How long did your factory original struts last (fronts)?
I have ~130K on my '00 TL and while it's not bouncy, there is a definate loose bobble sound from the front when going over rough road.
I've already had the ball joints replaced and the tie-rods, rack and engine mounts appear to be fine.

The only thing left I can imagine it could be is the front struts; what is the life expectancy of a honda strut and what is the most common way they exhibit failure?

 

There is no real average. It all depends on Driver, roads driven on weather, etc.. All can effect teh life of the shock. With the miles on your car id say they are due for replacement. Most tend to need it before 100k

 

When I talked to the acura service dept. about this question was. They still have not replaced shocks on any TL or CL in the last 8 years.

 

i find that very very hard to believe.

 

I find it very easy to believe that the dealer probably wants 2-3 grand to do the struts and smart consumers can buy coilovers and have installed for half that.
So a regular private shop would do far more replacements than the dealer does

My 01 has 70 something k miles and I feel its ready for some shocks,
sure there is some life left BUT
brakes stop the car- good shocks make it stop better by cutting down on the
weight shift/transfer that occurs constantly while driving

The usual external sign of total failure is oil coming from a small hole on the side!
Otherwise- if your car bounces, rolls, or becomes scared at the sight of road construction
Go for some new units.
Most of it is DIY- and you can take the units out and to a shop, have a pro do the spring compression and parts swap on the shock/strut itself.
Then you take home and install

 

4 years and counting..dropped on HR Sports too..but like Kris said, it's all driver. My car has mainly highway (road trip) mileage. I would imagine all city driving would of led to replacement by now.

 

i went to the dealer just for shits and giggles to see how much more i would have payed to get an all new oem setup and i was quoted 1700 and they would need to keep the car for at least 5 days..

 

Its a 2 hour job max
in 5 days they could replace every part on the car, repaint it, fill the tank up for you and drive it from NY to Cali with time to spare.

 

I have 168K on my orignal struts. No leaks or anything, but you can tell they are feeling their age. Replacing in two weeks with Tein coilovers though