Think Your Car Needs New Struts and Shocks? Know How to Check Them Out
Have you been driving in your car and notice that your vehicle shakes a lot when it goes over bumps? This could mean that your vehicle needs new struts and shocks. Here are some ways to tell if your car is actually in need of this type of auto repair.
Identify The Source of The Sound
When you go over bumps in your vehicle there is likely a loud clunking sound that it makes. Try to identify which part of the vehicle the sound is coming from. If you hear it coming from the back, then you know that your rear shocks and struts could need to be replaced. If you hear it from the front, then it's the front shocks and struts that are going bad.
Check For A Broken Seal
Once you've narrowed down which struts could be damaged, you can investigate it on your own by feeling the struts with your hand. All you need to do is reach above the tire in the wheel well, lift up the covering over the strut, and touch the rod. If there is a lot of oil on your hand after touching it, you will know that the seal on the strut has gone bad and that they need to be replaced.
Push On The Car
You can often check to see if your shocks are bad by putting pressure on each corner of the car above the wheel. All you have to do is push down on the vehicle and see how it reacts on each side. If the car has relatively little bounce, then you know that the shocks are fine. However, a vehicle that bounces a lot after pushing down on it is a huge sign that the shocks are going bad. If you notice it more over one wheel than the other, then you've narrowed it down to a particular shock.
Test The Shocks When Braking
Another way to test your vehicle is to try braking suddenly on the road, just make sure that nobody is behind you first. Notice the way that your vehicle behaves when you push on the brake pedal. Does the vehicle's nose dip down towards the ground, or remain relatively level? If it dips, then you know that the shocks on the font of the vehicle are not in great condition.
Take your vehicle to a local auto repair shop if you are noticing any of these problems with your shocks and struts.