So... Shocks? What?

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hawkeye122

hawkeye122

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gdwest1
So I always see in the paper ads to get new shocks, because it's part of regular maintenance.

That said, my parents have never changed the shocks on any of their vehicles.

Should they have? I'm thinking specifically about our 18x,xxx mile 2001 Camry. Should it get new shocks?

Thanks!
 
hawkeye122
So I always see in the paper ads to get new shocks, because it's part of regular maintenance.

That said, my parents have never changed the shocks on any of their vehicles.

Should they have? I'm thinking specifically about our 18x,xxx mile 2001 Camry. Should it get new shocks?

Thanks!
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Put simply yes. They are a wear and tear item adn wear out just like any other part on a car....
 
There are rubber seals and fluid in your dampers (spring damper, shock absorber, whatevs) which degrade over time and metallic friction which eventually wears out of tolerance. Often when seals go bad the wheel will bounce repeatedly because the damper fluid isn't being controlled anymore. Friction inside the unit can cause clunking sounds over bumps and excessive harshness.

At 180,000 miles a Japanese car's dampers are probably due for replacement but it depends on what the road conditions have been like over the car's life. The more work a damper does the quicker it wears out.
 
Keef
There are rubber seals and fluid in your dampers (spring damper, shock absorber, whatevs) which degrade over time and metallic friction which eventually wears out of tolerance. Often when seals go bad the wheel will bounce repeatedly because the damper fluid isn't being controlled anymore. Friction inside the unit can cause clunking sounds over bumps and excessive harshness.

At 180,000 miles a Japanese car's dampers are probably due for replacement but it depends on what the road conditions have been like over the car's life. The more work a damper does the quicker it wears out.
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Is that something I can do myself? How much should that usually cost?
 
Push your body weight down on the hood of the car, and on the trunk. If the car bounces before settling, you need new shocks. Otherwise, there's nothing to worry about. A wear item is expected to be replaced, but you don't need to replace it until it's worn.
 
In the 60's-70's shocks (or by their proper name, dampers) were wear items that would be changed out with brake pads. Thanks to advances in manufacturing technology, especially in the seals for the shocks, dampers have much longer lives.
 
Well my shocks have 80K miles and they are due for a change, the right rear has a nasty leak. The struts(front) are fine. The todas here are Very bad. On the other hand the ~85k mile corolla does not need new shocks yet, but the bushings are a bit worn out. My guess is that at over 150k unless the roads are perfect you should change pretty much all wearable items in the suspension, bushings, shocks, struts and maybe even the springs (though those should outlast everything else by quite a bit)
 
Wolfe
Push your body weight down on the hood of the car, and on the trunk. If the car bounces before settling, you need new shocks. Otherwise, there's nothing to worry about. A wear item is expected to be replaced, but you don't need to replace it until it's worn.
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That isn't a very conclusive test. Most tire/suspension shops will do a free inspection, performed by calibrated instruments. You should do this.

The consequences of bad shock absorbers isn't just noises and bad handling, but can also dramatically increase stopping distance in an emergency. A pretty bad thing.

And not to be rude, but if you need to ask if it is something you can do yourself, then no, it isn't..
 
I don't know, we've never done it to any of our vehicles. I see tons of old cars sagging in the rear, or to one side. So my bet is that not many people do do it.
 
hawkeye122
Well does it require specialist equipment? I change my brakes and swapped the water pump on my car.
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It usually requires a spring compressor which sometimes you can rent from AutoZone or Orielly. However its usually easier if its a strut assembly to remove the assembly as a whole and take it to your local independent shop and ask them to swap the struts. I've had this done for as little as $40 and as much as $100 when I was in a bind. Most shops with have a wall mounted spring compressor which they place the whole assembly inside and compress the spring remove the upper retainer, or bearing, pull the old strut out and place the new one in and reinstall the retainer / bearing. With proper equipment this takes 5 minutes a strut opposed to you fighting with a spring compressor that bent or doesnt fit your spring correctly.
 

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