hello all,
going to change out the brakes and struts today on my 08 HCH. I was planning on disconnecting the battery but is there anything special I need to do since it's a hybrid vehicle? My suspicion is no because it's just suspension work but I figure it couldn't hurt to ask.

thanks!

oh -and the rear strut mounts are probably in the same place as the older civics, right? in the trunk under the carpet?

 

just to update anyone who might be interested - i went ahead and did this. didn't bother unhooking the battery and had no problems.

i did not, however, change out the struts.

this car is extremely loud when driving on nice flat highway. my wife (her car) is just used to it, but to me it's almost unbearable.
i was convinced the wheels weren't balanced. i got that taken care of, and rotated the tires but now it's worse.

they told me the struts need to be replaced ($900) and that they are leading to uneven wear on the tires which explains the noise.

visually i can't see anything wrong with them and i don't notice anything when i push on the corners of the car...

to me when you hear noise like what i'm hearing, then something isn't round but i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on a good trick to check (or rule out) the struts short of taking them out, getting the spring off, and doing the push test like they suggest in the manual.

 

thank you for posting up your experience!

we don't have much on the hybrids...

 

me neither, that's the problem ;-p

i went ahead and bought the service manual last year so if anyone ever needs anything clarified just let me know.

i am thinking that suspension work on a civic or civic hybrid would be equal...but i was worried about the brake pads. turns out it makes no difference.

 

Please I would ask you to keep posted more often to keep the pool of information growing!

 

How many miles on the car?

An alignment out of spec will almost always cause uneven tire wear and loud tires. Worn shocks/struts are typically not the culprit unless they are completely blown out. You probably have something else worn out like a bushing or your alignmnent needs checked.

Keep in mind though, that now your tires are already worn unevenly. Even if you correct the problem, the tires will still be loud until they 1) wear down evenly, or 2) you replace the tires.

BTW, the old "corner" test doesn't really work. It's very difficult to tell if shocks are worn unless you have a lot of experience in the car. It's a feel you develop over time but it's hard to pick up on some cars because shocks wear out gradually over time and don't just suddenly fail.