What's the lifespan of a shock absorber? A quality pair of shock absorbers should last for around five years, but this is dependent on your style of driving, how often the car is used and how hard it is driven.
The general rule of thumb is that a set of shocks should last for approximately 80,000km miles. Though of course, there are limiting factors at play. The way you drive, the amount of weight you carry, the terrain you drive on – if any of these are adverse, you are going to shorten the life of the shock significantly.
How can I tell if my shocks are damaged?
You’ll feel it in the way the car drives. It will become very bouncy and spongy, and the car will lean (roll) into corners more as the shocks won’t be holding the weight of the car as they once did. You may also hear knocking and banging when you go over bumps, as well as noticing the bumps are more aggressive when you hit them. That’s because the springs aren’t designed to soak up bumps – they’ll simply compress if the shocks have failed.
The two sure-fire signs your shocks have had it are if the car wobbles about if you physically push it down at one corner. The car should bounce straight back up and stay. If it wobbles about the shocks aren’t doing anything. The other thing to do is look at them. If they look wet, this is a sign the oil within them is leaking past the internal seals. No fluid means no ability to absorb those shocks.
When to replace your shock absorbers
When you need to renew your shock absorbers will also be influenced by the state of the roads; surfaces riddled with craters, potholes and speed bumps will eventually lead to premature wear and possible failure of the front shocks. There are several signs that your front shocks are worn or failing: you may find that the car is nose-diving or swerving when you brake, is more susceptible to crosswinds or handles badly when cornering.
Stopping distances can become longer and you’ll notice more vibration through the car’s steering, particularly at speed. You could experience bouncing or stiffness from your car’s suspension, and uneven tyre wear can also result from worn shock absorbers.
While uneven tyre wear can be caused by other factors such as poor wheel alignment, it’s worth inspecting the condition of your front shocks a couple of times a year – any signs of ‘misting’ (a slight fluid leak from the shocks) is a sign that they’re on the way out.