Hi, I'm new here and I'm not a weekend warrior or DIY garage mechanic, as much as I'd like to be. Long post, scroll down for TL;DR if desired.
I have a bone stock 2001 CL Type S that's at 105,000 miles and has spent its entire life suffering in the salt and slush of Minnesota winters. I love my car, but I'm looking for better handling, and so after doing a lot of reading, I decided to buy some Tokico Blues which happened to be on sale ATM to replace my old struts, which I'll have replaced by an independent mechanic. As I understand it, these should give me a tighter ride at the expense of some ride quality. Can anyone give any input as to if I made a mistake in buying these or not? Coilovers or adjustables weren't seeming like an option price wise. The new struts will be installed in a few weeks when I take the car in for a 105K service, valve adjustment, and timing belt replacement.
I'm wondering what else I can do to my car to improve the handling and feel of the car without racking up a huge bill at the shop. I'm also wondering what might need replacing down there due to the car's age and exposure to Minnesota winters since it was new. One of my front swaybar linkages was recently replaced after having broken. Something in my rear left suspension creaks loudly when I go over large bumps, up and down my driveway, and when I push down on the rear of the car, so I'm having that looked at. My car exhibits no clunking, as of yet.
I've read that polyurethane bushings can help an older car feel tighter and more responsive, but I've also read that they may need to be kept lubricated on occasion, which I'm not in a position to do, so would replacing my bushings with OEM ones be needed and worth it? I don't know which bushings might need to be replaced nor how much they might cost, but if it's under 100 bucks after parts and labor I could probably do it. Again, what else down there might need replacing? Really, what else anywhere in the car might need replacing at 105K miles, driven in Minnesota winters all of it's life?
Assume I'm a novice (I am) when you make any suggestions, and that I'm unable to jack my car up and do any sort of work for myself (I am unable). So try and keep responses simple but detailed (try not to leave out important details someone in-the-know would already know about). I am also on a tight budget. The work I'm having done already could cost in excess of $1700 dollars at the independent shop I'm using.
Too Long, Didn't Read:
Bone stock 105K mile Minnesota CL-S getting 105K mile service, new struts (Tokico Blues), new timing belt - what work might be done or need to be done on a budget to replace worn parts and improve driving characteristics, especially in the suspension area without any DIY?
Thanks in advance for anyone's possible responses and time, and sorry for the long post, I just want to be thorough.
I have a bone stock 2001 CL Type S that's at 105,000 miles and has spent its entire life suffering in the salt and slush of Minnesota winters. I love my car, but I'm looking for better handling, and so after doing a lot of reading, I decided to buy some Tokico Blues which happened to be on sale ATM to replace my old struts, which I'll have replaced by an independent mechanic. As I understand it, these should give me a tighter ride at the expense of some ride quality. Can anyone give any input as to if I made a mistake in buying these or not? Coilovers or adjustables weren't seeming like an option price wise. The new struts will be installed in a few weeks when I take the car in for a 105K service, valve adjustment, and timing belt replacement.
I'm wondering what else I can do to my car to improve the handling and feel of the car without racking up a huge bill at the shop. I'm also wondering what might need replacing down there due to the car's age and exposure to Minnesota winters since it was new. One of my front swaybar linkages was recently replaced after having broken. Something in my rear left suspension creaks loudly when I go over large bumps, up and down my driveway, and when I push down on the rear of the car, so I'm having that looked at. My car exhibits no clunking, as of yet.
I've read that polyurethane bushings can help an older car feel tighter and more responsive, but I've also read that they may need to be kept lubricated on occasion, which I'm not in a position to do, so would replacing my bushings with OEM ones be needed and worth it? I don't know which bushings might need to be replaced nor how much they might cost, but if it's under 100 bucks after parts and labor I could probably do it. Again, what else down there might need replacing? Really, what else anywhere in the car might need replacing at 105K miles, driven in Minnesota winters all of it's life?
Assume I'm a novice (I am) when you make any suggestions, and that I'm unable to jack my car up and do any sort of work for myself (I am unable). So try and keep responses simple but detailed (try not to leave out important details someone in-the-know would already know about). I am also on a tight budget. The work I'm having done already could cost in excess of $1700 dollars at the independent shop I'm using.
Too Long, Didn't Read:
Bone stock 105K mile Minnesota CL-S getting 105K mile service, new struts (Tokico Blues), new timing belt - what work might be done or need to be done on a budget to replace worn parts and improve driving characteristics, especially in the suspension area without any DIY?
Thanks in advance for anyone's possible responses and time, and sorry for the long post, I just want to be thorough.