Depending on how you use your automobile and how well you maintain it, your shocks will last five to 10 years, and your struts will last about 50,000 miles. It’s important to replace these parts when they need it. Otherwise, you run the risk of chewing up your tires and damaging your suspension. Demore’s Automotive lists the signs that your shocks and struts are going bad below.
Cupping
The shocks and struts are responsible for keeping your tires on the road evenly. If you notice tire wear that looks like chunks of the tread have been hollowed out, this is called cupping. This is a sign that your shocks and struts are going bad.
Suspension Bushings
Cracking, peeling, misaligned, or oily suspension bushings also indicate a problem. You should not have any problems with the suspension bushings or any oil leaking on any of the suspension parts.
Bumpy Ride
Perhaps the most noticeable sign of bad shocks and struts is an extremely bumpy ride. This happens slowly over time, so you might not notice it at first. Eventually, however, your ride will be very rough, even on smoother roads.
Bottoming Out
Your car, crossover, SUV, truck, or van will also bottom out when the shocks and struts are bad. Bottoming out means that your suspension hits the ground when you go over bumps, when you use driveways, or when are driving on rough roads.
Stopping Distance
Your shocks and struts can also affect your stopping distance. If they have gone bad, they affect how your wheels and brakes meet. This will make the distance longer for you to be able to slow down and stop your automobile.
Swaying
You might also notice that your vehicle has started swaying or leaning when you turn around corners, change lanes, or drive in heavy winds. Your car may also bounce more than two or three times when you drive through dips or go over bumps.
Nosediving
Finally, the shocks and struts prevent momentum motion. What this means is that your vehicle would normally nosedive when you apply the brakes and lean backward when you accelerate. Good ones prevent this from happening. Bad ones will allow the motion.
Call Demore’s Automotive in Palmer, MA, today to schedule an appointment for a suspension inspection if you suspect that your shocks and struts need to be replaced. We will check them out, as well as the rest of your suspension to make sure you don’t have any problems going on underneath your vehicle’s body.
