The Two Biggest Misconceptions In Auto Repair
The two biggest misconceptions in auto repair both have to do with struts and shocks.
1) “If a shock or strut is not leaking than it’s not bad.”
“Shocks and struts are for making the cars ride more comfortable. I don’t need them because I’m happy with my cars ride.”
If you really want your vehicle to be safer you should replace your shocks and struts every 50,000 miles. Shocks and struts are designed to keep your tires on the road. They work hand in hand with your tires along with your brakes and steering system to help improve the safety of your vehicle.
What exactly are your shocks and struts doing? For one thing they’re helping distribute the weight of your vehicle properly over all four tires. This helps your vehicle stop sooner by making sure too much weight doesn’t shift to the front of your vehicle as it comes to a stop. Proper weight distribution also helps with handling counter acting the centrifugal force your vehicle encounters when you turn sticking it to the road and making it more stable. It also insures better vehicle control, which means being able to stop, turn, and swerve, at exactly the moment you need to. And of course with more equal weight on all of your tires you’re less likely to see uneven or excessive tire wear.
Most of the time wear on your shocks and struts is so gradual that the negative effects might not be easy to detect under normal driving conditions. But as your shocks and struts begin to wear your vehicle could begin to dip, sway, and even exhibit signs of wheel bounce. This results in reduced braking ability, increases tire and component wear, and makes your vehicle harder to control. This could mean the difference between having an accident and avoiding one. So make sure to keep your vehicle handling and riding like new by replacing your shocks and struts every 50,000 miles. When replacing you shocks and struts, replace them with a proven quality part and NOT based on cheapest.
