Knowing when to replace your shock absorbers!
Driving with worn shocks or struts may result in more than just a bumpy ride – there are many safety considerations to consider. Shock absorbers keep your tyres in contact with the road surface and are essential to your motoring safety. 
Why Replace? 
A worn shock absorber will detrimentally affect the stopping, steering and stability of your vehicle. Consider the following scenarios:
-Stopping: At 60Km/h, a single worn shock absorber may increase your stopping distance by up to 2.4 metres. This could be the difference between hitting someone or not. 
-Steering: Worn shock absorbers may cause your tyres to lose contact with the road, and generally reduce your vehicle’s handling ability. A car with reduced handling ability will not be able to respond as quickly to a need to change direction to avoid a potential collision or adverse road condition such as a pothole. 
-Stability: Worn shock absorbers cause excessive sway around corners, making the car a lot less stable. As the shock get older, body roll increases. In extreme situations, the vehicle may roll over, as the suspension is no longer able to redistribute the weight of the vehicle going into a turn. 
Recognising it is time to replace the shocks is not always easy. You get used to the way the car drives as the deterioration is gradual. It is comparable to your favourite pair of shoes that feel fine until, one day, you discover the soles are worn out. 
The Warning Signs
Initially, suspension manufacturers recommended that shock absorbers should be checked every 20 000 kms and replaced every 80 000 kms. However, due to the poor state of roads and increase in potholes, shocks often need replacing sooner.Below are some of the warning signs that may indicate worn shocks or struts. If you are experiencing ANY of these signs, you should have your shocks or struts inspected by a qualified service technician immediately:
1. Instability at highway speeds. Your vehicle never feels completely stable on the highway and is constantly “bobbing”/moving up and down.  
2. Vehicle “tips” to one side in turns. When taking a sharp turn or an off-ramp, your vehicle leans or sways to the outside of the turn and feels wobbly. 
3. The front-end nose dives, or vehicle swerves, during hard braking. You may not notice this until you have to jump hard on the brakes. 
4. Uncomfortable steering wheel vibration. Worn shock absorbers stop effectively absorbing and damping surface irregularities, causing the steering 
    wheel to vibrate and shake. 
5. Rear-end squat during acceleration. You’ll notice the front end of your vehicle rising while the rear “squats” during hard acceleration. 
6. Tires bouncing excessively. After hitting a bump or when driving on rough surfaces, you can feel a tire (or tires) reacting or “bouncing” for a time. You 
    may also hear a clunking noise. 
7. Unusual tire wear. Because the tire isn’t being held firmly to the road, you’ll notice uneven wear or “bald” patches. 
    This increases your risk of hydroplaning, 
8. Leaking fluid on the exterior of shocks or struts. 
     This is a sign that the seals have broken and the internal fluids essential to proper function are escaping. 
9. Dented or damaged housing. This can lead to the restriction of oil between the inner and outer tubes, resulting in poor performance of the shocks. 
10. Vehicle veers in crosswinds. You shouldn’t have to “correct” your car in mild winds. 
 
In Summary
Worn shock absorbers are not only dangerous, they can also lead to costly repairs on your vehicle. Not replacing worn shocks will cost you a lot more money downstream by having to replace other components such as mountings, tie-rod ends and ball joints that have been damaged by the excessive spring movement. Or tyres that have to be replaced prematurely due to bald patches and uneven wear. 
 
Take advantage of the many specialist fast fitment centres which offer to check your shocks absorbers for free. If they do need replacing, Start My Car has access to the entire local KYB range. Have a look on our website, or contact us, and we would be happy to source your part for you!