replacing mounts on 02 Honda Odyssey van

A mechanic told me that there is a crack in the front mount of my 02 Honda Odyssey van and he would replace it for $450. I took it to my regular import mechanic who told me that when the front mount is replaced the side mounts should be replaced also, and his fee for the job was a little over $1000. I have only 53,000 miles on the van and it is running smoothly with no vibration or roughness. What should I do? ellen

Hello Ellen.
Anytime an engine mount has a crank in it, it should be taken care as soon as possible. It will only get worse. Since it is a front mount, that means the engine is probably starting to move more than it should when your Honda is put into drive, or when accelerating. The front of the engine will be moving upward. That is the direction the engine wants to move. In reverse the engine wants to move the other direction, so no problem there.

Most likely the reason the dealer mechanic wants to replace the others is because when one is bad, it tends to put more stress on the others. So he may have saw the others were weak, or he just suggests it as preventative.

If you do not hear any loud banging or feel jerking when putting your van in drive or when hitting the gas, i would just go ahead and replace the one that is broke and keep an ear out for any nosies in the future.

:D Thanks, TerriAuto for what sounds like a sensible route to take with my motor mount. It surely helps when I have gotten conflicting advice and am at present a little short of money due to first of year bills, tax time approaching, etc. Thank you!
Ellen

Glad to help. Come visit us again.

gauge keeps rising as the engine gets hotter, and sometimes heater blows cold air