Honda Odyssey Axel and Suspension Shot :( advice sought

I'm going to agree with the others. I'm sure you will find it can be repaired for much less. Something like this happened to me in college. Had a tiny economy car worth maybe$1000 and took it in for a noise. I suspected wheel bearing but the shop said wheel bearings were fine but I needed$1500 in suspension repairs. Said no thanks and went to a trusted mechanic back home. Wheel bearings and one other minor suspension issue cost me$300 to fix.

 

Its funny , if this happened to an American car everyone would be trashing it. $7000 is a ridiculousness estimate. The fact that the engine is rebuilt makes the car worth fixing.

 

The only work I'd ever get done at the dealers is warranty work or some crazy electrical issue . Check with friends , co-workers etc. for a recommended shop .

 

117,000 miles is not high mileage any more. We have a CRV with 130 and wouldn't hesitate to take it on a long road trip. We recently talked about trading vehicles and looked at the Ridgeline but ours is nearly paid off as I'd love to be payment free. We're looking at new tires and struts too as we're going to put $ back into ours as it's such a wonderfully reliable and cheap car to drive. Your vehicle sounds like it's still driveable but may question it for towing duty at this time. Can you rent a TV for your trip?

 

I would not put 7k in a 2011 odyssey. The recent big ticket item i did was a new radiator, water pump and belt for 800$ at toyota dealer near boston on my tundra. The big item was 1200$ on a airbag light . No one would touch a airbag system and it was a full change only at a dealer. So i paid 2k. I would call a local mechanic. Call around .

You can probably trade it in put the 7k and get a newer vehicle if it absolutely in that range to fix. I think most vehicle hit a maintenance bump at 100-120k . My 2008 tundra did. Now that i am through it with a few more maintenance items it is running better than ever. It needs some front end work as it all stock at 145k. I do tow a 7500 camper with it.

 

One reason why I do not buy foreign vehicle is that the parts are damned expensive compared to American vehicles. American vehicles now last longer and it has been proved that Expedition is the longest lasting vehicle of all vehicles. Sadly, my Explorer is now at 100,000 miles because it takes me 2000 miles per month to go to work and back home.

 

They have buyers in the mileage market, don't believe for second they will send it to a scrap yard, it will sell next week.

I've got a 2001 Buick Lasabre, as our "finest" spare car in the land. I've replaced all 4 struts, steering parts, balljoints and the front axle twice. With 245k miles, it's gotta be as nice as your 117k ride. I say fix it, but maybe not at a dealership. There are cheaper shops and I say get a new opinion.

 

Yes but don't go far any re manufactured parts. My son owns a shop and has had nothing but trouble with remanned parts. So much so that he won't even use them anymore.

 

You can buy OEM parts at the dealer or on line. Ask the repair shop what kind of parts they use. As long as they are good brand name parts it should be fine.

 

Unless you're driving a Volvo or BMW, or some sort of exotic, parts for "foreign" cars are no more expensive than any other.
And it's been that way for a long time.

 

As noted, something is not adding up. I tow with an Ody and towed with a previous one. My current one has 195K on it, works great. Previous one went to 254K before getting hit, had another on go to 344K and I have a '07 that we just have sitting now that has 208K on it. With decent maintenance, these things are nearly bulletproof. Suspension work is pretty cheap, I've replaced my lower control arms, outer tie rods, struts and rear shocks...Everything from Rock Auto as noted above and all those parts were like $800. If you are handy, all those things are pretty easy for a DIY. I think you are getting the run around. Would agree to get an opinion from an independent shop that you can trust. The Ody is a very capable tow vehicle and can tow all but the largest pups without much issue.

 

About that longest lasting vehicle thing.
It appears to be a Toyota, not that I'm surprised.
http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/st...sting-cars-trucks-suvs-list-article-1.3930243

 

I sell auto parts, We stock very few Honda parts and sell very few. The Hondas are a very dependable

 

BMW or Volvo SUV to tow popup... nah

 

it appears to be biased. I am not surprised .

 

You appear to be biased. But at least you made this all about your favorite car and derailed the thread.

 

Any update on a new quote?