This thread is getting silly. Best and safe practice says replace in pairs as several of you have stated. If one damper is shot then in all probability the other is as well. Dampers have such a dramatic effect on handling, braking distances and roadholding, that it is false economy to skimp. Anyway, they are not that expensive unless you have load levellers.
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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This happened to me.
1 new shocker needed for MOT.
Kwikfit insisted I buy 2.
Bought 2 as were not really that expensive - paid extra in fact for the "heavy duty" option with extra years warranty, about £80 total I think.
Jokingly asked if the new ones would last as long (178,000 miles) as the OE ones.
Guess what? Next MOT, need 1 new shocker.
Kwikfit would only replace ONE under warranty, in spite of the the large sign saying all shocks MUST be replaced in pairs!
The reason? "We can't send that one back sir, there's nothing wrong with it"
s;ldfj s;dlk
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No con. Assuming you had two new shocks, and 1 failed after a year it was replaced under warranty. There is not much problem with having 1 shock a year younger (say 12k miles) than the other.
There is however a severe problem having 1 new shock and 1 thats done 178,000 miles.
Wake up and be sensible.
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true
always replace
2 discs
2 drums
2 lots of pads
2 shocks
2 tyres
if one goes replace both on same axel
i was taught this by my father years ago.
it will affect road handling, and especially when doing an emergency stop
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Agreed 100% re discs, drums pads etc.
Although tyres should be of the same make and tread pattern on the same axle it is hard to ensure that tread depth is consisitent. I paid nearly 400 quid for four tyres recently only to have to replace one due to damage after 2000 miles, I certainly was not going to replace two!
Re shocks, if they are the same make/spec then being a max of 6 months/6000 miles different is ok. Any greater discrepancy then both should be replaced.
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dsl;fk 'sl;adfk 'slkfould have bought 2 anyway (Motorcycle shocks are always sold in pairs).
The sadlhf is the fact that sad;ljf ;lksddsfdsf their sd;flksd;lfk ;'slfk ds sd'l;fk s'dlfk 's;lkf 'slkf original.
Shocks either work or they don't. If they are not leaking then the damping is OK.
The springs do get less springy, but the difference is only the same as having a skinny driver and a fat bloke in the passenger seat.
They are quite happy to sell you ONE tyre!
If it made that much difference then the MOT would insist they were replaced as a pair.
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Like all things in life, car care and maintenance is something that can be approached by different people anywhere on a spectrum between obsessive and lax.
This site, being specific in attracting those interested in motoring tends to be biased towards the obsessive. We here are all to a varying extent enthusiasts.
I tend to take all the pedantic exhortations expressed on here, to use exactly the right spec of oil, the right brand of filter, manufacturer's anti-freeze etc. with a large pinch of salt. The garages where I have worked had one oil tank, the oil from which serviced everything that came through the door. There were no problems with it at all!
As suggested by none above, there are circumstances where a skilled mechanic may decide to fit only one side's part. On occasion, I have done likewise myself, with no ill effects. People with the appropriate education, skills, and judgement to make that type of decision do not tend to be employed by fast fit emporia - you'll find them mainly in the independant sector, and more occaisonally in the dealer network.
number_cruncher
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If one damper works and the other does not, replacing one will
be fine. The reason for replacing both is that they are likely
to fail at around the same time - but this isn't always the case.
If you replace them singly when they fail, that's fine, but your
car will be off the road for maintenance more often.
It surprises me that many people can't actually *tell* when
their dampers have given up, and keep driving something that
behaves as if it's got a pogo stick at one corner.
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It surprises me that many people can't actually *tell* when their dampers have given up, and keep driving something that behaves as if it's got a pogo stick at one corner.
Exactly; the 178k VW one was "weeping" - handling was not affected - the 5k kjglikghkgbkjhg kjg kjgk j - though still felt OK around town!
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The rule of thumb is to replace shock absorbers (especially on higher mileage cars), tyres, brake pads, brake discs etc in pairs - this prevents potential uneven performance.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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>>K***F**
What is the point ? If a person or company is readily identifiable it doesn't matter whether or not you actually used their name.
By the way editing notes and still making them read sensibly is hard work. Therefore, although I'll do one or two, after a while I'm just going to overwrite the offending stuff. If you're note then looks a little silly, then try being sensible next time.
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Thank heavens for that! I don't remember being (enter state of inebriation) when I wrote the above. Will be more discreet in future.
Anyway, it's alright for YOU to mention (enter well-known national chain of t*** suppliers) is it?
