need to be replaced.
I can’t say what a fair price is in your area because I don’t know where you are. Labor rates vary quite a lot.
Get on your phone and call a couple of places for estimates to compare to your mechanic.
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Thanks, I appreciate the response.
Why was your mechanic looking at your struts?
How do you know this is a pic of your car?
Looks like that is the left rear strut in both pics, but it IS advised to replace both… I agree 100% with Mustangman, they need replacing…
Call a few shops and get quotes for a price comparison… Ask for complete strut assembly’s like quick struts or equivalent…
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Why wouldn’t a mechanic look at struts? Every car that comes in the door gets a “Wellness Inspection”. We take a quick look at fluid levels and condition, basic chassis inspection, check exterior lights and wipers, and report any needs.
Every time I visit the doctor they weigh me, check blood pressure and heart rate, blood O2 level. Same principle.
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+1
My friend recently took his Forester to the dealership for its 30k service, and they provided him with a narrated video “tour” of the underside of his car. The mechanic showed and commented on the condition of things like struts, ball joints, axle boots, tires, exhaust, and a few other parts. It was obvious that the video was of my friend’s car because the license plate was visible several times as the camera moved around the vehicle.
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I also concur w/your mechanic, both rear struts appear to need replacement. I’d guess you’re looking at about 3-4 hours labor, plus $300-400 for a pair of oem struts. For a 10 year old vehicle, it’s a good idea to expect that there may be a few other parts of the suspension system requiring replacement, only discovered during the removal process, like the strut’s top mounts. IMHO, if the top mounts are looking at all “iffy”, suggest to include that work.
That seems like a pretty good idea, if only for customer-relations purposes, to help avoid arguments starting b/t shop tech and customer. I expect many new car buyers would appreciate a dvd available for optional purchase showing where all the parts, sensors, actuators, etc are located.
The video also means the customer probably doesn’t need to look at the car’s undercarriage in person. I’ve been told at many shops that customers aren’t allowed in the shop for insurance reasons. Blowing smoke? Maybe, but it happens often enough that I believe them.
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We were always told to ask the customer if they would mind walking out to the vehicle to show them the issue (if it had one) or if the customer had any questions or concerns, BUT they were required to wear safety glasses and stay close to the sales/service advisor/person… One reason the shop was suppose to be kept clean at all times… Of course if any thing like grinding was going on it had to be away from the customer, customer safety 1st…
My point was, why was car in shop!
Rear brakes? Ok, tech might look at struts.
Thanks all for the advice.
I took the car in to have the front and rear brakes replaced. They do a general check of the vehicle and I am assuming they noticed it leaking when they were doing the back brakes.
While I am good with a DVD, DVDs are going away. Laptops no longer have a disc drive, movies are streamed.
More likely such video reports would be sent as an attachment to an email.
In 2013 I was shopping for a new truck, found a Ram and an F150,
The Ram had carpeting, but no CD player. The F150 had rubber floor covering, but came with a CD player. Having had a bad experience with a previous Dodge truck and my brother’s Ram had numerous recalls, the CD player made the difference. The F150 came with a six month subscription to satellite radio. Now I’m hooked on satellite, CD player not used.
BTW, the rubber floor covering is a good choice, truck gets lots of sand and mud in it.