Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?

I have a 2004 Odyssey and take it to a chain repair shop. They always seem to find stuff to repair that have not been causing me any problems. brought it in for inspection and today it is leaky shocks. I've had many cars, most for much longer than this car, and none have ever had this problem. The ride is as smooth as usual. What would the symptoms be of leaky shocks? Is this a legitimate part of any state inspection? It seems to be more of a comfort issue than anything else. How do i verify this problem myself?

Extra points if you answer all my questions.

Thanks



Previously it was warped rotors and i had just had new brakes and rotors put in last fall. So i was just going to limit this shop to oil change, rotations, and inspections, but now...The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
First, if you don't trust the shop, take you van elsewhere for a second opinion. No point in doing business with someone who you think is ripping you off.



As for the shocks, leaking means their seals are broken and the fluid inside the shock is leaking out. In essence, they are wasted and need replacement.



You can crawl under your van and see for yourself. Shocks are metal tubes near each wheel. Fluid leaking from the shock seals will be obvious.



Shock are not just to make the ride smooth, their job is to control the motions of the wheel assembly as its rolling down the road. Bad shocks lead to accelerated wear of tires and suspension components. Its the springs that control body motion, which is why you may not always feel a worn out shock.



I don't know if this is a Honda problem or not. Check various message boards on the web or do a Google search and see if other van owners have this problem.



I can't answer your state inspection question but worn shocks could very well be part of an inspection requirement. Your state's DMV website should have an answer to that question.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
Oil change, rotations, and inspections are about all you need. Leaky struts or shocks are possible but highly unlikely in a five year old car. If the ride feels fine, no excessive bouncing, the ignore them.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
If the shocks were leaking, they needed to be replaced.

No difference in the ride only indicates that the problem was discovered before the shocks had leaked sufficient fluid to render them useless.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
Look for yourself. A leaking shock will have sign of a small amount of fluid on the body of the shock.

As far as replacing bad or worn shocks remember they affect your stopping distance and ability to handle curves safely.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
I would get an extra opinion about the shocks they may be trying to take advantage of you. more often than not repair shops will try to rip you off.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
So your shocks control the rebound of your suspension. The springs provide ride height and the %26quot;bounce.%26quot; If you'd like to verify that your shocks are bad, simply bounce the rear end of the car if they say rear shocks or the front if they say front. The car should only bounce once or twice once you stop pushing if your shocks are good. Also if they are hydraulic shocks, they should be able to show you where the fluid is leaking. I'm not sure what state you're in, but I would assume that yes, it is indeed part of an inspection, as it can affect braking distance, etc.



As to your warped rotors, if you had recently had the brakes redone, then that was more than likely just a way to squeeze some $$ out of ya. Though in all fairness to the shop, it is possible that if the rotors used weren't the best quality or broken in correctly, they could have warped in that short of periodThe shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
This is simple. Take the vehicle into a respected independent shop or car dealer in your community and ask them whether you automatically have to replace the shocks at some mileage (like the mileage your at now). They will ask you if your having any trouble and you say no, but would they check the shocks to make sure. Of course they'll probably find no problem at all with your shocks. One trick the shady shops do is to spray some oil on the shock and point to that as proof the %26quot;shocks are leaking and need to be replaced%26quot;. That makes it difficult for an honest shop to know if the shock is bad or not.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
Check for yourself.



There will be obvious leaking that you can see if your shocks are leaking.



If so, then yeah, replace them, if not, tell the shop your reporting them to the BBB for bad business practices, and then take your vehicle somewhere else.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
It's not uncommon for people to fail to notice a change in the ride of their car over a long period of time, because the change doesn't happen suddenly. You just gradually get used to it and don't realize there's a problem. That said- it IS entirely possible that the shop is trying to milk you for unnecessary repairs. Ask them to show you, while the car is up on the lift with the suspension extended, which one (or ones) is leaking and where it was leaking from. If the leak is active, you will be able to see where the oil has run down the side of the shock tube. If it ran out of fluid alrady, there should still be a stain visible from where it was leaking. If they CAN'T or WON'T let you see it, then they're probably pulling your leg. I'd find another shop. You can always go to a dealer or another shop for a second opinion. Honda dealers may be more expensive, but they tend to be honest. Their reputation as a company depends on it, and they take THAT seriously.The shop says my shocks are leaky and need to be replaced. There has been no change in the ride. Are they FOS?
Original equipment gas charged struts and shock absorbers should be changed every 3 or 4 years or 40,000 to 50,000 miles. It is not likely you will notice a difference in ride on smooth roads but you will certainly notice the excessive body roll if you have to swerve suddenly, and it is not likely you will notice the wheel bounce when you hit a bump at highway speeds on a straightaway but you will certainly notice the difficult handling caused by wheel bounce when you hit a bump at highway speeds on a curve, and it is not likely you will notice any problem during normal braking but you will certainly notice the dive and pitch during sudden panic braking. In other words, is not likely you will notice a difference until the incident of suspension instability just before you crash!