Author Topic: Rear shock absorber advice  (Read 2238 times)

kevinivtec

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Rear shock absorber advice
« on: May 14, 2019, 12:52:32 AM »
Hi all just had the Passenger air bag replaced on recall by my local honda dealer, they now give you a 5 min safety video of the car on the ramps, they said that my offside rear shot absorber had slight misting on it ( leaking) ??? as my car is 2010 with the extended warranty I have asked them to replace it, the thing is they will only replace the one shock absorber, my self being and engineer good practice and perhaps safety tells me that the other side should be replaced as well???? am I correct in assuming this??? and should i stick out and insist that the other should be replaced as well to balance up the suspension??? what are your thoughts guys???? should Honda replace  both??? would i be  within my rights to have both done under warranty??? whats good practice???

sparky Paul

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2019, 08:39:20 AM »
It's certainly worth a try, but I doubt they will wear it. It doesn't seem to be the done thing these days.

Garages are quite happy to replace singly, and the MOT tester doesn't care if one is 20 years old and one is 20 minutes, so long as they both function as intended.

Personally, I like to replace in pairs, but you use some common sense - if one fails and they are both 10+ years old, you replace both. You can certainly feel the difference between a new and old shocker, but it's negligible once the new one is bedded in.

rogbro

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2019, 05:04:33 PM »
I whole heartedly agree with the, replace both,   answer previously .
Again common sense,  Get new side nicely damping, the other old one, well flopping about I guess.

MicktheMonster

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2019, 07:26:21 AM »
Changing both gives you peace of mind, however, shock absorbers either work or they don't, the one that isn't leaking  may last the life of the vehicle or it may pack up next week (this is the same with any replacement you put on). in days gone by it was common place to replace them in pairs because they only lasted 3 or 4 years anyway, nowadays they can last 20 years and still work fine, this is why they are happy to replace a single one nowadays. Personal choice, I'd just get the faulty one done and see how it goes, you can always replace the other one later if need be.

culzean

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2019, 09:59:39 AM »
Changing both gives you peace of mind, however, shock absorbers either work or they don't, the one that isn't leaking  may last the life of the vehicle or it may pack up next week (this is the same with any replacement you put on). in days gone by it was common place to replace them in pairs because they only lasted 3 or 4 years anyway, nowadays they can last 20 years and still work fine, this is why they are happy to replace a single one nowadays. Personal choice, I'd just get the faulty one done and see how it goes, you can always replace the other one later if need be.

+1

shocks either work or they don't - but sometimes they work but just make a 'clunk' noise when piston rod is changing direction and piston is loose - only car I have ever replaced one on was a Fiat ( Fix It Again Tomorrow ) but then again that was the least expensive part we had to replace - and car was not that old either.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2019, 11:07:41 AM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

MicktheMonster

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2019, 03:22:12 PM »
If it was making a "clunk" noise I would consider that needing replacement as they're not meant to do that, there's no mention in the post of there being anything wrong with the shock which is why I would leave it, it could always be replaced when or if it shows any signs of malfunctioning.

ianhj

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2019, 03:52:52 PM »
Just to add my experience.

I had exactly the same advisory in April 2018 (misting to NS rear strut) on our 2010 Si with 58,000 miles on it.

I put this down to me overloading the car when taking our old dismantled kitchen down to the dump aka re-cycling centre).

I sourced a pair from a breakers on eBay from allegedly a 2013 car with 9,000 miles on them for £70.

When I went to fit them this March the off side one was also misting. So pleased I had bought a pair.  They took about 20 mins each side to replace - very straightforward (check out youtube). Car feels fine, handling just the same.

Car passed MOT this April with a clean bill of health (64,000m).

So my based upon my experience I would replace them as a pair.


copelandbc

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2019, 09:31:48 AM »
Is this so called "video check" a bit of a con. You are in the waiting room, the coffee is OK, the magazines are OK & the car is already up in the air. "We can do it in no time". I refused to change my rear shock 8 months ago after being shown a video of a my shock with a leak. 8 months later just passed MOT with local(highly respected) independent, with no advisaries.

sparky Paul

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Re: Rear shock absorber advice
« Reply #8 on: June 02, 2019, 12:22:06 PM »
Well, to be honest, if I have a misting shock and it's still functioning correctly, I give it a wipe and see if it comes back. I don't change them unless I have to.

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