Should shock absorbers really be done in pairs?

[CarCrazyDad]

Replace the pair or replace with a high performance (Bilstein for example) damper, the cost I don't think is too much compared to OEM

[anonymous-user]

I get my car serviced at a main dealer and they insist one at a time is fine. Given the extra profit they could make , I tend to believe them.
Kwikst on the other hand….

[stevieturbo]

Cliffe60 said:

I get my car serviced at a main dealer and they insist one at a time is fine. Given the extra profit they could make , I tend to believe them.
Kwikst on the other hand….

Main dealers tend to have a competence level similar to Kwik Fit.....and neither are particularly high.

[LargeRed]

in Pairs ???

yes a pair on the front and a pair on the back.

new for old.

[Welshbeef]

steveo3002 said:

its okay to replace one , but both will have done the same mileage /years old so a good chance the other wont be far behind it and fail soon

Thinking about this the passenger side of the car will face car worse road surfaces (and water) so in theory should always be the side that wears the first and underneath one side of the car rusts more than the other.

I had that from one of Harry’s Garages videos with the restorers flagging this quirk / obvious once you think about it.

[Tony1963]

Welshbeef said:

Thinking about this the passenger side of the car will face car worse road surfaces (and water) so in theory should always be the side that wears the first and underneath one side of the car rusts more than the other.

I had that from one of Harry’s Garages videos with the restorers flagging this quirk / obvious once you think about it.

Exactly. So after say 20k miles, the original dampers at either end of the car aren’t matched anymore. We are talking road cars, not formula racing cars.

[Lincsls1]

Tony1963 said:

It’s a bit like changing brake fluid. It should be changed every two years, but if I can carry out three emergency stops from highish speed and the fluid doesn’t boil, what’s the point?

Brake fluid slowly absorbs moisture over time.
This moisture if allowed to over develop can accelerate corrosion on the inside of the (often) mild steel pipe pipework and rot it out.
Also this moisture can cause corrosion in the brake calipers too, especially on the pistons which can increase the chances of sticking pistons, leaking seals etc..

[Welshbeef]

Lincsls1 said:

Tony1963 said:

It’s a bit like changing brake fluid. It should be changed every two years, but if I can carry out three emergency stops from highish speed and the fluid doesn’t boil, what’s the point?

Brake fluid slowly absorbs moisture over time.
This moisture if allowed to over develop can accelerate corrosion on the inside of the (often) mild steel pipe pipework and rot it out.
Also this moisture can cause corrosion in the brake calipers too, especially on the pistons which can increase the chances of sticking pistons, leaking seals etc..

I’ve been changing brake fluid every two years - it’s roughly the cost of a tank of fuel and it certainly feels different /stronger pedal after a change.

[anonymous-user]

Welshbeef said:

Lincsls1 said:

Tony1963 said:

It’s a bit like changing brake fluid. It should be changed every two years, but if I can carry out three emergency stops from highish speed and the fluid doesn’t boil, what’s the point?

Brake fluid slowly absorbs moisture over time.
This moisture if allowed to over develop can accelerate corrosion on the inside of the (often) mild steel pipe pipework and rot it out.
Also this moisture can cause corrosion in the brake calipers too, especially on the pistons which can increase the chances of sticking pistons, leaking seals etc..

I’ve been changing brake fluid every two years - it’s roughly the cost of a tank of fuel and it certainly feels different /stronger pedal after a change.

Surely that depends on whether you have premium tyres or Chinese ditch finders.

[Welshbeef]

Cliffe60 said:

Surely that depends on whether you have premium tyres or Chinese ditch finders.

Michelin only on our cars only.

Michelin HP primacy 3 on the SMax
Michelin pilot sport on the C63.

[Tony1963]

I’ve never had anything inside a braking system corrode. I never ever use teflon tyres.

[stevieturbo]

Tony1963 said:

I’ve never had anything inside a braking system corrode. I never ever use teflon tyres.

you've never worked on many cars then.

[InitialDave]

stevieturbo said:

Tony1963 said:

I’ve never had anything inside a braking system corrode. I never ever use teflon tyres.

you've never worked on many cars then.

+1

[Lincsls1]

Tony1963 said:

I’ve never had anything inside a braking system corrode. I never ever use teflon tyres.

Change the fluid, don't change the fluid. Its up to you. IMO every 2 years is excessive, however leaving it indefinitely is a bad idea.
I'm sure many cars owners overlook this service, but then they've probably had to replace a seized caliper, failed master, leaky pipe etc. at some point, and that means adding fresh fluid anyway.
You may have just been lucky.

Edited by Lincsls1 on Sunday 1st August 14:56

[Tony1963]

Lincsls1 said:

Change the fluid, don't change the fluid. Its up to you. IMO every 2 years is excessive, however leaving it indefinitely is a bad idea.
I'm sure many cars owners overlook this service, but then they've probably had to replace a seized caliper, failed master, leaky pipe etc. at some point, and that means adding fresh fluid anyway.
You may have just been lucky.

Edited by Lincsls1 on Sunday 1st August 14:56

I didn’t say leave it indefinitely. Brake fluid gets tested at service. If they say it needs changing, it gets changed. And yes, it’s cheap to have it changed. Your brake fluid doesn’t suddenly go unusable overnight at the two year point!

Ok, if I had a car that I wanted to hang on to til my 100th birthday, I’d be more concerned, but honestly, it hasn’t mattered so far.
I’m not criticising those who do change it every year or two, but I’d certainly argue that, especially if you’re on a tight budget, going another six months to a year probably isn’t going to kill you. And there can’t be much moisture in the fluid if, after three ‘abs-activating’ brake applications from speed don’t appear to boil the fluid.

[Tasmin200]

Tony1963 said:

It’s a bit like changing brake fluid. It should be changed every two years, but if I can carry out three emergency stops from highish speed and the fluid doesn’t boil, what’s the point?

It's not though is it? One new damper will have 100% capability but the other side will be worn and the seals are likely to blow as the other side just have.

Think of it as replacing one tyre and leaving the other with 1.6mm of tread. No sensible person would do that.

[anonymous-user]

Welshbeef said:

Cliffe60 said:

Surely that depends on whether you have premium tyres or Chinese ditch finders.

Michelin only on our cars only.

Michelin HP primacy 3 on the SMax
Michelin pilot sport on the C63.

Thought that would cause more reaction than that!

[Tony1963]

Tasmin200 said:

It's not though is it? One new damper will have 100% capability but the other side will be worn and the seals are likely to blow as the other side just have.

Think of it as replacing one tyre and leaving the other with 1.6mm of tread. No sensible person would do that.

But as mentioned earlier, the near side dampers usually suffer more in use due to potholes etc. So how long do a matched pair match each other for?

[Tasmin200]

Tony1963 said:

But as mentioned earlier, the near side dampers usually suffer more in use due to potholes etc. So how long do a matched pair match each other for?

fk knows,but I always replace them in pairs!

[Tony1963]

Tasmin200 said:

fk knows,but I always replace them in pairs!

I probably would too, but if someone else chose not to, for good reasons, I wouldn’t criticise them.