I too won't use Monroe. If it has to be a budget job, FCS actually doesn't seem that bad. I don't see how because they're so inexpensive, but it seems to work.
Wife's CR-V needs struts.
- Thread starter Starving Electrician
- Start date
China has cheap labor, all the metals and minerals they need, could care less about the environment. Just watch some documentaries on it. You'll be amazed at to what these poor workers are subjected to. Surprised they don't all glow in the dark yet. And they work for peanuts to boot. The whole country is one big " Superfund Site"....Pollution is out of control. In the air, water, ground, you name it. They just dump their manufacturing by products into the ground, or in rivers, or out smoke stacks. It's really pathetic. Look what happened to Detroit and Pennsylvania. Same thing. Towns are ghost towns now due to pollution.
Some China stuff has gotten much better. Better quality control I assume. Trump tariffs are killing those people who can't afford the top notch stuff.,,,such as me. E-Bay is a Ghost Town now. I'm not made out of money. Sorry. Can only do what I can with what I have in my wallet. Scrapyard stuff took up a lot of empty space on E-Bay. I have a scrapyard Denso alternator in my 13' CRV for 7 yrs now. Works great and cost me $ 60 bucks.,,with free shipping and no core !
Sheesh.... I can only imagine. They are going to have some huge problems in the future. No regulation and a plethora of chemicals dumped everywhere.
Many say they are "smart" when it comes to economics... I just think they're not so intelligent when it comes to their environment and long-term environmental policies. Of course... Americans want everything cheap. This comes at a cost.
China has us by the short hairs. They have the precious metals and minerals. USA does not have that. They have all the material needed to make a solar panel or lithium ion battery. We don't. Nothing is gonna change that. You can't mine for precious metals or minerals in USA if there is none to be found.
I unfortunately have to agree. If the aftermarket KYB's or Monroe's are not leaking by 30K, they will display significant degradation in ride quality and/or dampening. Their rate of degradation is significantly higher than a comparable OE strut.
I held my nose and got the kyb gas adjust for the old toyota, I would have bought a set of sachs if I could have found a complete set. Bilstein are a bit $$.
I disagree, again. Auto Shack from Canada / 13' CRV / daily driver / 5yrs-51k no problems / Front Quik Struts. 03' & 06' Toyota Solara and Camry / quik struts all around / Detroit Axle / 7yrs- 50k no problems. They ride fine. No leaks. Good stance. strut bearings fine. Tomato / Tomaato
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- Aug 21, 2020
- Messages
- 190
Had a similar experience with some Gabriel quickstruts. They were extremely soft and weak after 15,000 miles.
Not worth it.
I, too, wonder about degradation. Leaking is nice because it's a visual indicator for the customer, and unless they have specific complaints about ride quality I don’t usually mention shocks or struts unless I can see they're leaking.
But yeah, you can absolutely have no leaks but a significant drop in performance. Furthermore like looking at yourself in the mirror every day, it's gradual and you don't necessarily notice the aging as it progresses.
This is why I won't usually use the budget options unless it's a beater I think is likely to die for other reasons within ~2 years.
For nicer vehicles I try to stay with OEM, Bilstein, Mando or Sachs, although I'm still vexed by a recent Sachs failure in under 11 months where the struts just became super HARD/HARSH -- this was on an '02 Forester.
Also, old Subarus are disturbingly common here (like 2000 to 2010) and good strut options are surprisingly difficult to find. So usually I'm forced into cheap and hope the ol' Boxer blows up soon
I've tried stretching my legs from RA, but Amazon is 99.9% questionable junk like O'REDY and similar ilk, and Parts Geek often doesn't list struts a-la-carte but only quick struts.
But yeah, you can absolutely have no leaks but a significant drop in performance. Furthermore like looking at yourself in the mirror every day, it's gradual and you don't necessarily notice the aging as it progresses.
This is why I won't usually use the budget options unless it's a beater I think is likely to die for other reasons within ~2 years.
For nicer vehicles I try to stay with OEM, Bilstein, Mando or Sachs, although I'm still vexed by a recent Sachs failure in under 11 months where the struts just became super HARD/HARSH -- this was on an '02 Forester.
Also, old Subarus are disturbingly common here (like 2000 to 2010) and good strut options are surprisingly difficult to find. So usually I'm forced into cheap and hope the ol' Boxer blows up soon
I've tried stretching my legs from RA, but Amazon is 99.9% questionable junk like O'REDY and similar ilk, and Parts Geek often doesn't list struts a-la-carte but only quick struts.
If you’re planning on keeping this vehicle around a while, I’d go with Bilstein B4s or Sachs and use old springs along with Honda OE strut/shock mounts.
If you’re leaning towards quick struts, I’d go with Mando. KYBs are supposedly better but are sprung too stiffly imo. If you live in an area with a lot of potholed roads, I think the ride is too jarring. This was my experience on my Corolla. Monroe “Quick-Struts” (avoid the blue economy line parts completely) have served me well. Never had any issues with any of them. I’ve about 70k miles on them on my Corolla and they’re starting to ride a little rough. I have them on my Focus and those have about 20-22k miles on them. I also had them on my Pathfinder and they still ride well as I get to sit in it occasionally. That’s at about 10k miles.
Or go with a parts store with their lifetime warranty and the higher price.
I’d completely avoid FCS - they’re just damped too stiffly and I hated how they rode on the back of my Pathfinder.
On that we agree. Gabriel make terrible everything.
Looking in the mirror everyday doesn’t reveal aging…. Until this post… NOOOooooo…..!I, too, wonder about degradation. Leaking is nice because it's a visual indicator for the customer, and unless they have specific complaints about ride quality I don’t usually mention shocks or struts unless I can see they're leaking.
But yeah, you can absolutely have no leaks but a significant drop in performance. Furthermore like looking at yourself in the mirror every day, it's gradual and you don't necessarily notice the aging as it progresses.
This is why I won't usually use the budget options unless it's a beater I think is likely to die for other reasons within ~2 years.
For nicer vehicles I try to stay with OEM, Bilstein, Mando or Sachs, although I'm still vexed by a recent Sachs failure in under 11 months where the struts just became super HARD/HARSH -- this was on an '02 Forester.
Also, old Subarus are disturbingly common here (like 2000 to 2010) and good strut options are surprisingly difficult to find. So usually I'm forced into cheap and hope the ol' Boxer blows up soon
I've tried stretching my legs from RA, but Amazon is 99.9% questionable junk like O'REDY and similar ilk, and Parts Geek often doesn't list struts a-la-carte but only quick struts.
I saved the factory units when I installed KYB quick struts in my Scion. If the KYBs go bad I’m buying OEM cartridges and a spring compressor and putting the originals back in.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the FLAPS stuff(Duralast, MasterPro, DriveWorks/Carquest) and Napa’s house brand is FCS or Sensen. MAT Holdings owns Gabriel.
While the shock itself is made by KYB(as an example) or others, the mount and spring come from China or India.
I hear you meep.......58 and falling apart.......All I do now is see doctors : Hematologist, Endocrinologist, Gastroenterologist, Dermatologist, Spinal Surgeon , Colorectal Surgeon..., Eye Doctor........I don't even see my Primary Care doctor anymore...for what ?????
