Civic front struts

I see many posts complaining about how the Civic front struts need frequent
replacement. This is probably a dumb question, but how do I tell if the
struts are blown? What are the symptoms, are they obvious? As an extremely
easy-going driver, would I even be able to tell the difference?

 

they are blown if there is oil on the out side but im not sure who is
making these complaints, i have an 83 civic i got from my dad who got
it in 83 (second owner) and i replaced the fron struts for the first
time in the car's life last year and it wasnt because they were blown
or anything, just old and i was not very nice to them

Andrew

 

they are blown if there is oil on the out side but im not sure who is

I used to own a 2001 Civic and I'm pretty sure that the complains are about
the current generation of the Civic.
Before I sold it, I had to replace the front struts with little under
30000km and less than a year. They were leaking oil.
I believe that I asked the dealer to inspect the suspension because it
became bumpy. I do push a car more than the average.
I heard other people complaining about the same problem.

 

It's the 2001 & 2002 Civics that have the chronic strut problem that
is a result of bad design. The replacement struts are apparently
better and resolve the problem.

If you're doom a 2001 or 2002 civic, check you struts for leaks
regularly and make sure that you get them replaced before you warranty
runs out!

 

thats good to know, are there any good aftermarket struts out there
that are not so prone to this?

Andrew

 

thats good to know, are there any good aftermarket struts out there

Got mine replaced under the warranty and sold the car 6 months later.
It would be interesting to know from other 2001 owners what's their story.
Some of them are not covered by the warranty anymore.

 

My struts are all factory, and my 1994 Civic has 163,000 miles. I also
am a bit rough on the car. I almost wish they would blow so I could
justify some KYB or Koni struts to minimize cornering roll. Oh
well....

Nate