My old man also has a '03 6 speed. He just put on Koni yellows and Comptech springs. Man, what a difference! Put's my Anthracite 4x4 to shame! One thing that was interesting was what the run-a-round the dealership said about the install. We went to pick it up after they said it was done. At the cashier I read over the invoice when I find this:

"Spring perches on front inserts not holding the spring correctly. O.K. at this time/would recommend to inspect regularly".

Now mind you, no one said a word to me, until I brought it up. I was pretty pissed that they would just try and slide that by and so I asked to speak with the tech. First he tells me that I need to call Koni to see if they make a "premium" saddle (seat) because the ones supplied were just a cheap piece of tin that didn't fit plum like an Acura part would. He said I wouldn't have any safety issues, but I may occasionally hear a clunk going over bumps which would be the spring readjusting.

Pissed off, we go home and call Koni. First off Gordon (customer service) was great. He said that he had never heard of this problem before and he is the only one that takes tech calls for cars! He told me to call back the dealership and get better, more explicit information. After I call back and tell the tech I talked to Koni, he kind of changed his tune a bit . He said that anytime they put on aftermarket struts they have this problem, regardless of manufacturer. I told Gordon at Koni and he laughed. He said bottom line, the dealership is trying to save ass from any potential liability in the future. Yet another thumbs down for Acura of Bellevue!

Gordon told me if I have any concern or future problems, take a digital picture and send it to him so they can help.

 

You took it to a dealer, home of the $10/hr high school dropout "mechanics".



Anyway.....How does it ride compared to stock in terms of harshness, roughness, bounciness, etc?

 

ok

 

Well, taking it to the dealer wasn't my choice, it was my old man's. He wanted to go the "safe route" .

The ride was just a little stiffer than stock (on softest setting). It didn't feel bouncy at all. One thing is for sure though, once I do the same setup, I'm getting sways too. There is a lot less body roll, but it is still noticeable.

 

HMMMMMM 10 dollar an hour high school drop out mechanics ? I'd say your knowledge of the auto repair industry is quite suspect and based on a pretty big generalization .
Most of them in fact did graduate from High School many of them in fact have gone to technical schools or college to learn the business of auto repair .
By the way I did quit High School and yes I am a mechanic but I make a bit more than ten bucks an hour and although I will never become a millionaire doing this I am still doing better than all those fine people that lost their butts when all the dot coms and the stock market went in the drink .
Jens

 

I smell Beef.

 

Unfortunately we only have two certified comptech dealerships here. And neither are even close to the quality of PAA. Though I didn't make the insulting remarks, I hope you didn't take offense to my bitching about the dealer Jens. Shady dealers are just a fact of life here in Seattle with our comptech dealerships.

 

I have a buddy in Scottsdale AZ and he works as a "Mechanic" and he makes about 65k a year...not 10 an hour....

 

i think the mechanics at the dealership are very smart, they know their shit, atleast the ones i have talked to about my car

 

Well from the things dealers have done to my car and other's cars, I put the word mechanic in quotes on purpose. These guys have done things like install parts backwards, bend parts that then make rub and make noise when the car moves that anyone with an ear should have heard in a drive around the back lot. Oh and when I had an IRMC failure with dyno proof, I had to explain to the SA and mechanic how to read it. It still took all day for them to "discover" the problem.

 

Oh no worries I don't really take mechanic bashing seriously enough to get upset about it ,And like all things in life there is truth in some of the negative statements made about the trade of auto repair .
Overall the industry is filled with some pretty good people who get a lot heat for the mistakes of others but this is the way life goes afterall I cannot remember the last time I heard positive commentary about lawyers either .
Sometimes though I feel the need to speak out when i hear this stuff about an industry that I have worked in for some 16 years .
By the way for what it's worth : the tech who spoke out about the possibility of noise on Koni's was not entirely incorrect in his assesment of the situation .Factory struts utilize fixed welded on painted perches .Koni uses seperate perches that are only gold chromate coated from the looks of it .Whenever seperate items like the Koni struts are used there is one thing that is certain .Seperate parts will move and movement implies that there is a good possibility that noise can occur .This is not some off the wall statement this is 16 years of my own experience with this sort of stuff .Movement implies something else as well ,abrasion .Abrasion is good for long term problems such as corrosion because the paint on the body of the strut will wear as will the gold chromate coating on the spring perch .Corrosion means that there will be changes in how well the parts fit together and that in turn also means a possibility of noise .
As you can see the mechanic micht not have delivered the information in a good way but his simple statement is based on some sound thinking and in no small way he is telling you that he thinks the struts may cause problems down the road and he feels that if a problem does develop it is not because he failed to install the parts correctly but simply a fact of life with parts such as this .
I grant you mechanics are not engineers ( I certainly am not) but frequently we are called upon to act in exactly this capacity whenever things fail for unknown reasons .Mechanics may not hold degrees in adcanced auto engineering but we can tell you when something will work and when it likely will not .That is called experience and that they do not teach you in college .
Jens

 

Thanks for clearing this up Jens. The tech was not very clear in his explanation and seem to be less confident the more I pressed him about it. That's why I started to think he was BS'ing me. Anyway, after hearing your explanation, I'm satisified that there most likely isn't a problem.

 

I had a bad experience w/ Acura of Bellevue as well. They didn't believe me that my IMRC actuator was bad... They argued to the point of telling me I didn't know what I was talking about. All the pictures and posts from this site didn't sway them. I go to Southcenter now and they've been great so far. BTW, the sways were an awesome mod. I think the 19's improved my cornering speeds alot as well. I need the koni's to complete the package.

 

All in all it still sounds like you really like the Yellows and Comptech Springs combo. This is gonna be the way i'm heading it seems.

 

DO NOT GO TO ACURA OF BELLEVUE...they sell comptech shit there...but they don't seem to want to warrant any aftermarket setups! BULLSHIT if you ask me...and their service is not up to par.....the BEST PLACE to go for service is ACURA OF SEATTLE-TUKWILA (southcenter). They have excellent customer service and their techs just rock!

You want anything fixed, they'll do it with great skills! STAY AWAY FROM ACURA OF BELLEVUE

 

Yeah, I totally agree with you. I mean why go to a dealership that sells comptech if they aren't going to warranty any of their work? In the past I've always gone to Acura of Seattle, it's just a bit of a drive for me now. I live down in the south end now, not to far away from Hinshaws Acura. So far they seem to be doing a good job, but I haven't had any major installs of aftermarket parts yet. I will be getting the Koni/Comptech setup soon myself and I will most likely go to a reputable tuner shop. Oh, by the way, for those who are interested in what my dad spent on the setup:

Konis $580 from autocarparts.com
Springs $299 from dealership
Install $500 including alignment

Seems like a lot of money to spend to ultimately wonder if the dealership will cover their work.