Was told that I need new shocks...advice please

[omelet1978]

I'm at 80,000 miles and am having some work done on my sport. Goodyear told me that they recomend getting the shocks/struts replaced at 50,000 miles. They said that mine were looking a little worn down and it could increase braking distance and tire wear.

 

I'm not sold and think I should at least wait until about 100,000 miles. What do you guys think?

[bbf2530]

I'm at 80,000 miles and am having some work done on my sport. Goodyear told me that they recomend getting the shocks/struts replaced at 50,000 miles. They said that mine were looking a little worn down and it could increase braking distance and tire wear.

 

I'm not sold and think I should at least wait until about 100,000 miles. What do you guys think?

 

Hi omelet. :D It is very possible (in fact, at 80,000 miles, even probable) that the Goodyear shop is telling you the truth. Shocks can certainly wear down within 50,000 and even less miles, but obviously it is impossible for us to ascertain whether they are shot or not over the Internet. So if you are not sure yourself whether they are good or not and do not have a car-savvy friend or family member who can help you out with an inspection, my best advice would be to get a second and even third opinion from other competent shops. I would certainly not "...wait until about 100,000 miles..." without having them checked first.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck. :beerchug:

[Jo7hs2]

While I'm wary of mileage-based replacement recommendations for items like shocks, it is certainly possible you need new shocks at 80k. Depends on how hard you've ridden the car, the individual shocks (ie a defective one), and how "bad" they've gotten. Unless one is broken or defective, they're probably not useless at 80k, but they certainly could be impacting ride quality and handling. I'll admit I've I ridden several cars HARD (lots of dirt/gravel and poor quality roads) on OEM shocks well past 100k, but the handling really suffers.

 

Have your dealer do your next oil change and ask for a check or the shocks. Pricing notwithstanding, I've found dealerships are less likely to recommend parts willy-nilly...probably to sell more cars. Lol.

[omelet1978]

In general Goodyear's been pretty reliable and I don't feel they tried to screw me over. I do think their management decided that replacing shocks at 50,000 miles would be a good way to make money though.

 

I did a little research and the easiest way to tell about shocks and struts is to simply push down on the car and see if it bounces or comes up very slowly. They did this on my car and it came up fairly slowly. However they said that when they hit the brakes when driving the front nose would drop down a little bit.

 

I do a lot of highway driving so that's why I have 80,000 miles on my car after two and half years. I'm thinking that this is just a general recommendation and I can get away with waiting to at least a hundred thousand miles or possibly longer.

[Monochrome11]

I find the easiest way to check shock function is to bounce the car as hard as you can by hand two or three times in a rhythmic motion, then let go and see how quickly it comes to rest. It should come to rest in one half to one bounce. Do it on the front then on the rear.

[Big Jim]

In general Goodyear's been pretty reliable and I don't feel they tried to screw me over. I do think their management decided that replacing shocks at 50,000 miles would be a good way to make money though.

 

I did a little research and the easiest way to tell about shocks and struts is to simply push down on the car and see if it bounces or comes up very slowly. They did this on my car and it came up fairly slowly. However they said that when they hit the brakes when driving the front nose would drop down a little bit.

 

I do a lot of highway driving so that's why I have 80,000 miles on my car after two and half years. I'm thinking that this is just a general recommendation and I can get away with waiting to at least a hundred thousand miles or possibly longer.

 

The bounce test is not reliable. I remember doing the bounce test on a car that obviously passed only to look underneath and discover that the shocks had been removed. I also remember a technicain (well maybe really a hack) that convinced a customer that the independant shop that claimed to have replaced the struts had not done so because it failed the bounce test. It had cartridge struts. Sure enough when he took it apart, it had new cartirdges.

 

I'm not saying that you don't need them. Particularly if you live in an area with lots of potholes, they tend to wear much faster, but shocks and struts are the most oversold replacement parts on a car. Often they are sold with a new set of tires and most of the improvement in the ride is really due to the new tires.

 

If you intend to upgrade to a better shock, that could be another matter, but often the replacement is nothing more than OEM equilivant.

 

Get another opinion or three.

[mort]

However they said that when they hit the brakes when driving the front nose would drop down a little bit.

This is misleading. All cars nosedive in a hard stop. Really stiff shocks may reduce nosedive, the original equipment shocks won't.

Some newer cars have reduced nosedive by applying the rear brakes first. Ford (and others) call it EBD.

-mort

[akirby]

This is misleading. All cars nosedive in a hard stop. Really stiff shocks may reduce nosedive, the original equipment shocks won't.

Some newer cars have reduced nosedive by applying the rear brakes first. Ford (and others) call it EBD.

-mort

 

My Lincoln LS had no nosedive whatsoever and it had nothing to do with the brakes. It was the suspension geometry. The entire car just squatted down (or hunkered down if you're a DAWG fan) and stopped. Of course that expensive suspension was part of what made the vehicle no longer viable but man was it sweet while it lasted.

 

I'm not sure why we don't see more of that type of suspension - maybe it has other shortcomings. Maybe Waldo will chime in.

[andrewdingemans]

I can attest to that awesome suspension. My cousin bought one back when it first came out. He was 18 and had to bring in a lawyer to buy it because they wouldn't sell it to his 'age group'. It was totally worth it as the car is absolutely amazing. He just took it in to be detailed and it looks like new.

 

OP, welcome to the forum and nice ride. You are as detailed as I am and have everything in a 3-ring binder.

[Just a Guy in Fla.]

I also enjoyed the suspension in my LS Sport, until it wore out, that is. THEN I did NOT enjoy the trouble (for work I did myself) or the parts cost, or the repair cost (for work I farmed out). Things like upper and lower A-frames (as you could not change just the ball joints), struts, springs, upper strut bushings, sway bar bushings, and the like. Seemed like every two weeks, something else was needed to correct the banging, grinding, or thumping that would befall me at nearly every turn. LS... love it, then leave it... (Apologies in advance for the thread drift.)

Edited April 22, 2012 by Just a Guy in Fla.

[machonemoto]

Try to make this simple as possible. Monochrome rite direction. Safe assume all new mechanical dampers (shocks/struts) are "cartridge" type. Just a 2-way valve w/ axial flow circuit. All are pressurized (up to 300 psi) w/ N2 via physical/variable seperation contraptions (rubber diaphram or floating piston). Purpose is to reduce pressure differential on each side of valve as fluid flows. The fluid must be seperate from gas or bubbles (cavitation) occurs, which is bad. Normally, insufficient or loss of spec'd psi range is first degradation to occcur...before fluid becomes fish oil or seals/bushings wear. This low psi condition is the primary design life. I call it "dead". The ride will be harsher while feeling looser. Test 1: hit that speed bump we all have to regularly at normal pace, no brakes...low psi will have wheel launch up as hits ramp, maybe go air-born AND will not track (follow back-side landing). Front enough cuz back no load. U know what that bump felt like before w/ new/good shocks. Test 2: definite confirmation for back shocks. Always test @ SSOT (steady-state-open-throttle)...take familiar turn w/ bumps, small potholes, joint lines and note how the back tracks compared to front. Typically, u feel or get a step-out, chatter, momentary un-track which didn't occur before. Low psi.

 

The damper is packing down depending on upcoming load/bump(s). Lose of effective rebound damping also an issue. So, depending on how much you can put up with (degrading performance/safety), that's how I primarily consider (as well as mileage & competent recommendations or manuf. spec) new shocks or service (if applicable...i do my own/others moto suspension).

 

good luck