The gf's mom took her 2003 Pilot with ~110K miles to the dealership to have her timing belt replaced back in august. The next day the car started a heavy oil leak above the transmission. The dealership claimed it must have been a seal that went bad because of the replaced seals from the timing belt service (everyone I talked to agreed this sounded sketchy). But they ended up removing the transmission and replacing the seal gratis.

Not to long after that service the power steering started started making some noise. She just went to AAA today to get an oil change today and they said that the power steering reservoir was not properly installed and there is movement and the system is low on fluid. So she immediately took the car to the dealership and they said there is a slight annoying sound but that only means that the power steering pump may need to be replaced at some point, not recommending it now, but down the road when it gets worse.

The dealership also told her she can not pass inspection because her front struts are leaking and that will be $705 for oem, but they are going to look into aftermarket parts.

Any suggestions? I live several hours away and have not looked at the car, I am just relaying information. My understanding with power steering is that if the fluid is low it has to be going somewhere... which means something is not right, but it might be hard to pin it on the dealership 5 months later. And any good aftermarket struts?

 

That's ridiculous for the struts. Go for some aftermarket ones such as Monroe Sensatracs and have them installed at a reputable auto repair shop. You don't need to take it to the dealer for this, any repair shop should be able to install them without any trouble. You'll also save yourself hundreds of dollars. While they're at it, have them look into the power steering pump. They should be able to find the leak, if any, and recommend a proper solution.

 

She is out of warranty...why the fuck is she still going to the dealer....find a smaller local mechanic she can trust.

 

My thoughts exactly....

 

Go somewhere else. Those struts can last a long time.

 

This is what alot of dealers do now to keep income, it is wrong but they still keep doing it.

And they always try it on a woman first, easier prey.

 

i would def. recommend Monroe Sensatracs. they ride a little soft but i like it and they are pretty cheap.

 

is it normal for both struts to start leaking at the same time? To me it seems a little early for them to be leaking and even more unusual that they both started leaking at the same time.

 

110k is a long time for struts. Most think they are fine but they really arent. Typically they should be replaced around 50k but most never do

 

Any opinions on the KYB GR-2? Seem like decent OEM replacements and they are $70 each on Amazon.

 

I doubt both front struts started leaking at the same time. One was blown before, then the other went out; they just happened to catch both leaking now. Aftermarket parts and local mechanic is the way to go on that one.

As for the power steering, at 110k, I'm not surprised. My '03 TL-S blew the seals on its power steering rack at 100k. The entire reservoir was getting drained every week or so. It cost me $1,400 to replace with new OEM parts. Your girlfriend's mom's car is probably leaking at the seal(s) on the rack.

 

Regardless of whether one or two struts is leaking, always replace them in pairs.

 

That sucks...
Replacing in pairs just makes sense...

On a different note,
How long do coil overs last?

 

They did not mention anything about the rack leaking; they said the pump was causing noise.

Also some fishy stuff going on. AAA said the power steering was reinstalled wrong and low on fluid, then it went straight to the dealership where they said the reservoir was fine and it was not low on fluid, the pump was just making noise and will need to be replaced before long. I have a suspicion the stealership did it wrong the first time and caused the fluid to get low, causing wear on the pump. Then when it came back in they fixed the reservoir and filled it and said it was fine. Just don't understand how it can be low on fluid when it left AAA, then all of a sudden be fine

 

Tein Super Sport on my car survived 100k miles. But they were pretty much shot by the end, though I was really hard on them.

 

cool, i have super sports too, but im pretty gentle with them (and my car in general).
hopefully they last quite a while - which they should.
As backup, i still have the factory type s suspension stuff in storage...

 

I'm not sure what the OEM were on the Pilot but Showa make all of the Japanese built Honda/Acura dampers. KYB are OK with the exception that the ones I've used before tend to rust. I'm not sure what the problem is with KYB paint but it's not as good as the OEM struts. Performance wise the GR-2 are slightly firmer than stock.

My wife's Pilot has 177K miles and is on the original struts. that may seem like alot of miles but strut wear is almost all the type of road you ride on. Our Pilot is mostly smooth highways so the mileage is not unusual.

 

It is to bad that the lousy dealers ruin it for the good ones. I am a female that has all the service on my 06 tsx done by an acura dealer I think is excellent. They do not try to sell me unneeded service. My car has almost 120,000 problem free miles.