I own a '98 Accord DX, 4-door, manual transmission. It needs several services and I'm looking for some parts.

[i] FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS?
-seeing as its a '98, i was thinking of not going for the actual Honda ones. what's a good brand to use instead?

[ii] TIMING BELT?
-i'm pretty much certain im getting this from Honda. since i dont wanna cheap out on such a vital part. but id like to hear some thoughts about this anyways.

[iii] WATER PUMP?
-since i need to replace the timing belt, i was thinking of going ahead with this as well. im unsure if i should go for the honda ones or other brand? if not honda, what brand?

[iv] O2 SENSOR?
- i probably wont get this one done yet as the top three are already a lot of work and money. but what brand should i get? honda or not? i was recommended to get NGK? is that good? should i always get NGK parts in general if im not going for the actual honda ones?


I hope you guys can help me out. Thanks!!!!

 

I've bought aftermarket on all those parts w/o any problems;

Front wheel bearings - Don't remember a brand. Rockauto was source.

Timing Belt - I've used contitech and gates.

Water Pump - I like the GMB pumps. Seem very similar to OEM.

O2 sensor - Check the universal units on ebay. A bargain and they work just fine.

good luck

 

Parts store wheel bearings are usually good; just be careful installing the new one, if you pound on or pressure the inner race the bearing race will get brinneled.

T-belt, Cam Seal, Crank Seal, Counter balance Seal, and oil pump seal. I always stay with Genuine Honda. Counter balance belt can be aftermarket.
If this is the 2nd time the belt has been replaced [over 200k miles] consider replacing the tensioner pulley. The first time replacements you can carefully pop off the bearing seal and smear in a little grease.

Ummmm Where are we now?
Oh yeah, the water pump. genuine Honda is the best bet, it would be a shame to have to re-do all the work in 20k miles. But I have seen some aftermarkets, as mentioned above, seem to be okay. Just stay away from rebuilds with cast impellers.


The O2 Sensor can be found aftermarket ...but NGK is the original manufacturer and is the best replacement; Because some aftermarket Sensors have incorrect heater resistance.However it's always best to correctly diagnose the sensor before replacement. [depending on the code]

 

Pleas remember that our good engineers at Honda are continuously updating parts. Although a factory item may go bad, theere's always the possibility of a better one being used now. For example, balance shaft seals. They had problems with them in the preludes and accords, but they have redesigned them, so no more problems. And I can assure you that you will never get the old veersion of the part from a genuine Honda dealer. That's their reputation.

 

I would agree w/ other posters that Honda parts are higher quality in general, however some are budget-conscious and wish to know what works. No easy answer for skilled or neophyte on this issue. If you can afford OEM, you won't go wrong w/ Honda parts.

good luck

 

ive been looking around and found a honda dealer that offers ALMOST the same price as the lowest prices ive found (which was online). so im most likely gonna get the timing belt, balance shaft belt, water pump, and seals from this honda dealership. all that will be about $250 CDN.

now, the front bearing. the cheapest honda offers it is $100 for one. but i found this auto site for canadians that offers an OEM (that's what they say) for $67 for one. so im thinking of getting it there, but im worried since it's online. this is the URL:

www dot autopartsway dot ca/autoparts2/index.cfm?fetch=part~ID=1998~Honda~Accord%204-door%20DX%202.3%20L4~241452

So if I were to buy the bearing from a honda dealership, this would be exactly the same thing? right? I'm kinda unsure when they say OEM. Im aware it means original equipment manufactured. But when they list a part like the one I linked (saying OEM). does it actually mean... it's the exact same thing on my car now and also the same one id get if i buy it from a honda dealership? OR does it mean it's just SIMILAR, but not EXACTLY THE SAME ONE?

Thanks.

 

Hey I have used Autopartsway.ca many times for my beauty and you know what I always go ahead for the OEM parts and guess what, they are exactly the same as being provided by the dealership. I would highly recommend you to go ahead and get the OEM part from Autopartsway.ca

 

I bought from autopartsway.ca many times and never had any problem with them their prices are great and shipping time is really fast.

 

Honda doesn't actually make the vast majority of small parts, they come from different suppliers. Trick is knowing who is the supplier for this part or that part. So you could get exactly the same part, either in a box that says HONDA or a box that says NGK or whatever brand.

 

I've owned and repaired many cars in the past. I always used aftermarket parts when available. Knock on wood, I have never had to do the job twice because of premature failure of those parts, except that O2 sensor.

The Bosch sensor did not work on my Accord from day one. I bought NGK sensor from Amazon. It works good.