The struts are part of your vehicle’s suspension. On average, they can last up to 100,000 miles. In terms of years, this means they can last up to 10 years. The struts need to be replaced once they go bad. Signs they have gone bad include excessive bouncing, leaning and lurching, and oily struts.
We are the best auto repair shop in town, and our certified technicians have vast experience replacing struts. If you have any problems discussed above or your vehicle fails the strut test laid out below, we would be happy to remove the old struts and replace them with new ones.
Park Your Car
It is straightforward to check the condition of your struts. First, reach up behind the wheels and touch the struts to see if they are greasy. If they are, there is no need to conduct the test. The struts are leaking, and they need to be replaced. If the struts are not greasy, park your car on a level surface. Make sure the surface is level. You do not want to conduct this test on an incline.
Set the Parking Brake
Next, set the parking brake to make sure your automobile stays put. You will use a small force on the vehicle to test struts. You do not want to run the risk of your car, truck, or utility vehicle rolling. Make sure the parking brake is set.
Stand in Front of the Engine
Now, stand before your vehicle’s engine and place your hands on the hood. Press down several times to get the front portion of your automobile bouncing up and down. Once you have a good bounce going, remove your hands and count the number of times that the vehicle continues to bounce. If the bouncing stops immediately, your struts are still in excellent shape unless leaking. If your vehicle continues to bounce three or more times, you need new struts on the front wheels.
Stand in Front of the Trunk
Now, test the struts (or shocks) on the back wheels. Stand in front of the trunk or behind the truck bed and push the vehicle’s body up and down several times to get it bouncing. Again, once you have a good bounce going, release the vehicle and count how many times the bouncing continues.
Call us right away if your vehicle fails the strut test. We will schedule an appointment to replace your struts so we can get you back on the road as soon as possible.