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medved11

Honda CRV - Repair it or Start Shopping for Something New?

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I'm looking for some advice...

I've got a 2008 Honda CRV with about 230,000 on the odometer. Overall, it's been a reliable car but it's slowly starting to show its age mechanically, so I'm wondering if I should fix the latest issue that it's having or just admit that it's time to let it go and buy a new car.

The latest issue is that the control arm bushings on both sides are apparently starting to crack and tear. I just got an estimate of $1,500 (parts/labor) to replace the arms on both sides.

I was all for fixing the car at first but I'm starting to wonder if that money would be better spent on a new car. Right now I'm looking at the  CRV or a Suburu Crosstrek as a replacement. I'm also thinking about possibly getting a lower mileage used car since my daily commute is about 70 miles roundtrip.

On a similar topic, can any current Crosstrek owners let me know their opinion on the car? Would you buy another one? How are they on the highway?

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We just picked up the new cr-v, the old one from 2004 was in the same state. Needed new AC condenser and some other parts, the cost to fix was more then the trade in value. See what the trade in value is. The car will probably last a little longer, so if your scrapped for a new car payment/s it might worth to fix.  

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1 hour ago, JackDaWack said:

We just picked up the new cr-v, the old one from 2004 was in the same state. Needed new AC condenser and some other parts, the cost to fix was more then the trade in value. See what the trade in value is. The car will probably last a little longer, so if your scrapped for a new car payment/s it might worth to fix. 

Based on the KBB trade-in calculator, I'm looking at about $4k in trade-in value.

I actually had to replace the original AC compressor last spring as well

I was honestly hoping to get this car through the winter and pick up something new next summer but that was before I found out about the issue with the control arms. They also mentioned that I'm going to need to think about replacing the shocks soon as well, not to mention that I'm going to need new tires by mid-winter as well so I'm looking at about ~$1500-$2500 in maintenance costs.

Given all this, I'm starting to lean towards the idea that the money may be better spent towards picking up something new since I won't really recoup the money if I'm going to let it go in the near term. It's a tough decision because the car has been extremely reliable overall

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Time to let it go and get another.  It's ten model years old and your talking about 25 percent in today's value for these repairs.  What's next?  Use the money to get another and see what you can get for the old one.

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We have a 2014 Impreza Sport, pretty much the same as a Crosstrek. It's been great so far and the highway mileage is in the low 30's. I wanted to order it in a manual but lost that battle. I never owned a car with a CVT before and I like it.

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where'd ya take it midas, mienike or pepboys? how bad are the control arm bushings really? are they just starting to show cracks? or are they effecting handling and tire wear?


I got quotes from 2 dealer shops and one private shop. To be honest, I haven’t noticed any difference in handling or tire wear. I need to pull the tires off and check the bushings myself. The shop that noticed them just said that they were “cracked/torn”.


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Time to let it go and get another.  It's ten model years old and your talking about 25 percent in today's value for these repairs.  What's next?  Use the money to get another and see what you can get for the old one.


That seems to be the direction that my gut is taking me but I’ve been enjoying the past couple of years without a car payment every month


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We have a 2014 Impreza Sport, pretty much the same as a Crosstrek. It's been great so far and the highway mileage is in the low 30's. I wanted to order it in a manual but lost that battle. I never owned a car with a CVT before and I like it.


How is the acceleration in the Impreza? That’s been the one “complaint” that I’ve seen with the Crosstrek. However, if I’m being honest, the CRV isn’t exactly a performance car either, so I doubt I’d even notice a difference.

I’m in the same boat with the manual transmission. I’d love to have one again but my wife just can’t seem to get the hang of it


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6 minutes ago, medved11 said:

 


How is the acceleration in the Impreza? That’s been the one “complaint” that I’ve seen with the Crosstrek. However, if I’m being honest, the CRV isn’t exactly a performance car either, so I doubt I’d even notice a difference.

I’m in the same boat with the manual transmission. I’d love to have one again but my wife just can’t seem to get the hang of it


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I guess it depends on what you're coming from. I had a 1997 Impreza before buying the 2014 and I thought the 2014 was a rocket compared to the older car. But when I hop in it after driving my F-150 ecoboost it feels pretty slow. I think the CVT makes it feel more peppy than it actually is, especially when overtaking on the highway. It responds much faster than the older Subaru automatics. Although it is weird how it just revs up and hangs there as speed increases, it did take some getting used to. 

