After many years and tens of thousands of miles, suspension system components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive.
As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Illinois highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads. In addition to just wearing out, vehicle suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact like a pothole or hitting a curb or rock on a bumpy road.
Because the life span of shocks can vary widely, your owner’s manual recommends periodic inspections. During an inspection, Douglas Automotive Repair will check for worn, broken or missing parts.
Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: the vehicle tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bounding unevenly. You may notice a floating or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your vehicle dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come see us at Douglas Automotive Repair for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your vehicle’s wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your vehicle suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so you should take care of to these things.
Give us a call today if you have questions about your shocks or struts.
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This entry was posted in Suspension and tagged Shocks, Struts, Suspension on .