***For safety reasons, it is important to have properly working struts and shocks, which play a huge role in suspension for dampening movement when your car reacts to new surfaces and environmental conditions.***
Replace shocks and struts when you find wear, damage, rust or leaking.
-The general life expectancy for shocks is about 30,000 to 40,000 miles while struts is about 50,000 to 60,000 miles. This also depends on road condition and driving habits. (Also refer to vehicle owners manual)
-You can also tell if you need to replace shocks and struts by considering how your vehicle handles.
What to watch for:
- Excessive bouncing
- Dipping when braking
- Rolling or swaying
- Tough suspension handling
- Uneven tread on tires
- Bottoming out at dips in the road
Dangers of failing to replace damaged struts or shocks:
- Increase swaying and sliding in ice and rain
- Increase stop time
- Suspension and tire tread wear
- Decreased overall driving and suspension quality
"The Bounce Test"
Another way to see if you need to replace your shocks and struts is by doing a bounce test.
Push down on each corner of the bumper and let up quickly.
If it comes up once and stops the shocks and struts are good, if the bumper bounces they probably need to be replaced.
The image below gives a general idea of what to look for.
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