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30 minutes ago, medved11 said:

 


I got quotes from 2 dealer shops and one private shop. To be honest, I haven’t noticed any difference in handling or tire wear. I need to pull the tires off and check the bushings myself. The shop that noticed them just said that they were “cracked/torn”.


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look at them yourself. often you'll see what look like hairline cracks in the rubber. use a prybar to try and move the arm against the bushing. if it moves easily and you can see the crack turn into a gaper...then you've got problems. i'm suspecting you won't see that. even with this mileage on the vehicle. if you can't do this yourself, see if you can get one of the mechanics to show you. if they're not willing to show you, that also is suspect. personally, i go outta my way to show my customers what is broken/breaking, and explain to them what it is. i like my customers to know what they're paying me for.

 if you're able, post pictures......

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I guess it depends on what you're coming from. I had a 1997 Impreza before buying the 2014 and I thought the 2014 was a rocket compared to the older car. But when I hop in it after driving my F-150 ecoboost it feels pretty slow. I think the CVT makes it feel more peppy than it actually is, especially when overtaking on the highway. It responds much faster than the older Subaru automatics. Although it is weird how it just revs up and hangs there as speed increases, it did take some getting used to. 


Understood- the CRV has never been what I’d call “sporty”, so I’m always keeping my fingers crossed when I have to pull out into traffic or overtake someone on an incline. Our other car is VW GTI which feels like a Formula 1 car when I get to drive it


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look at them yourself. often you'll see what look like hairline cracks in the rubber. use a prybar to try and move the arm against the bushing. if it moves easily and you can see the crack turn into a gaper...then you've got problems. i'm suspecting you won't see that. even with this mileage on the vehicle. if you can't do this yourself, see if you can get one of the mechanics to show you. if they're not willing to show you, that also is suspect. personally, i go outta my way to show my customers what is broken/breaking, and explain to them what it is. i like my customers to know what they're paying me for.
 if you're able, post pictures......


Thanks for the advice - I’ll pull the tires this weekend and do the pry bar test and see how they look. I’ll post some pics here if I can get a decent angle


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4 minutes ago, medved11 said:

 


Thanks for the advice - I’ll pull the tires this weekend and do the pry bar test and see how they look. I’ll post some pics here if I can get a decent angle


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i probably don't need to say this...but i will anyway.....

be sure to use jackstands please!

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I forgot to mention two other issues that the shop mentioned to me in their write up...

First, they said that the current transmission fluid smells "burnt" and suggested that I change it, which I told them to do while they were doing the oil change and the rear differential fluid.Does them saying that the  fluid smells "burnt" indicate a possible transmission issue is brewing?

Second, they mentioned that my radiator fluid is "acidic" and suggested that I have them flush the radiator and refill. I told them that I want to hold off on that since I'm thinking that (since it's the original radiator but the fluid was replaced at around 100k), the flushing may end up causing a leak and therefore a new radiator for me. Am i overthinking this or could the flush cause me some problems. Would it be better just to drain and refill the fluid on my own (without the flush)?

 

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I think that you're having a shop do things that you can easily do for a fraction of the price.  If you know how to safely put a car up on jack stands, then I promise you can replace differential fluid.  The worst part about replacing differential fluid is the smell.  Transmission fluid isn't fun if there's no drain plug, but still not hard.  Fluid replacement is some of the easiest maintenance you can do yourself and save some coin.  It's also not a bad idea to replace fluids on a somewhat regular basis.  130k for coolant might be pushing it.  Also, if it's got 230k on the clock, and the fluid in the differentials is from the factory, that's probably well past the point where you should change it.  If you keep the car, I would recommend doing most of these things yourself and save a lot of money.

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1 hour ago, medved11 said:

I forgot to mention two other issues that the shop mentioned to me in their write up...

First, they said that the current transmission fluid smells "burnt" and suggested that I change it, which I told them to do while they were doing the oil change and the rear differential fluid.Does them saying that the  fluid smells "burnt" indicate a possible transmission issue is brewing?

