I have an 03 crv and was told by Honda dealer that the links were broken and want almost 500 to repair. They also say my manifold gasket is leaking, though I haven’t seen any oil on the ground, maybe I wouldn’t. That the want 920.00 for. Am I driving with a dangerous car at this point? BTW thanks for your expertise, really enjoy your channel.
For $500 you could buy all the necessary tools- jack, stands, or ramps, wrenches, parts and have $300 left over by doing it yourself.
Regarding the manifold leak, did they say it was the intake manifold or exhaust manifold?
Agree with jd. stabilizer bar links are not usually expensive or difficult for DIY.
Not sure about the intake or exhaust, have to check in a week when I get back to my paperwork.
Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Get an independent mechanic to assess it for you.
I would not consider worn stabilizer links to be dangerous if the suspension is otherwise OK. Stay away from stealerships and chain shops, find a good local mechanic to look at it for you.
Know any decent mechanics in Austin texas?
Way out of my area I'm afraid, don't know anyone out that way.
yes we do. Check the FAQ
just checked the faq don't see anything in Austin moving there on Thursday and looking for a good mechanic. I saw the ones in Dallas, Houston, Amarillo, and Fort Worth.
What you see there is all we've got.
manifold gaskets don't usually leak oil.
They usually leak coolant, or air, or exhaust. And if they leak internally then you may not be able to see anything. Ask them what indicates to them that the gasket is leaking.
Stabilizer bar links are usually one of the simpler things to DIY in the suspension. Some cars you may get lucky and not even need to jack it up. I replaced them in my old Pontiac a few months ago. I had horrible body roll and I noticed the driver's side one was completely gone. The right one was rust welded together, so I carefully cut it out with a grinder and put the new ones in without jacking it up. They're not load bearing when the car's stationary and on flat ground, but the holes need to be aligned to get them through. They're basically massive screws. You should be able to see them from behind or ahead of the wheels, along the frame. Look for torn bushings or broken/ missing links. They're definitely not a $500 job!
Finally brought the car to a local mechanic after I looked underneath and saw the right rear link was broken. They called me and said they'll do both on the rear and the fronts look just as bad, so I figured after 128000 miles and 19 years, most of which were in the NE it's time to replace the fronts as well. Both sets after a discount are approx 360 + tx. Not bad I'm guessing since the stealership wanter 490 for just the rear!
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