Alright, so here's the problem. My 2003 Honda Accord Coupe (4 cyl, MT) is riding rough. It makes what sound like normal car noises on bumpy roads, speed bumps, etc. except louder. much louder. I notice it a lot when riding in other honda's and they all sound much quieter. It's getting really annoying...and I've done a lot to try to solve the problem, so let me go over the car's history.
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I bought this car last november used. The guy I bought it from had had it lowered. I don't know how much. But he put it back up to standard height when he sold it to me. After I bought it I heard some weird sounds from the suspension, and I tried to contact the buyer but he wouldn't take the calls. I took the car in to a local shop, and replaced the shocks. This helped the strange clicking sound I would hear on bumps, but then I noticed that it was very loud when going over bumps big and small. It makes every bump sound like you hit a big pothole.
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So I took it to some more shops. One guy said it was fine, and I was imagining it. The other said it was bad shocks, and that the new ones I put in were defects. Finally, the fourth (and seemingly smartest) guy said it was because the car was lowered before and this had weakened part of the suspension system making it louder. He said it was impossible to tell which part was causing the car to be louder over bumps. He said it MIGHT be the shock mounts, but wasn't sure.
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So, my question is, did having the car lowered earlier in its life mess up my suspension for good? What is causing the car to be louder than others? And can I get it easily fixed, and approx. how much do you think it would cost?
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Any and all help is appreciated, as this problem has been driving me nuts for months now. Thanks in advance!

 

My '99 has gotten gradually louder since I first changed the suspension. This has been the case with every lowered Accord that I have ridden in. However, none of the owners, including myself, have switched back to the OEM suspension.

I would have to agree with the fourth guy you brought your car to. It'll be pretty hard to isolate where the sounds are really coming from. If I remember correctly, there's a rubber pad between the upper strut mount and the spring. It's possible that pad is worn out to some degree, but I'm not sure either. You should also have the bushings checked, as some of them may have cracked or worn out. That would cause more of a metal-on-metal clanking sound.

 

Sorry, but maybe this wasn't clear at first. The car is not lowered anymore, and is now using Genuine Honda Shocks. It is still very loud and annoying on any street that is not perfectly smooth.

 

No, you were clear. I guess I wasn't. Notice how I wrote:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philadd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My '99 has gotten gradually louder since I first changed the suspension. This has been the case with every lowered Accord that I have ridden in. However, none of the owners, including myself, have switched back to the OEM suspension.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I know you are on the stock suspension. I wrote my suggestions based on the fact that the car was once lowered. Notice how I mentioned that after being lowered, the cars began to get louder. (I'm confirming the idea that being lowered can cause other problems.) My suggestions also have nothing to do with the springs or struts themselves, so they can be applied to a lowered or a non-lowered car.

 

There is a girl who has a 03 or 04 accord coupe around here that I've ridden in that is completely slammed using coilovers. Her whole right side of her car makes loud squeaking noises over the littlest of bumps. I think she said it was the CV Joint, bad mounts (one in the same). I can't remember exactly what it was, but I do remember that every bump seemed exaggerated.

I have an 04 sedan lowered and I haven't had these problems.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by msedacca &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There is a girl who has a 03 or 04 accord coupe around here that I've ridden in that is completely slammed using coilovers. Her whole right side of her car makes loud squeaking noises over the littlest of bumps. I think she said it was the CV Joint, bad mounts (one in the same). I can't remember exactly what it was, but I do remember that every bump seemed exaggerated.

I have an 04 sedan lowered and I haven't had these problems. </TD></TR></TABLE>


I have the eibach pro kit on mine and I haven't had any problems or noises yet!!!!

 

The roughness of the roads you drive on will play a factor in how long it takes for noises to get louder. Eibach Prokit springs have spring rates that are fairly close to the stock suspension, so if you were to develop the same issue, it would definitely take a much, much longer time.

I have fairly soft springs (stiffer than Prokits though), but I also have struts that are adjusted to a setting much stiffer than stock. It took about 1 year of driving on pretty rough roads before I noticed everything getting louder.

 

wouldnt a Hyper-Flex Bushing Set fix this problem? it comes with just about everything.

 

If the problem is the bushings, than yes, it could fix the problem. On the other hand, if the bushings are stiff, like urethane, than it'll cause a rougher ride and probably lead to something else making noise anyway. Oh, what a world....