Mike,
Last Sunday, I decided to fix the strut assembly by replacing the old collar with the one I ordered from Honda. The entire process did not take more than 30 minutes. Most of the time was spent cleaning my trunk and removing the plastic/fabric liner. Those plastic push-in screws are sure a pain. Anyhow, I am so happy to not be able to hear those nasty clunking noise.
Thanks again for your info.