Driving should be a smooth, seamless, and relatively silent experience. When you notice an unusual feeling with the comfort of your ride, it is almost always related to your shocks and struts. These parts are key to the suspension system, and they absorb the road impacts and support the body of your vehicle.
Below are some of the symptoms that indicate bad shocks and struts:
- Shakiness at high speeds. Your vehicle should feel stable no matter whether you’re on the highway or cruising in city traffic. If it bounces or shakes at higher speeds, you should have a professional mechanic look at your suspension.
- Tire problems. Speaking of bounce, worn shocks and struts tend to lead to bouncy tires. After hitting a bump, you may feel them overreact and even hear clunking noises. Over time, this can cause uneven wear patterns on your tires since they can’t grip the road firmly.
- Vehicle leans to the side when turning. While sharp turns are never good to do, they are sometimes necessary. If your car feels like it tips or excessively leans to the side on harsh turns, you should check your shocks and struts.
- Vehicle dives in the front when braking. If your car dives or dips in the front during last-minute brakes, you probably have worn suspension.
- Leaking fluid on the outside of shocks and/or struts. Leaking fluid is a major indication that the seals have ruptured on your suspension, and the internal fluids essential to their effectiveness have escaped. You should replace your suspension as soon as you notice a greasy substance on them.
Test It Out With the Bounce Test
Another way you can determine if your suspension is bad is by performing a quick test at home. Make sure your car is safely parked on an even surface. All you need to do is move to one of your car’s corners and press down with all your weight. Once you release your body weight off the car, it should bounce no more than two times. If so, it means the suspension is no longer effective. You can repeat on each vehicle’s corner to see if all of them are affected.
As you can see, driving with suspension issues can cause other costly repairs, like sooner tire replacements, and increase your chances of being in an accident. If you are looking for suspension repairs, look no further than the professional mechanics at Jeff’s Automotive, Inc.
