i have a '93 honda accord wagon… she has about 160000 miles on her and still gets me to and work safely every day. lately, she’s been making a lot of noise and getting louder and louder.
i took her in to be checked out and was told that she needs a new center pipe… and the front left axle needs to be fixed/ replaced.
i can only afford to have one of these fixed right now… the other will have to wait until next month…
so, my question is… which one should i have fixed right away? is it more unsafe to drive with a loud front axle or a loud center pipe?
Is the front axle making a lot of noise? If not just drive it carefully and get the exhaust pipe repaired. You are probably breathing in carbon monoxide fumes every day. If the axle is making a lot of noise try to park the car and find some other transportation to and from work until you can get both problems corrected.
It would help to know approx costs of each repair as well as how many miles you drive in a month… I would do the center pipe first, because of the carbon monoxide implications, minimize my driving until I got the front axle replaced.
Do you do any stop and go driving? Do you ever get tired now when you drive? If so, get the exhaust pipe fixed. Otherwise, do the axle this month and then the exhaust next month.
When one axle goes, the other is not far behind…Who is doing these repairs?
thanks for the advice.
well… the front axle wasn’t making much noise until this afternoon when i left the garage. now, it seems to make a lot more noise. before, it only made noise in the morning or, after having not driven the car for awhile… and only when i made a left turn… but, not it seems to be making a lot more noise.
thank you.
i drive about 50 miles a day (to and from work)… but, luckily for me i have a week off after this coming week and will, hopefully be able to let the car rest until i can afford the axle fix.
should i drive with the windows open if there is possible carbon monoxide coming into the car?
thank you.
i don’t do a lot of stop and go driving. nor am i getting tired when i drive.
would it be possible to cover the exhaust pipe hole until i get it fixed?
oh… that’s what i was hoping would not be the truth…
we go to meineke in greenfield, ma. they’ve been fixing many of the repairs on this car for several years now and seem to be pretty trustworthy mechanics. i don’t know how their prices compare to other garages… but, they like this car and we like them.
Do the pipe first. Ask questions. You may have repair options. Sometimes Hondas use a very expensive “flex-pipe” in the center. This can sometimes be eliminated much cheaper than replacing it with a factory part…A good muffler shop can usually MAKE a replacement pipe and weld it in.
Sounds like safety requires the exaust fix, but know that the axle, if it breaks, will strand you. It needs fixing ASAP.
I will second what texases stated.
Because any kind of exhaust problem means a potential carbon monoxide problem for anyone in the passenger cabin, this is not something that can be deferred.
On the other hand, you have to be prepared for the eventuality of being stranded when the CV joint in the axle breaks. This can be deferred, as long as you don’t mind being stranded and having to be towed. And, of course, towing adds to the repair costs.
If I were you, I would get out the credit card and have the exhaust pipe and BOTH front axles replaced.