Don't let your shocks shock you!

This may be a shock… but your car’s shock absorbers are more important than you think. They’re vital to the safety of your vehicle on the road, but often misunderstood and neglected.

Your steering, stability, handling, brakes and overall comfort on the road all rely on your shock absorbers being in top condition. The shocks and struts are key parts of the suspension system and need to be checked regularly and thoroughly to help maintain good vehicle safety and control.

Some of the problems caused can have potentially disastrous effects when you're on the road.

Worn shock absorbers can reduce your stopping distance dramatically, sometimes by as much as 20%.

Impacts on the general handling of your vehicle can make it hard to avoid something on the road and cause you to lose control of the vehicle if you have to swerve in a hurry. Worn suspension can also mean that your vehicle veers to one side when braking, or even just swerves under light winds and can even ‘nose dive’.

If you’re hearing rattles or just strange vibrations when using the steering wheel, that can also mean that your shock absorbers are tired and need replacing.

It will also wear your tyres uneven, which is one of the causes of excessive tyre noise and premature tyre wear with unexpected bald patches.

As a rule shock absorbers last for about 100,000km to 130,000km depending on driving conditions such as where you drive, the weather and the loads you carry in your vehicle. 

But it’s in our nature to get used to things, so as the suspension gets soft over time a driver

will get used to the rattles and swerves and just carry on driving.

It’s recommended that you have the parts checked for signs of wear every 20,000km or so, however you can rest assured that at Cooper Automotive we inspect your suspension for wear with every service.

You’ll be shocked at the difference in your vehicle if you’ve been ignoring your shocks and struts too long!