Civic Rear Sway Bar

[Deleted]

I got my oil change at jiffy lube and they told me that the rear sway bar (at least I think that is what they said) was detached on one side. He said I should get it fixed before winter because it helps the tires get traction on the ground. He also said the parts to fix it would be about $25.

Does that sound correct?

[tskeeter]

Arch, how old is the Civic?

I've got a couple of thoughts.

First, if the car has more than 30K miles on it, it is probable that a sway bar bushing has worn out. Or gotten so worn out that it split and fell out. The $23 would be about right for the parts cost of a sway bar bushing. Worn bushings tend to cause a clunking noise when you go over small bumps. Such as backing out of the driveway, or driving over a manhole cover. Many times you can see that a bushing is worn because there is a gap between the sway bar and the bushing or because the hole in the bushing has become oval. Replacing a bushing is fairly easy (do both at the same time), should be self explanatory (or google how to do it), and should take about 30 - 45 minutes to do. Be sure to orient the slit in the new bushings the same way the slit in the original bushings was positioned.

A second possibility is that something has come apart where the one end or the other of the sway bar attaches. A lost nut, for example. Be aware that some sway bars are not attached directly to the car body. Often there is a bone shaped control link at either end of the sway bar, with one end of the link attached to the body and the other end attached to the sway bar. Check all attachment points to make sure they are OK.

Control links do wear out, too. If there are ball joints at either end of the link, they should allow the joint to rotate, but there should be no slop. Worn control links make clunking noises, like worn bushings. It's often hard to tell which is the cause. So start with replacing bushings (it's cheaper and easier), and if that doesn't fix it, move on to the control links (if the links are worn, you're probably due for bushings, anyway). Replacing control links isn't technically difficult. Basically, it's just a nut on each end. You'll probably want to use penetrating oil or the like on each stud before trying to remove the nut. And you'll probably need two wrenches. One to remove the nut, and a second wrench to keep the stud from rotating. And the wrenches will probably be different sizes.

Note that sway bar bushings or control links often wear gradually. You may not have noticed a change in cornering performance or the like. And I'd think rear suspension issues would be less noticeable than front. But you'll probably notice that the car handles better after repairs have been made. Less body roll. Feels tighter and more nimble. Response to steering correction is more immediate.

By the way, This is something I would get fixed fairly quickly. It has nothing to do with winter traction. It's really about whether or not you will be able to maintain control of the car if you have do some abrupt accident avoidance maneuvers.

[Deleted]

Thanks tskeet.

It is a 2001 civic with 180,000 miles. So if I take this into the shop, i should be able to get out of there for a couple of hundred bucks, right?

[tskeeter]

Disclaimer: Arch, I haven't worked on a Civic, so I'm assuming that they are put together about the same way that cars I'm more famiiar with are put together. So take this with several grains of salt.

Depending on what parts are required, it could cost you more than twice as much.

I think of labor as costing $100 an hour or so.

I'd think the bushings should be about $50 and it'll probably cost you an hour of labor plus shop charges and environmental fees. So about $175. (Note that I don't have any idea what Honda OEM bushings might cost and I haven't allowed for the shop markup on parts, so your cost may vary.)

If you get into control links, you're talking about $100 for after market parts and an hour to an hour and a half of labor, plus shop charges and environmental fees. About $300 for the control links.

You might want to ask for an estimate for each option so you don't get surprised by the cost of OEM parts, or a steep markup on the parts (The last work I was going to have a shop do included a 200% markup on the over the counter cost of the parts. I did the work myself and saved over $150.).

[Cookies Galore]

Don't take repair advice from Jiffy Lube, dude!

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2012 18:50:46 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

Don't take repair advice from Jiffy Lube, dude!

Better or worse than internet dude?

[cael]

Second what Meghan says! Also, I've had my 1999 Camry with 182k miles on it for 4 years now. It is creaky and loud over bumps, which has been identified to be sway bar bushings. My mechanic, who I trust with my life, has maintained to me since I got it that it isn't a safety issue and doesn't make sense to spend money on fixing. It has never done anything besides annoy me slightly when I go over bumps. I'd get a second opinion.

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2012 20:25:16 GMT -5 cael said:

Second what Meghan says! Also, I've had my 1999 Camry with 182k miles on it for 4 years now. It is creaky and loud over bumps, which has been identified to be sway bar bushings. My mechanic, who I trust with my life, has maintained to me since I got it that it isn't a safety issue and doesn't make sense to spend money on fixing. It has never done anything besides annoy me slightly when I go over bumps. I'd get a second opinion.

I didn't get a first opinion yet...

[tskeeter]

Sept 5, 2012 20:25:16 GMT -5 cael said:

Second what Meghan says! Also, I've had my 1999 Camry with 182k miles on it for 4 years now. It is creaky and loud over bumps, which has been identified to be sway bar bushings. My mechanic, who I trust with my life, has maintained to me since I got it that it isn't a safety issue and doesn't make sense to spend money on fixing. It has never done anything besides annoy me slightly when I go over bumps. I'd get a second opinion.

I think the difference between Cael's situation and Archie's is that it sounds like suspension parts may be completely missing from Archie's car, not simply worn. That can change the risk factors involved fair significantly.

As far as worn sway bar bushings not being a safety issue, I disagree with Cael's mechanic. Worn bushings adversely affect the handling of the car. I know this because I installed new bushings in one of our cars a few months ago. Handling was significantly better with new bushings. While worn bushings aren't automatically going to make you crash tomorrow, they can make the car harder to control during accident avoidance maneuvers. Depending on the skill and experience level of the driver, better handling could be the difference between a close call and bent sheet metal, or worse. We live in a mountainous area with winding roads. A seriously poor handling car and the wrong circumstances could translate into a short flight that ends in a very abrupt stop. I'm willing to spend a few bucks and an hour under the car to avoid that.

Take the advice of the Jiffy Lube guy? Absolutely! Archie isn't going to ask the Jiffy Lube guy to make the repairs. He's taking the car to a properly qualified mechanic who will diagnose the possible problem and make the appropriate repairs. When someone in a parking lot suggests that a tire on my car looks low, I check it. I don't ignore them simply because I don't know what their qualifications to make such a comment are.

[thyme4change]

Civic Rear Sway Bar

Are those the things they hang on the dance floor in gay nightclubs?

[tskeeter]

Sept 6, 2012 13:56:31 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Civic Rear Sway Bar

Are those the things they hang on the dance floor in gay nightclubs?

Kind of depends on which team your favorite mechanic prefers.

[Deleted]

Hmmm.. I should probably get this fixed.