When to replace shocks

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

rjundi

Joined
Mar 16, 2004
Messages
7,255
Location
USA
Hi my wife/I have 2005 Legacy GT wagon with 153,000 miles. It hit the magic point of 150k where it seems things crop up more often($600/visit last 3 oil changes at 3.5kOCI). Piror the only repair was throw out bearing in clutch at 105k.

We have never changed the shocks on this car. Now it seems a bit abrasive hitting hard bumps. The bounce test is meaningless and it is fine. The handling is still on par with decent handling cars.

My mechanic would give an honest assessment but is there anything tall-tell or is it how it feels?
 
I imagine tie rods and ball joints are gradually wearing out. Wheal bearings are pretty common too.

Ive owned 3 subarus and my personal experience is that the shocks really hold up well. In fact I replaced them on one of the 3 cars and I didn't like the results...
 
Last edited:
Probably the handling characteristics have deteriorated so gradually over the past 150k miles that you've barely noticed. You may replace them and be amazed how much better it handles, forgetting that it handled like that when new.
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi

We have never changed the shocks on this car. Now it seems a bit abrasive hitting hard bumps.


You answered it.
13.gif
 
It sounds like you may have McPherson struts like my car has. They use them the most on small-medium size cars due to their light weight and simplicity, though they are not suited for heavier vehicles due to the design on the front, steering knuckle bolted to bottom of strut. Not a great design for applications that will put a lot of weight on the front wheels. But where used, they tend to last a very, very long time. I hit 170,000 the other day, haven't ever replaced them, they appear to be the factory struts so I assume the owner before me(I got it @83,000) never changed them. They still feel very firm, never bottom out, and have no plans to replace them until they wear out, I don't buy the age/miles gig on shocks/struts, I go until they start to bottom out on speed bumps, no need to replace them just because the springs have lost a few pounds/inch of compression. McPherson struts are capable of lasting the life of the vehicle(probably intended to) if they aren't beat down too bad/often. If and when you replace them, be absolutely sure the bearing on the top is replaced and not re-used(if you ever hear a gritty bad bearing sound only when you turn the wheel, check these, they allow the entire strut to turn with the steering knuckle, look at the front strut with wheels facing forward, then go turn the steering wheel all the way over and go look at the strut and how much it turns with the wheel).
 
Do you have a newer car? If the difference in the ride and handling is like day and night between the new and the old, then go ahead and replace the shocks (or are they struts?).

If the difference is marginal, don't waste your money on the generic aftermarket struts which might last you lot less than the original ones.
 
I don't know about "lifetime".

On my VW, on the internet boards I kept reading that the OEM's were usually bad by 40kmiles (granted, this was around the 2004 timeframe). When I had the wheel bearings done at 105k the mechanic informed me that mine were bad; but it still passed inspection, so I went until I had other issues. At 133k I replaced with Koni Red's, hoping to be done with the issue. When the Red's had about 130k on them the inspection shop declared those to be dead (and refused to pass) so I had them warrantied; they certainly did not have any drag left to them (I had to ship them back).

[Unfortunately, when I had the Red's replaced, I didn't hang around the shop. So they installed them on full soft. Grr... As a result I can't tell the difference. Soft vs dead, feels just fine to me. Now near-full stiff was a different story...]

Now, my Jetta weighs about 3,000lb, and while I don't know the distribution off-hand it's probably not too far from 50/50, given the heft of the wagon. Maybe other manufacturers can make longer lasting struts.

Does Texas have safety inspections?
 
Abrasive hitting bumps can mean lots of things including tires that are worn too thin or pumped too high. I had planned to dump the Camry @ 300k with the original struts. But it looks like the right rear may be leaking. Ride is still ok for now. So there is no set time when they go, it all depends.
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Hi my wife/I have 2005 Legacy GT wagon with 153,000 miles. It hit the magic point of 150k where it seems things crop up more often($600/visit last 3 oil changes at 3.5kOCI). Piror the only repair was throw out bearing in clutch at 105k.

