I've got 2 questions regarding shock absorbers;
I've noticed that the shocks on my '94 3.0 Omega "hiss" when they come under a sudden compression, such as speed bumps, even at low speeds - is this normal? (I think the car has gas filled shocks).
If the answers is NO and they're leaking then I'll probably change them sooner rather than later.
Even if the answer is YES, the car has done 98K on the original set of shocks and I'm sure would benefit from a new set of shocks and bushes. My dilemma is - The car feels very secure under heavy acceleration and braking and is "OK" under cornering - I've had the car less than 10K so don't know any better and I haven't driven any other Omegas so it's difficult to compare. All 4 tyres are new and seem to be wearing evenly, though I've done less than 5K on them and again it's early days to check for wear. For what it's worth the shocks will probably pass an MOT without any problems too.
However, the car does tend to bump and crash over potholes and ridges in a way that I "feel" it shouldn't. Given that 4 OE shocks (from Autovaux) would be around £250 + fitting would make it somewhere around £500 - would I see a worthwhile improvement?
Thanks in advance.
Chad.R
P.S. I intend to keep the car until something major goes wrong and it's not financially viable to repair.
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Chad
At 100k, almost certainly just about worn out, although they may still pass an MOT if they are not leaking. Testing by bouncing the car applies nothing like the loads they experience in use eg over potholes. Dampers deteriorate very gradually, and you'd almost certainly notice a major improvement in ride and handling with new units.
Regards
John S
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My advice, John, would be to keep the current shocks till your service garage tells you they need doing. If you go into one of the tyres/shocks/brakes places and mention the word shocks, they will most probably tell you they need doing irrespective of the truth. I think, in past years, I've been diddled a few times in this respect. On my last car, I kept the shocks in well beyond 130K and only replaced them when my service garage helpfully said that they would want to be doing the shocks at the next service. Then I shopped round. I have to say that, IMO, the new shocks made absolutely no difference to the handling whatsoever.
Splodgeface
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I've noticed that the shocks on my '94 3.0 Omega "hiss" when they come under a sudden compression, such as speed bumps, even at low speeds - is this normal? (I think the car has gas filled shocks).
Yep, some shocks will do that.
However, the car does tend to bump and crash over potholes and ridges in a way that I "feel" it shouldn't.
If gas shocks are fitted, then this could be the reason why. Gas shocks do give a firmer ride.
the car has done 98K on the original set of shocks.... I've had the car less than 10K....
Pardon me for asking, but if you've only had the car for less than 10k and it's done 98k, how do you know they're the original shocks?
From experience of every Vauxhall I've owned - the original shocks never lasted more than 60 to 70k on any of them before they needed changing. Some people probably could squeeze more mileage out of them than me, but that's because I do tend to drive cars hard and also live in a pothole infested county!!
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>> the car has done 98K on the original set of shocks.... >> I\'ve had the car less than 10K.... Pardon me for asking, but if you\'ve only had the car for less than 10k and it\'s done 98k, how do you know they\'re the original shocks?
I\'ve got every single service printout, invoice,receipt, MOT and other assorted documentation including the original bill for the car but can\'t find any record amonst these of the shocks being replaced. The previous owner kept immaculate records, the car though, is not \"quite\" up to that standard.
Chad.R
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Friends of mine who are chassis engineers at well known prestige OEMs in the Midlands reckon 80k is a fair life for most OE shocks. I replaced the shocks on my Rover 820 Vitesse Sport at 116k (mostly life on French Motorways) and two of them were well knackered - the car was transformed.
Yes, some shocks do 'hiss' under sudden compression - mine do too.
The MoT test for shocks is extremely crude and incapable of detecting all but the very worst condition items IMO.
Given that you've only just bought the car and presumably intend to keep it for a good time I'd advise having them changed.
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I had a Senator (ex-police, 160,000 miles) and changed the shocks on that - the car was utterly transformed.
Senators always had a reputation for wearing the shocks out (GM cars in general at one time) - wouldn't be surprised if the same applied to the Omega.
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My 1997 and 2000 Mondeo's both had hissy shocks syndrome which was normal - apparently.
PP
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