28 Jul Why do I need shocks and struts and what do they do?
The best and easiest answer is to look at them like this; a shock and a strut do basically the same thing, they along with the spring hold the tire onto the road. If the car had no springs the tires would constantly lose contact with the road because roads are not perfectly smooth. If it had no shocks or struts it would bounce continuously. The struts and shocks are just hydraulic dampers that keep your tires from bouncing off the surface of the road just like the damper on your screen door at home keeps the door from slamming shut. Shocks and struts usually wear out gradually so you can’t really feel any difference in the ride quality and notice vehicle control issues. A lot of national chain stores lead you to believe you need to replace your shocks and struts every 30.000 miles.
Ron’s Garage very rarely sees shocks and struts worn out this early. Usually it’s around the 100,000 mile mark where we can see and feel them not working properly. If you feel your suspension bottom out after going over a speed bump, or your car seems to lean a lot while going around a long turn, you can see that your tires have a cupping look to them or feel it just go haywire after hitting a large hole it’s probably time to have your shocks and struts inspected by a professional.
Ron’s Garage has been servicing cars in Ann Arbor and it’s surrounding communities since 1984 offers a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty and only uses the best parts available.