We have never changed the shocks on this car. Now it seems a bit abrasive hitting hard bumps. The bounce test is meaningless and it is fine. The handling is still on par with decent handling cars.

My mechanic would give an honest assessment but is there anything tall-tell or is it how it feels?


Have your mechanic look at the tie-rod bushings and all the other rubber bushings under there...a bad bushing would have the metal-to-metal components jarring each other and THAT would make the car's suspension seem "abrasive" when hitting hard bumps.

I agree with you that the "push" test won't help here...

ni6d.jpg
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
At that mileage the struts or shocks are worn out.

I disagree, they aren't like new, but if the OP can't identify one that is blown, replacing all 4 might do nothing for him. I would first inspect all bushings and strut mounts and if they come out OK, then try to identify which end is causing the harshness,and replace those struts.
 
All cars are different. I replaced the shocks on a 3500 Savana recently that weighs 4.5 tons every minute of it's Life. Mileage was 160k. Original equipment shocks still had gas charge and would pass most anyone's inspection. But the bushings get old and you can feel that in the front end.

On my daughter's Durango the shocks were junk at 60k miles. No resistance jounce or rebound!

My car has Bilsteins, so does one of my Silverados. Those things really can outlast your car. I took them off at 100k miles and it was unreal, they are just like new.

I would strongly suggest the OP be cautious, many folks buy new parts without really needing them and then find out the DRASTICALLY changed the ride/handling of their car...
 
My Sonata just passed 100k miles.

I'm keeping it for the long haul, so I decided to freshen up the suspension with new shocks and struts. I went with Monroe OESpectrum, which appeared to be sourced from the OE supplier. They were identical in every aspect to the original struts and were made in Korea.

I was worried that I wouldn't notice much difference. The old struts weren't leaking or obviously blown. When I removed the old struts they weren't easy to compress and the new ones didn't seem like they were firmer.

But, after installing the new shocks/struts the ride has definitely firmed up. It's not as soft going over the bumps I drive over every day on my way to work, and that's good.
 
I used to have the opinion that most cars with over 100k need new shocks/struts. However, after installing new shocks/struts on several cars (including my own) for the purpose of curing a rough ride, I've found that new shocks make little difference in terms of improving ride quality...unless the old ones were causing the vehicle to bottom out.

Of course, if there's excessive leakage from the shocks, then I would definitely replace. But if you are replacing the shocks due to a slightly rougher ride, then any improvement is going to be minimal and is not truly justified.
 
Short of drifting, flying over speed bumps, and cornering at speed with a carload of friends, typical daily driving isn't going to put much stress on shocks/struts...or springs...
...at least not here in flatasapancakeFlorida...

...OTOH, those pesky rubber bushings and engine mounts will sooner fail over those same years under Florida'syearroundhotsummersun radiating up from the asphalt.

..and I wonder whether winter salt kicked up into hard to wash off nooks and crannies would rot them...
 
^^^Perhaps it would preserve them like meat?

Either way, I suspect that many folks that imagine they need shocks actually need bushings or other front end parts.

As in all automotive repair, diagnosis is always the key...
 
Thanks for replies. My mechanic errs on fixing things when they are bad.

It was very informative to me. I did have all the bushings replaced at around 90k miles. The dealer stated they were cracked over and over(60k-90k) and keep throwing quotes of $1000 to replace them.

Finally on a really slow day changing my oil they threw a special of changing them all for $400 with two mechanics on it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

W
20,000 miles in a CX-5 GT-R
3 4 5
Replies
92
Views
23K
Tshane3000
R
  • Locked
2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia - 5k Mile Review
Replies
10
Views
4K
Ws6
M
  • Locked
Is it worth it to change shock and strut
Replies
13
Views
6K
sciphi
U
  • Locked
I think I need shocks - at - 48K ???
Replies
5
Views
2K
Trav
D
  • Locked
Exxon Mobil
Replies
19
Views
17K
MolaKule
Back
Top Bottom