10-year airbag inspection for 1997 Accord

Discussion in 'Accord' started by techman41973, Apr 28, 2007.

  1. techman41973

    techman41973 Guest

    According to the label on the door jam of my 97 Accord, my airbag is
    now 10-years old and should be inspected according to the maintenance
    schedule.
    Does anyone know how necessary this is, or what it should cost for a
    mechanic to do it?
    Thanks
     
    techman41973, Apr 28, 2007
    #1
  2. techman41973

    Tegger Guest


    I have never personally known anybody on the face of this planet who has
    ever, deliberately, on purpose, presented his airbag to a professional to
    be examined for faults after ten years of lifespan.

    Chances are excellent that if you bring this heap to any garage and ask
    them to inspect and certify your ten year-old airbag, you will be told just
    one (very liability-lawsuit-aware) thing: REPLACE IT!!!

    Airbags are horrendously expensive, for very little statistical gain in
    safety. Is it really worth it?
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #2
  3. techman41973

    Tegger Guest


    I have never personally known anybody on the face of this planet who has
    ever, deliberately, on purpose, presented his airbag to a professional to
    be examined for faults after ten years of lifespan.

    Chances are excellent that if you bring this heap to any garage and ask
    them to inspect and certify your ten year-old airbag, you will be told just
    one (very liability-lawsuit-aware) thing: REPLACE IT!!!

    Airbags are horrendously expensive, for very little statistical gain in
    safety. Is it really worth it?
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #3
  4. techman41973

    jim beam Guest

    other than looking to see if the enclosure is full of spilled cola
    residues, there's not much inspection to do. the electronic self-test
    the vehicle performs each time you start the car is about all the
    inspection it needs. other than that, you can replace everything, and
    i'll bet that's what a dealer will recommend. in other words, i'd leave
    it alone.
     
    jim beam, Apr 28, 2007
    #4
  5. techman41973

    jim beam Guest

    other than looking to see if the enclosure is full of spilled cola
    residues, there's not much inspection to do. the electronic self-test
    the vehicle performs each time you start the car is about all the
    inspection it needs. other than that, you can replace everything, and
    i'll bet that's what a dealer will recommend. in other words, i'd leave
    it alone.
     
    jim beam, Apr 28, 2007
    #5
  6. techman41973

    Tegger Guest



    It's deterioration of the containing fabric (the balloon itself) they're
    concerned with, plus degradation of the sodium azide explosive.

    Neither of these can be detected by the on-board diag procedures.
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #6
  7. techman41973

    Tegger Guest



    It's deterioration of the containing fabric (the balloon itself) they're
    concerned with, plus degradation of the sodium azide explosive.

    Neither of these can be detected by the on-board diag procedures.
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #7
  8. techman41973

    jim beam Guest

    i understand that, but real-deal inspection is not something you can do
    with the naked eye. in fact, i doubt you can do it at all without
    destruction of the device. replacement is the only "real" option, and
    the economics of that, like you said earlier, are prohibitive.

    i'd consider the statistical likelihood of there being a problem, weigh
    that against the timeline for which the vehicle is expected to be used,
    and decide from there. maybe after 15-20 years, it would be worth
    replacing, but only if it was anticipated keeping the vehicle for that
    long again. if you could get the parts!
     
    jim beam, Apr 28, 2007
    #8
  9. techman41973

    jim beam Guest

    i understand that, but real-deal inspection is not something you can do
    with the naked eye. in fact, i doubt you can do it at all without
    destruction of the device. replacement is the only "real" option, and
    the economics of that, like you said earlier, are prohibitive.

    i'd consider the statistical likelihood of there being a problem, weigh
    that against the timeline for which the vehicle is expected to be used,
    and decide from there. maybe after 15-20 years, it would be worth
    replacing, but only if it was anticipated keeping the vehicle for that
    long again. if you could get the parts!
     
    jim beam, Apr 28, 2007
    #9
  10. techman41973

    Tegger Guest



    And so I said.

    See other messages elsewhere, straggling in at various times from various
    groups...
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #10
  11. techman41973

    Tegger Guest



    And so I said.

    See other messages elsewhere, straggling in at various times from various
    groups...
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #11
  12. techman41973

    N.E.Ohio Bob Guest

    I have been thinking of disconnecting and disabling the airbag system
    on my '92 Accord. At 235,000 miles with the first year device, I never
    really became comfortable with the possibility of something exploding in
    my face,if and when it decides to go off. ole bob
     
    N.E.Ohio Bob, Apr 28, 2007
    #12
  13. techman41973

    N.E.Ohio Bob Guest

    I have been thinking of disconnecting and disabling the airbag system
    on my '92 Accord. At 235,000 miles with the first year device, I never
    really became comfortable with the possibility of something exploding in
    my face,if and when it decides to go off. ole bob
     
    N.E.Ohio Bob, Apr 28, 2007
    #13
  14. techman41973

    jim beam Guest

    many people are faced with that choice when they have their airbags stolen.
     
    jim beam, Apr 28, 2007
    #14
  15. techman41973

    jim beam Guest

    many people are faced with that choice when they have their airbags stolen.
     
    jim beam, Apr 28, 2007
    #15
  16. techman41973

    Tegger Guest



    Just unplug the yellow connectors at the SRS ECU.
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #16
  17. techman41973

    Tegger Guest



    Just unplug the yellow connectors at the SRS ECU.
     
    Tegger, Apr 28, 2007
    #17
  18. So, basically you can either...

    1 - Unplug and short the connector.
    or
    2a - See if that ArmorAll crap you've been using has cracked the vinyl cover.
    2b - Turn to "on", wait&watch for 6 seconds, instead of going straight to "start".

    Seems simple enough.
     
    MasterBlaster, Apr 28, 2007
    #18
  19. So, basically you can either...

    1 - Unplug and short the connector.
    or
    2a - See if that ArmorAll crap you've been using has cracked the vinyl cover.
    2b - Turn to "on", wait&watch for 6 seconds, instead of going straight to "start".

    Seems simple enough.
     
    MasterBlaster, Apr 28, 2007
    #19
  20. techman41973

    TomP Guest

    Yes.
    The airbag system is 'fool proof' long as the fool doesn't "fool" around with it.
    In 20 years, of airbag involvement, I have not seen an airbag "deloy" by itself for
    "no" reason.
    --
    Tp,

    -------- __o
    ----- -\<. -------- __o
    --- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
    -------------------- ( )/ ( )
     
    TomP, Apr 29, 2007
    #20
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