# Had a Shocking night last night



## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

People do very much get used to their car's current condition. Shocks and struts are one of those items that wear regardless of mileage because there is load on them whenever the car is on the ground.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Yeah, I noticed my Gen 1 was noticeably worn by only 50k (mostly rough road city driving).

My Gen 2 is about at the same mileage but doesn't seem to have degraded as much, but I will probably plan on changing them by 60-70k. Granted, the 18's ride like wagon wheels in comparison to the 16's on my Gen 1.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Hmm, I can't say our '14 is in need of shocks/struts at 115k miles, and it's spent its entire life (well, aside from the occasional trip out of state) on Michigan roads.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Does anyone know of a reliable test to see if the struts need replacement?


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## Thebigzeus (Dec 2, 2018)

Blasirl said:


> Does anyone know of a reliable test to see if the struts need replacement?


The bounce back test is all I know of, or to check for the gas leaking out. (oily and shiny black strut shaft). Mine feels a lot tighter and absorbs bumps better now. 56K on my originals.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Blasirl said:


> Does anyone know of a reliable test to see if the struts need replacement?


Driving a low mileage one as a rental will show you in a second how far yours has degraded. There was a night and day difference between my 2012 and a 2016 Limited I had.

Hitting something like a speed bump or road dip a little faster than you normally would will show you too - if the car bounces more than once like the rear end of our Fusion does, it needs shocks/struts.

Sometimes you'll see weird tire wear on the edges of the tires from worn struts/springs as well, but that one's harder to tell as there are so many factors that could cause it to be out of alignment.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Thebigzeus said:


> The bounce back test is all I know of, or to check for the gas leaking out. (oily and shiny black strut shaft). Mine feels a lot tighter and absorbs bumps better now. 56K on my originals.


That's what I've always gone by. Our Cruze still comes right back up with no oscillation. My brother's Buick, however, is beginning to get "the bounce". But it's also 20 years old. The rockers need some major work, which is a shame, because the rest of the car is in great shape (well, except for the fuel lines I just replaced last year - it's rusted "oddly")...and ZZP now has their own coilovers for the cars, which would compliment his big ZZP front and rear swaybars perfectly.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Thebigzeus said:


> The bounce back test is all I know of, or to check for the gas leaking out. (oily and shiny black strut shaft). Mine feels a lot tighter and absorbs bumps better now. 56K on my originals.





jblackburn said:


> Driving a low mileage one as a rental will show you in a second how far yours has degraded. There was a night and day difference between my 2012 and a 2016 Limited I had.
> 
> Hitting something like a speed bump or road dip a little faster than you normally would will show you too - if the car bounces more than once like the rear end of our Fusion does, it needs shocks/struts.
> 
> Sometimes you'll see weird tire wear on the edges of the tires from worn struts/springs as well, but that one's harder to tell as there are so many factors that could cause it to be out of alignment.


My issue is that I am lowered and the normal comparison is not quite the same. I am on Eibachs and Bilsteins.


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

Blasirl said:


> My issue is that I am lowered and the normal comparison is not quite the same. I am on Eibachs and Bilsteins.


Since that's the case, I would either wait until they leak or you start noticing tire cupping. That's about the only way you would know for sure that they're bad. Or you could change them at a set mileage/time interval if you wanted to be preventative.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I would presume the Bilsteins aren't likely to go bad nearly as quickly. But you also can't get the rear shocks, so...those would be problematic to replace.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

JLL said:


> Since that's the case, I would either wait until they leak or you start noticing tire cupping. That's about the only way you would know for sure that they're bad. Or you could change them at a set mileage/time interval if you wanted to be preventative.





MP81 said:


> I would presume the Bilsteins aren't likely to go bad nearly as quickly. But you also can't get the rear shocks, so...those would be problematic to replace.


They are lifetime warrantied, so I hope that they are replaceable as Bilstein is still in business as far as I know. Is there a pressure test or something one could do out of the vehicle if needed?


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

Blasirl said:


> They are lifetime warrantied, so I hope that they are replaceable as Bilstein is still in business as far as I know. Is there a pressure test or something one could do out of the vehicle if needed?


Maybe if you call the engineers at Bilstein.

But I've never seen anyone in an automotive service environment pressure test a suspension component to test for failure or weakness.


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