How to Check Shock Absorbers

If you feel like your vehicle's ride quality is not what it used to be, it is a good idea to know how to check shock absorbers. It is fairly simple and easy to do. And it can save you from an unnecessary visit to a garage, or inversely, indicate that you need to get the car to a professional.

Steps

1. 1
   Observe your car from the front. With the car on a flat surface, it should appear perfectly level, i.e. both sides being the same height off the surface.

   
   

   • If you actually know the specifications of your car's suspension, you can measure the height. If the height is at or below the minimum specs, then you should take the car to a professional for further evaluation and repair. Being at the "minimum" is just that. It is no longer at the ideal, and something has changed.
2. 2
   Push down on the front of the car to test for weak shock absorbers. This is not a scientific test and is somewhat subjective. But it can be helpful when taken in conjunction with other checks made.
   • Stand in front of the car and carefully place your foot on the bumper, or your knee on a surface that won't dent or bend; it doesn't have to be center. Shift your weight onto that point, pushing the car down. Then quickly remove your foot, or weight. The car should bounce up and return to its original position rather stiffly, without continuing to bounce. If it bounces more than a couple of times, this is an indication that perhaps the shock absorbers are weak.
3. 3
   Visually inspect the struts or shock absorbers. Look for signs of liquid that is or has been running down the shock absorber. If present, then your shock absorbers could be bad. Once the seals begin leaking, the shock absorber becomes ineffective.
   • You will need to get the car into a garage to confirm your observations and replace the shock absorbers. Note that you want to get a confirmation that the liquid tracks you observed are indeed emanating from leaking shock absorber seals. It could easily just be something splashed up from the road.

   
   

Tips

• Understand that testing shock absorbers is very important. Surveys clearly indicate that most drivers don't realize that shock absorber condition is critical to vehicle safety. Providing a comfortable and pleasant riding experience is actually a byproduct of shock absorber function, not the object. Vehicle control and reducing wear on the rest of the suspension are the primary jobs of shock absorbers. Comfort and handling come from the overall design of the vehicle and its entire suspension system.
• Never change a single shock absorber. They should at least be changed in pairs (both front or both rear). If replacing OEM shock absorbers, then changing all four is recommended. If one is bad, the others aren't far behind.

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