biodev

During 60k maintenance, mechanic found a leaky front shock absorber. He said it has to be replaced and when they do, they do both, right and left. I don't know what the expected life of a shock absorber is. If it is about 60 k, then I would do both but if it's a lot more, I would only do the leak one. Any suggestions?

By the way the cost to replace both would be $700.00

fergo308

It's not safe practice to replace only one shock,especially on the front of the car. Having one new,and one worn shock will cause unpredictable handling on bumpy roads and unstable heavy braking.

The expected life of a shock is highly variable,and is dependant on weather (extreme heat,cold,or cycling between),average road condition,and any heavy impacts.
60K miles on a factory shock isn't a bad run IMHO.


Justin...

V8_Fan

Personally, I would replace all 4 shocks. The discount price on the front shocks is $188 and $170 each, so two shocks plus 2 hrs labor @ $150/hr is about $700. The rear (non-air) shocks are $116 and $175 ea. So it seems each shock for each corner of the vehicle is different. If it were me, I'd replace all 4 shocks at once. Replacing half of the shocks is like replacing 2 tires instead of 4.

GeorgeT

The right front on my wife's '02 failed at 60,000 miles. The only evidence was a rattle on bumps, the ride was still smooth. Both fronts were replaced but not the rears.