(ps - It might actually have been (think of another well-known national chain of !"£$%^&&*()8), which probably proves your point.)
Sorry.
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Depends.
Imagine I have my car serviced at Joe Bloggs Inc. of Toytown.
I can say anything nice about them I want, whether or not its true since they would not be able to show a resultant loss or damage.
I can say "in my opinion the customer service is awful because of x,y and z" Now that's not quite so straight forward because you may be lying, you may be saying it maliciously or there may be some other motivation. But generally its acceptable other than the more extreme stuff.
I cannot say "they charged me for two shock absorbers but only fitted one" - because that would be illegal behaviour on their part and therefore quite dodgy if untrue, malicious or wrong. You may know it to be true, I do not. I may think it is true, I may believe it to be true, but I don't *know* that its true. And if they decide to get silly about it, even if it *is* true, the fact that I can successfully defend is not the real point, since even that would take time and money. The same would apply to "its a con" "they're thieving gits" or anything similar.
Now, there is a whole raft of things which fall between those definitions and I deal with them as reasonably as I can depending on each individual circumstance.
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Let's put the record straight.
(Well known national chain of **** suppliers) fitted 2 shock absorbers, one of which turned out to be faulty and was replaced under warranty.
Pretty impressive considering I had lost the receipt and had bought them from a different branch; they were able to look up the transaction by putting my post-code into their computer.
And I havn't even had any junk mail from them!
I will certainly go there again.
I feel much happier now.
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I'm sorry madux, but to state that a damper is working fine simply because it isn't leaking is so wrong. They wear internally and can pack up completely without leaking - hence the bounce test when looking over a car.
As for the springs, well they also wear out and cause the car to sag. It is important to understand what a damper does. It keeps the wheel in contact with the road by cancelling out the oscillations from the spring. At the risk of sounding boring they should be replaced in pairs.
Also, I'm glad I don't have to drive the vans that none services. No offence mate!
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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I agree v8man..NC`s comment was a bit surprising as well?.Forget how many times in the past I replaced parts/one side only. Only to be proved wrong..I really dont think experience comes into it..No one can say how long any component will last.regardless of age.condition different. But well made point
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Steve
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Hi Steve,
I think it's fair to say that **over 99% of the time**, I go along with the usual advice to fit parts in pairs, side to side. I certainly don't *ever* fit brake components like pads, discs, shoes, and drums to one side only - you simply don't mess with brakes!
However, I occaisonally excercise my judgement with other components instead of following rigid rules. It hasn't bitten me badly yet!
number_cruncher
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My mate ran an old Allagro while his MG BGT was off the road in the process of restoration. Apart from the oil, oil filter, and air filter, the rest of the servicable items for the Allagro were obtained from the scrap yard. Brake pads/shoes, tyres, bulbs, everything. Given that the brakes were non existant anyway, it hardly made any difference that he might have had any combination of Ferodo's, Lucas, a.n. other brand of brake pads fitted in the front calipers.
He was spending all his money on the MG, so he had to cut costs elsewhere.
If we ever went out anywhere, we offered to give him a lift, rather than accept one from him!
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v8man and steve o
Just to straighten a slightly distorted record. In order to suit various arguments, some of my remarks have been taken out of context. I won't even bother to explain how or why I reach a decision on whether something should be relaced or not, except to say that the vehicles I service are maintained to a far higher standard than that required by the manufacturers. The opinions that really matter are those of the professional transport folk I deal with daily. VOSA are involved with the testing of the vehicles, and the requirements of the 'O' licence maintenance procedures. Customers are generally professional drivers, they value reliability above anything else, vehicle safety is rightfully taken for granted. My employer (being answerable to the various authorities) insists that safety should never be compromised. I won't even bother to describe my qualifications except to say that I was vehicle tester for 15yrs.
One things for sure, my decisions aren't influenced by motor factor's recomendations, freefit practice or advice from a motoring mag. To use steve o's favourite phrase "I stand by what I said".
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I wouldn't dare to question your qualifications none! I'm also very qualified if that is the route we are going down. I still don't understand how you have vans in that only need pads on one end of the axle. Surely this points to a partly siezed caliper for instance? For the record, I don't get my information from magazines or motor factors. It is based on sound engineering practise.
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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>>steve o's favourite phrase "I stand by what I said".
Fair comment..Not wishing to understate your point..also agree with v8. I am in the same category ie replace what I think neccesary.though it never works out. Prob I have is this point. is no help to first post.Would suggest car is not the same as vehicles of larger size ie van/truck....Please remind me not to state "I stand by what I said" Mind you If I Know I am right??
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Steve
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