Leaking Front Struts: 2001 civic ex

Hi folks.

I have a 2001 honda civic ex with 41,000 miles. I just did a visual
inspection of my front struts and i got some seepage going on, it hasnt
traveled down over the lower spring base, but the side of the shock is
clearly wet. Inspection was prompted lately cause i just installed KYB GR2
on the wifes car (1998 civic LX) and I started to notice SUCH a difference
from that to mine (2001). So I think it is pretty clear i need to do a
replacement.

Here is my question. Would this be covered under warranty? Soon after
purchasing this car I had to get the front springs replaced because of all
the clunking and bottoming out I was doing on small imperfections in the
road or just going up a typical driveway. Could this current issue of the
blown shock (and what is your estimation, is this shock blown?) be related
to the earlier issue of the bad springs?

tia.

tom

 

Is the warranty still in force on your car? There is no extended warranty
on struts. If you have already run out the miles or months on the warranty,
you are on your own as far as replacement.

A little bit of seepage (couple of drops, not a stream) is considered normal
on the struts. A lot would mean they are shot.

 

Thanks for the advice. It seems to be a little, rather than a stream. But,
seems like the performance of them has dropped recently as the car bounces
more than it used to. The warranty is 3yr/36,000 miles, right?

tia

 

Hi Tom,
Just my two cents worth....Seepage/leakage on a strut results from the
oil/fluid being forced past the piston and its seal as the strut is working.
Therefore, one would conclude that any wetness on the outside of the strut
is reason for concern. Quite simply you are losing fluid and the strut is
losing its capacity to control compression/rebound. How much degradation in
performance you can stand is up to you. At my shop, we recommended
replacement if any seepage was noted. Of course, much of this was due to
possible liability concerns so we always mentioned it to the customer to
protect ourselves as well as alert the customer to a potential failure.
Don't believe that you could tie the failing strut with bad springs. Sorry.
Also, struts are considered to have a definite life expectancy, that is,
they will wear out so I don't think that the warranty will apply but check
with the dealer. I always considered struts, belts, shocks, etc. to be in
the same category. Hope this helps you with your decision making.

Dave D

 

I see, so i can mention it but chances are that this is not covered under
warranty.

thanks again.