Second, they mentioned that my radiator fluid is "acidic" and suggested that I have them flush the radiator and refill. I told them that I want to hold off on that since I'm thinking that (since it's the original radiator but the fluid was replaced at around 100k), the flushing may end up causing a leak and therefore a new radiator for me. Am i overthinking this or could the flush cause me some problems. Would it be better just to drain and refill the fluid on my own (without the flush)?

 

the more you're telling me the more it sounds like they're trying to sell ya the kitchen sink.

 

 yes. trans fluid gets a burnt smell to it. it should be changed approx. every 30k miles. the rear diff fluid on hondas is a thing. only use honda fluid for this. you'll notice a grumbling during slow speed turning...such as pulling into a parking space.....when that's going bad. i forget the intervals, but this also should be changed  regularly.  sounds like they ph'd the coolant. if you've not had the cooling system flushed recently, it probably should be. i rec. my customers do once a year(might be a bit often, but till i did that, i was seeing an overly large amount of cooling system problems.)

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the more you're telling me the more it sounds like they're trying to sell ya the kitchen sink.

 

 yes. trans fluid gets a burnt smell to it. it should be changed approx. every 30k miles. the rear diff fluid on hondas is a thing. only use honda fluid for this. you'll notice a grumbling during slow speed turning...such as pulling into a parking space.....when that's going bad. i forget the intervals, but this also should be changed  regularly.  sounds like they ph'd the coolant. if you've not had the cooling system flushed recently, it probably should be. i rec. my customers do once a year(might be a bit often, but till i did that, i was seeing an overly large amount of cooling system problems.)

 

I’ve been changing the rear diff fluid according to Honda’s recommended interval (which I can’t remember offhand). I ran out to the parking lot and took the following pictures of the bushings by turning the wheels as far as I could and shoving the camera behind the wheel. I definitely see cracks towards the top)

 

11b461768317106afdede9dfc687c3b7.jpg

 

ee7b6ea45a5866feb41ee0e6a370952b.jpg

 

 

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that's the ball joint. you need to check that for play. those types are relatively easy to replace, as it is literally 4 bolts.


Ah - okay (learned something new) I just looked up a diagram on the control arm and I know what I’m looking for now once I can pull the tires off


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On 10/5/2017 at 8:39 PM, medved11 said:

 


How is the acceleration in the Impreza? That’s been the one “complaint” that I’ve seen with the Crosstrek. However, if I’m being honest, the CRV isn’t exactly a performance car either, so I doubt I’d even notice a difference.

I’m in the same boat with the manual transmission. I’d love to have one again but my wife just can’t seem to get the hang of it


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Dude the new cr-v is fast and handles great! 

its a 7 speed turbo charged,I was shocked at how fast it is... if your contemplating buy a new one after you check out your current one, definitely test drive it. It is light years a head of the older models.

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If the 2008 has an aluminum engine block, you can probably go 250,000 before the pistons hammer the crap out of the block. Depends how rough you have been using it, but it's only a matter of time.


I tend to be a “steady” drive most of the time and do mostly highway driving with it, so I don’t think that I’ve beat on the car too much. I did a little research today on TrueCar and the Subaru prices don’t seem to horrible with the USAA discount


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On 10/5/2017 at 9:11 PM, 1LtCAP said:

look at them yourself. often you'll see what look like hairline cracks in the rubber. use a prybar to try and move the arm against the bushing. if it moves easily and you can see the crack turn into a gaper...then you've got problems. i'm suspecting you won't see that. even with this mileage on the vehicle. if you can't do this yourself, see if you can get one of the mechanics to show you. if they're not willing to show you, that also is suspect. personally, i go outta my way to show my customers what is broken/breaking, and explain to them what it is. i like my customers to know what they're paying me for.

 if you're able, post pictures......

I got the wheels off the car this weekend and took a look at the bushings. They're definitely cracked on both sides of the car but they didn't split open when I used the pry bar on the arm. 

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3 hours ago, medved11 said:

I got the wheels off the car this weekend and took a look at the bushings. They're definitely cracked on both sides of the car but they didn't split open when I used the pry bar on the arm. 

ok. if they're looking like hairline cracks, and prying em didn't split em open....i'd let em be, and just keep an eye on them.

 

 this is why i have issues with dealer techs.....they're usually on comission, and they'll sell ya your own car back if they could......

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