Diagnostics or testing of shock absorbers is an extremely important stage in checking the performance of a vehicle suspension. To give a correct assessment of the technical condition of shock absorbers, you need to use special measuring instruments, which are available in car service centers or are presented in a wide range of car service equipment stores. They will help to identify the degree of wear or damage in individual parts of the disassembled shock absorber.

Only a few defects can be noticed by eye:

• oil leaks on the shock absorber body;
• worn stroke limiter;
• characteristic marks on the tread pattern.

Checking the shock absorbers

Traditional methods of testing or diagnostics, which involve rocking the car from side to side or trying to stretch the shock absorbers manually, do not give reliable results. In professional car services, shock absorber diagnostics are carried out in three areas at once:

1. DETERMINING THE CAUSES OF LEAKS

It is produced exclusively on a dry shock absorber, since traces of car use during rain can completely distort the picture. If, when you run your finger over a dry part, no marks remain on it, then there are no problems with the shock absorber. The presence of oil condensation (“fog”) is not evidence of a malfunction. This may be due to the piston rod taking oil from the working chamber during the working stroke.

2. EXTERNAL NOISE

A common cause of this malfunction is normal wear and tear due to long-term use, sand ingress, or prolonged driving with an incorrectly adjusted air suspension. Incorrect tightening torque may result in a violation of the anti-corrosion protection or the appearance of a thread imprint on the bushing.

3. MECHANICAL DAMAGE

They may appear due to improper assembly, which can lead to blocking of the unit, failure of the threaded connection and failure of the hinge eye.

Which shock absorbers are better?

This is one of the “eternal” topics for discussion. Motorists have long debated which type of these devices is better. Some see oil shock absorbers as almost ideal, while others, on the contrary, advocate “gas”. This element must be selected based on the characteristics and operating mode of a particular vehicle. Let’s try to figure it out.

IN oil shock absorbers vibrations are damped due to the low compressibility of the liquid, which flows from chamber to chamber. At the same time, the oil heats up. This scheme has a number of disadvantages.

Firstly, there is air in the chamber, and if its quantity decreases, then the oil passes through without significant effort – vibrations are not damped so effectively. In addition, when driving intensively on bad roads, the oil heats up faster and becomes fluid, which does not add comfort. Do not forget the fact that in winter the operating fluid simply gets stuck, and it can be difficult to warm it up. And driving on unheated (that is, “oak”) shock absorbers will not suit everyone.

Air suspension

Gas-filled products, in turn, do not change their shock-absorbing properties when cold weather sets in. They are tougher and have a longer service life than oil ones. One of the disadvantages is the cost – such shock absorbers are more expensive than conventional ones (depending on the manufacturer and model, the price may differ by 20 or even 30%). If there are a lot of bumps along the way, then rigidity plays a cruel joke on other suspension parts.

From this we can conclude that gas is more suitable for motorists who prefer an active driving style on good roads. Oil shock absorbers are an option for “dead” roads. Their purchase will be appropriate if you are preparing to install it on an “old” car (everything is simple – the rigidity of the body in this case is far from the original, and a “softer” stand will not “destroy” the power structure).

Contact our car service center, where experienced technicians will provide you with free professional advice, and you can also sign up for diagnostics of your car.