Mustang love / hate

[shogun32]

Never mind. Looks like it is 10 dollars cheaper to buy new through Steeda than get them rebuilt.

yeah car suspension is so damn cheap, just buy new. A rebuild is worth it if you want to revalve.
If you want to send me your old B6 for science experiment, I'll happily pay for freight.

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[KingKona]

they need suspension as well. I really don't understand the mentality of people who put 15k miles/yr on a set of dampers and think they don't need to be ripped and replaced every 50k at the most. 30-40k really should be the limit.

My car has 36K miles on it, and is 4 years old. The dampers are perfectly fine. Not even close to needing to be replaced.

Shocks and struts either leak their fluids and lose their ability to control body motions with compression and rebound, or they don't. Going 100K+ miles is perfectly fine as long as they still work properly. There is no standard/specific mileage at which dampers need to be replaced.

https://www.cars.com/articles/how-long-should-shock-absorbers-last-1420676937486/

"Instead of using time or mileage to decide when to replace shocks and struts, use them as guides for when to have your entire suspension inspected for part wear, damage and leaks (shocks contain fluid). Some shock absorber manufacturers say you should replace them at 50,000 miles, but that’s more for their benefit than yours. Having the shocks and suspension parts inspected at 40,000 or 50,000 miles, then annually after that, is a better idea. A thorough inspection should uncover what parts, if any, actually need replacement."

https://www.testingautos.com/car_care/when-replace-struts-and-shock-absorbers.html

"Struts and shock absorbers in a vehicle should be replaced when they are leaking, damaged, bent or not working properly. Driving with a failed strut or shock absorber is not safe.
It's also a good idea to replace struts or shock absorber as preventative maintenance, when they show signs of failing or excessive wear.

There are no mileage requirements for strut/shock replacement, however we often see struts and shock absorbers going bad after 110-120K miles in some cars. On the other hand, there are many cars in which strut or shock absorbers last for the lifetime of the vehicle."

Personal Experience;

1988 Honda Prelude Si. Bought with 60K miles on it. At about 100K miles, I figure I need new shocks and struts. Not that the car wasn't driving fine.....but 100K miles, right? Wrong. Tried two different sets of struts, Monroes and KYBs. Both sucked in comparison to the 100K OEM originals.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[dirtwarrior]

Are gremlins a maintenance or a repair ???
Now that s funny!!

electrical
mechanical it is wonderful

 

[K4fxd]

If you want to send me your old B6 for science experiment, I'll happily pay for freight.

When I do change them you are welcome to the old set.

 

[Driv3n to Dr1ve]

Yeah I can’t say I’m a big fan of my 2015 GT’s electrical/cosmetic issues. I had the trunk issue happen too. The paint bubbles on the hood, lighting is acting weird, leather rips, etc. It’s a weird spot that has me questioning the longevity of the platform, I’m at 99,500 miles. Engine has been perfect, but my clutch went out.

 

[K4fxd]

On the other hand, there are many cars in which strut or shock absorbers last for the lifetime of the vehicle."

Now this is the funniest thing I ever heard.

Shocks wear out so slowly most don't notice when they are worn. I'll put new shocks on every 50K, or more often if I am tracking the car. I always feel the difference between old and new.

 

[K4fxd]

I'll give you one. I'm having to replace my radio. This is a repair.

 

[KingKona]

Now this is the funniest thing I ever heard.

Shocks wear out so slowly most don't notice when they are worn. I'll put new shocks on every 50K, or more often if I am tracking the car. I always feel the difference between old and new.

Nope. And I've already addressed this.

But I'll let you and SHOGUN explain what, precisely, wears "very slowly" with use inside a damper.

 

[K4fxd]

But I'll let you and SHOGUN explain what, precisely, wears "very slowly" with use inside a damper.

The seals wear out.

 

[K4fxd]

I even went to Monroe's shock absorber school. Although it was 90% designed to get wrenches to recommend replacements, it was pretty thorough on how they worked.

