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A mechanic told me when I had my car in for a general service (oil change etc) that before I am due for my next Warrant of Fitness that the shock absorbers will need to be replaced.

What are the shock absorbers, and how much would I be charged for them to be replaced?

Is it an important service to be done?

Susan

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 23 April 2010

The shock absorbers are part of the vehicle's suspension system and in a nutshell help provide ride comfort and vehicle stability over varying road surfaces and conditions.

Cost wise, it's a very hard question to answer without knowing a little more detail about the car, but sometimes garages can be a little over cautious when recommending these types of repairs. A lot of money can be spent for little gain in some cases.

On the other hand, poor shock absorber performance can compromise vehicle safety. A car may not corner or brake as efficiently for example if the shocks are weak.

Your mechanic should be able to give you an estimate on costs better than me as it would depend on the make and model of vehicle.

Happy to advise if you do get given an estimate though.

There are a couple of things I would suggest ;

Ask the mechanic to be more specific in regards to the reasons he believes the shock absorbers need replacing.
Ask to be shown or given a demonstration of the issues or weaknesses with the shock absorbers.
Seek another opinion from another garage, it is a visual inspection and should take less than 15 minutes.
Wait, and take the vehicle to an independent garage for its WoF inspection when due. By independent I mean a facility which carries out Warrants only and does not get involved in repairs.