Why you should check your vehicle’s shock absorbers before Easter

With the Easter holidays just days away, checking your vehicle before going on a long trip is important, said the manufacturers of Gabriel shock absorbers – a leading brand of Torre Parts and Components.

According to Graeme Futter, Head of Sales and Marketing at Gabriel South Africa, this includes your tyres and another component that people don’t often check, your shock absorbers.

“People are often unsure about how to determine whether their shocks need to be replaced.”

He said there are eight basic signs:

• If your steering wheel vibrates, you could have worn shock absorbers.

• Worn shocks absorbers can make your vehicle’s tyres bounce. This in turn can create bald patches on the tyres which are dangerous and will affect the performance of the tyre. Check your tyres for uneven wear and bald patches.

• Braking with worn shocks can result in your vehicle nose-diving and will increase your braking distance considerably.

• In strong winds, it will be more difficult to control your vehicle. Your vehicle will veer in side winds, and is especially at risk on bridges, cliffs and narrow roads.

• Your vehicle will not hug the road on bends. This can make the vehicle difficult to control, especially at higher speeds.

• Leaking oil is another indicator. If the shock absorber is leaking oil, you need to replace it immediately.

• When driving on rough road surfaces, worn shock absorbers will allow the vehicle’s wheels to bounce, decreasing their contact with the road surface and lowering the ability to control the vehicle. Worn shocks can also place severe stress on the wheel bearings and other suspension components.

• Dented or damaged shocks can be caused by outside forces such as stones. This can lead to the restriction of the oil-flow between the inner and outer tubes, resulting in poor performance of the shocks.

Overall thus, worn shocks can increase your risk of having an accident.