[sumannandy]

Yesterday while inspecting the car for 110000 kms servicing, the service advisor informed me that the front shocks are leaking. The car has not given me any trouble so far and shocks were never replaced or repaired. The service advisor informed me that I can drive for now and get it replaced in 120000 kms service.

I use the car mostly for outstation drives, with good speed on highways. My question is, is it safe to drive with "leaking" shocks? How urgent is it? Should I wait till next service or get it replaced. I have couple of long drives planned starting next week.

Thanks in advance,

[Kosfactor]

You had a good run and you`ve taken good care of it, usually they are done by around 70-80 on an average.

A worn out but still working shock absorbers will do just fine until you hit a significant bump on the road at the sort of speeds an XUV is capable of and then you will become a passenger - drive at moderate speeds until you replace it.

[Guna]

Since it is the front shock on a FWD driven car and the front wheels also are responsible for steering the vehicle direction, I suggest to replace it.
I had continued to drive my Forester with a leaking rear shock for good 10000+ kms until it became very bumpy (reason was not replacing on time was the exorbitant cost). But I wouldn't take that risk with a front shock absorber.

[TrackDay]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

Yesterday while inspecting the car for 110000 kms servicing, the service advisor informed me that the front shocks are leaking. The car has not given me any trouble so far and shocks were never replaced or repaired. The service advisor informed me that I can drive for now and get it replaced in 120000 kms service.

I use the car mostly for outstation drives, with good speed on highways. My question is, is it safe to drive with "leaking" shocks? How urgent is it? Should I wait till next service or get it replaced. I have couple of long drives planned starting next week.

Do get the car checked at other places, showing them the leak in the shocks. If they concur with the same verdict, then maybe it is time.

Irrespective of that, with the car having run over a lakh kilometers it maybe time to get them replaced. This is usually the mark within which most cars report to have issues with the absorbers. Also since you travel out of station, if any issue arises you will have to drive a long way with the faulty component till you reach a service center. That will take a toll on the other components and also the tyre. It is better to be safe than sorry and also if you are changing them, get them changed in pairs.

[haisaikat]

Front Shockers in your car if gone bad will pass on way more vibrations to the chassis than usual and this may impact other mechanical setups in your car like Hydraulic Power steering, Engine Mount which would have higher wear and tear hence.

Get this validated by the Workshop Service Engineer. This happened to me once for my Getz, although your car is different I suspect this is worth revalidating, and replace if required.

[Indian2003]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

I use the car mostly for outstation drives, with good speed on highways. My question is, is it safe to drive with "leaking" shocks? How urgent is it? Should I wait till next service or get it replaced. I have couple of long drives planned starting next week.
Thanks in advance,

Worn shocks will also wear out other steering and suspension parts. If the the leak is sweating of oil, you need not replace now.

The car wont break down because of this. If you are a sane driver, no worries, drive on until the next service.

The original shocks in my car lasted 300,000 km and the ones I have now have passed 100,000 km.

[Jeroen]

I think it is important to understand the function of shock absorbers. Their primary function is to ensure maximum contact between tyre and the road at all times. Secondary they help provide ride comfort.

But given their primary function, you need to think about them in terms of safety, just like brakes and tyres. If they don’t work adequately, safety is being compremised!!

So it is down to how much leakage you have. A little sweating, tends to be acceptable, but anything beyond that is a real problem. In countries with annual car inspection, such as the MOT in the UK for instance, a shock absorber with more than just a bit of weeping would be an immediate fail. You can’t drive the vehicle until the shock is replaced.

Yes, a worn shock will cause additional wear on other components as well. But you need to worry primarily about safety, not maintenance cost!!

So, don’t skimp on cost when it comes to shocks. When in doubt get a competent mechanic to look at them. Anything more than a bit of weeping should mean replacing immediately.

Shocks tend to get replaced in pairs (left/right). It is not always necessary / recommended, but it makes sense. Because both shocks will have seen roughly the same amount of wear. Also, you like the right / left shock absorbers working / damping as identical as possible.

Shocks are not that expensive and on most cars easy to replace. They last a long time, so in terms of cost per km are cheaper than your tyres.

Think and act in accordance with safety in your mind, not a bit of cost.

Jeroen

[dhanushs]

I think the main problem with a leaking shock is unpredictable handling at high speeds.

If you mainly trot around a city speeds then, it might been manageable, but, for highway speeds, you definitely need a working shock absorber.

[johnjojo08]

For highway run I recommend to get it replaced for safety and save from breakdown.

[AKSarkar1]

Originally Posted by TrackDay

Do get the car checked at other places, showing them the leak in the shocks. If they concur with the same verdict, then maybe it is time.

+1 to this. The option given by the SA to be quite shocking IMHO. Such a statement on waiting to change the shocks makes me question the overall veracity of the claim and therefore asking 2-3 other people is always a good option.

Yes of course you can still drive the car with leaking shocks but let us not forget that we are in India. Regardless of how attentive we are while driving, there will always be that one pothole or some deformity in the road that catches us off-guard. Shocks in India are more of a necessity than one can imagine.

My humble advice would be to get the shocks changed.

[Dr.Naren]

It's better to get it replaced. Do you have any pics ? If it's very minor, you can still drive.

This is what Monroe says:

[mohitchalla]

At 110,000 kms, your shocks have already laster you for very long.

I would recommend replacing them. You will definitely feel the difference in the ride quality. Moreover, good shocks will significantly improve your handling and braking distance.

[KKapadia]

Anything over a lac km is a bonus. Since the SA has seen the shocks and says they will run for another 10k I guess the leakage would be marginal. No problem in doing your trips but at a reasonable speed. If it involves challenging terrain I would recommend change first then go for the trip. Shocks fail in 2 ways either they become hard or they give way and lose all pressure in which case you experience excessive body movement. If you want the new car feel just change all 4.

[ssjr0498]

Puts stress on the springs and you'll feel the undulation/bumps. It's recommended to change/repair it but definitely not "Urgent"!

Originally Posted by sumannandy

Yesterday while inspecting the car for 110000 kms servicing, the service advisor informed me that the front shocks are leaking. The car has not given me any trouble so far and shocks were never replaced or repaired. The service advisor informed me that I can drive for now and get it replaced in 120000 kms service.

I use the car mostly for outstation drives, with good speed on highways. My question is, is it safe to drive with "leaking" shocks? How urgent is it? Should I wait till next service or get it replaced. I have couple of long drives planned starting next week.

Thanks in advance,

[sumannandy]

Thank you for your suggestions. I have attached the photos that I clicked yesterday. Seems to me as a leakage as the rear shock absorbers are completely dry.