Front shock absorber replacement

What does a front shock absorber do?

Your shock absorbers are part of the suspension system that smoothes out the bumpiness of an uneven road to provide you with a comfortable ride.

A shock absorber is a gas or oil filled tube that is compressed by a piston to dissipate kinetic energy and regulate the rebounding your car will suffer when driving over potholed, bumpy or uneven ground.

What happens when we replace your shock absorbers?

• Our efficient and fully qualified mechanics will examine or test-drive your car to establish the cause of the problem.

• Wherever required, a shock absorber will be replaced, and you’ll be advised of any other connected or associated problems arising from its malfunction.

• You will also be advised of any other parts that may need to be replaced for the best operation and health of your vehicle.

• Once the faulty shock absorber has been replaced, our mechanics will test it thoroughly to ensure the correct running of the new part and make any adjustments required for its premium operation.

What causes a shock absorber to stop working correctly?

A shock absorber will fail to operate correctly if the fluid leaks. This can be due to poor or damaged seals.

A shock absorber will also fail to function properly if it becomes damaged, bent or broken due to continual wear, general use or accident damage.

Smaller internal parts are likely to wear out in time and cause the improper operation of the complete component.

Symptoms of a malfunctioning front shock absorber

Excessive bouncing and an uncomfortable ride

If your car is bouncing excessively and providing uncomfortable ride quality, then there’s a good chance your shock absorbers aren’t operating correctly.

The car feels unstable

When driving around corners or over uneven ground and the car feels unstable then your suspension could be damaged.

Driving over humps is difficult

If driving over humps, sleeping policemen or raised road elements causes problems, your shock absorbers could be damaged.

If you spot signs of leaking

If you notice puddles of oil-like fluid on the road around your wheels, your shock absorbers could be leaking.

If your wheels leave the ground

In circumstances when your tyres lose contact with the road going over bumpy surfaces, sharp bridges or raised ground, your suspension isn’t working properly.

How often should shock absorbers need replacing?

You can expect shock absorbers to last at least 50k miles. Your owner’s manual may specify a different mileage or duration, as this figure is only a guideline. You should also have your shock absorbers checked after heavy contact with potholes, curbs or large rocks in the road.

The law, vehicle regulations and your MOT

Car suspension is a common reason for MOT failures. Broken or faulty shock absorbers, including oil leaks, will be a definite fail for an MOT.

The cost of replacing your front shock absorber

The typical cost of replacing a condenser varies between £200 and £250.

For example, an Audi A1 S Line would have a dealer price of £255.23, yet Fixter will carry out the same work for only £206—a 19% saving!

Changing the front shock absorber in a Fiat 500l Pop Star will cost you £268.06 with your dealer, but only £216.00 with Fixter—another superb saving of 19%!

When you choose Fixter to find you a great deal and a premium mechanic to carry out your front shock absorber replacement, you can expect to save around £40 from an average dealer price. That’s a typical saving in the region of 15–20%.

Seat

Seat S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer, founded over 65 years ago in 1950.

In 1986, the German Volkswagen Group bought Seat from the Spanish government to become the owner and operator of this established marque.

How popular is Seat in the United Kingdom?

Since the VW takeover, the number of Seat cars on the roads in the UK has grown steadily to over 500k.

Marketing similar cars to different markets

Although the structure and engineering behind all of the Volkswagen Group’s cars are closely related, based on very similar systems and practices, VW has aimed Seat at a market that offers something a bit different to Audi and VW.

Seat: Affordable, youthful versions of established models

Given that the brands under the VW umbrella (not forgetting Skoda too) all carry similar architecture, what sets the Seat models apart from their counterparts is their character, price-point and their ability to deliver slightly sportier handling due to their tuning. When you think of Seat, you think fun. VW: solid. Skoda: value. And Audi is for the executive.

So despite all being very similar machines under the hood, VW has created each of them to sit in quite different marketplaces. The Leon, for example, will appeal to a different type of driver to the Octavia or the Golf (and the Audi A3) despite being almost the same car. The same goes for the Ibiza, the Arona and the rest of the models in the Seat range.