Getting Started
Firstly, it is highly recommended that you buy pre-assembled shock absorbers, especially if you don’t have that much experience in repairing individual parts of your car.
You will also need to double check that you are getting the correct shock absorbers and suspension system for your make and model, but the company you buy them from should be able to help you with this by consulting their own database.
Next, you will need to make sure your car is parked on a level surface and then jack it up with a jack at the first corner. As an added safety feature, use a jack ramp instead of just the jack itself, as this will give you some extra safety and there is less chance of any accidents.
Once the car is jacked up and secured, remove the wheels and locate the shock absorbers. Shock absorbers are easy to identify as they have a vertical bolt that usually has to be loosened from inside the engine bay or at the rear of the car in order to install the rear system. This bolt needs to be loosened and then knocked out to start freeing up the shock absorber.
Once this bolt has been knocked out, the next step is to remove the shock absorber itself, which can be quite tricky as it tends to be greasy.
First, look at the mountings to determine if they are actually loose enough for you to remove them.
You will also want to check the bushings, which you can identify by the rubber around them. In some cases, you will need to break the rubber to get it out, but this is totally fine.
Removing the Shock Absorbers
Next is to remove the shock absorbers, you will need to remove the nuts that connect the shock absorber to the suspension. However, some models will require you to remove part of the brake assembly to remove it, but your manual will give you advice. You will then see that the shock absorber is held in by bolts at the top and bottom, and can usually break free.
If it does, then think about what you want to do with the spring, as you may be able to reuse it to save some money. However, if you are relatively new to car repair, then this is not recommended as it is not a simple process.
Installing Brand New Shock Absorbers
Finally, we need to discuss how to install brand new shock absorbers with suspension.
The first step is to install the brand new shock absorber to the suspension arm, and be prepared to use some force to really shrink the shock absorber until it fits into place.
You may also need some help to lift the suspension a little to make it easier to line up these bolts, as this is something that needs to be absolutely perfect.
Once the bolts are properly lined up, tighten the nuts as much as possible to hold them in place.
Once you have done this, reattach the bolts that go through the engine bay or the rear of the car and secure them before moving on to the next step.
The last step is to check the torque mentioned in the manual to make sure everything is indeed correct before you go ahead and tighten everything.
After this, the only thing you have to do is repeat the whole process for each shock absorber, as there is a good chance you will have done them all.
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