The reason they do not list a maintenance schedule is due to the fact it is hard to determine exactly when they are worn out.

Call any shock manufacturer and they will not tell you when they should be replaced, but they will say most wear out around 50K.

 

[KingKona]

The seals wear out.

Seals are a yes/no proposition.

 

[shogun32]

My car has 36K miles on it, and is 4 years old. The dampers are perfectly fine. Not even close to needing to be replaced.

you think so because you haven't noticed the degradation over time. It's also not entirely obvious at street driving speeds. It shows up when pushing hard.

You also have Mageride which may also have age-related compensation built in.

Replacing only after catastrophic seal failure is to miss the point that the shock was done and cooked long before. The oil 'rots' with time, the teflon flakes off, dirt accumulates. I can show you plenty of shocks that still "damp" but are way outside parameters. I've taken apart probably 400 sets of (bike) suspension over the years. You wouldn't believe what I've had come out of "still looks new" suspension parts.

LIke tires, suspension is a wear item and should be replaced regularly. I personally would replace your Magneride shocks this year or by 40K. And when you do, get the Mach1 SKU and you'll get even better damping than what you had at mile 0.

50k miles is an easy to remember figure and basically matches up with 4-5 years of operation and roughly corresponds to early onset seal failure. There's a variety of things that your owners manual says to replace at 50k, regardless of it's failed yet or not.

If you want to play devils advocate, why replace spark plugs if they are still sparking no matter if the electrode is worn way beyond it's service limit? we replace spark plug wires long before they break, distributor cap/brushes long before they outright fall out. etc.

 

[KingKona]

I even went to Monroe's shock absorber school. Although it was 90% designed to get wrenches to recommend replacements, it was pretty thorough on how they worked.

The reason they do not list a maintenance schedule is due to the fact it is hard to determine exactly when they are worn out.

Call any shock manufacturer and they will not tell you when they should be replaced, but they will say most wear out around 50K.

The absolutely WORST source of information as to when and why a shock absorber needs to be replaced, is a shock absorber manufacturer. They're going say whatever they can to increase their sales. I'm actually surprised they aren't saying the same thing as Shogun, 30K or 40K.

Shocks work 100% until a seal or valve dies, then they're kaput. Do you really think Monroe was going to teach you that?

 

[KingKona]

you think so because you haven't noticed the degradation over time. It's also not entirely obvious at street driving speeds. It shows up when pushing hard.

You also have Mageride which may also have age-related compensation built in.

Replacing only after catastrophic seal failure is to miss the point that the shock was done and cooked long before. The oil 'rots' with time, the teflon flakes off, dirt accumulates. I can show you plenty of shocks that still "damp" but are way outside parameters. I've taken apart probably 400 sets of (bike) suspension over the years. You wouldn't believe what I've had come out of "still looks new" suspension parts.

LIke tires, suspension is a wear item and should be replaced regularly. I personally would replace your Magneride shocks this year or by 40K.

What's teflon in a shock/strut? The seal(s)?

Please, correct me if I'm wrong......

If there's flaked teflon, rotted oil, dirt and other sundry crap INSIDE a damper, then the seals blew out, and it let crap in. And at that point, the damping properties pretty much nose-dived. What was a hermetically sealed system, has ceased to be. And something is either hermetically sealed, or it's not. There's no degrees or percentages of hermetically sealed.

And if a shock is "way outside of parameters", then it's by definition (and presumably supported by tear-down/inspection) "blown". Seals, valves, oil need replacement.

Now....I'm all ears if there's something wrong in any of that.

 

[shogun32]

f there's flaked teflon, rotted oil, dirt and other sundry crap INSIDE a damper, then the seals blew out, and it let crap in

even the best condition, new seals let stuff in. With every stroke contaminants enter. Granted it's not a big amount but when you do 3000 cycles / mile it accumulates over time.

Kona, leave the suspension engineering to those of us who do it ya?

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