Purchased used suspension for my car. Will I be OK?

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  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365 Forumite
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    New M2 to a rusty Rex with the wrong suspension?
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    custardy wrote: »
    New M2 to a rusty Rex with the wrong suspension?

    Nothing strange about that ;)


    :rotfl::rotfl:
  • ginashamz
    ginashamz Posts: 199 Forumite
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    wgl2014 wrote: »
    And depending on the car the suspension may well need changing.

    Personally I wouldn't entertain fitting some used shocks that are likely to be performing significantly worse than they should. It could be worth a little research as to who makes the OEM parts and if they are available elsewhere...

    On my current car the Saab stamped suspension is made by Sachs, you can get an identical part for half the price by buying from them.
    Springs are designed by Prodrive and Eibach. The shocks are Bilstein. Assuming the shocks and springs are in good order at 65k miles, shouldn't they still deliver the same driving performance as brand new ones?
  • wgl2014
    wgl2014 Posts: 1,144 Forumite
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    ginashamz wrote: »
    Springs are designed by Prodrive and Eibach. The shocks are Bilstein. Assuming the shocks and springs are in good order at 65k miles, shouldn't they still deliver the same driving performance as brand new ones?

    After 65k miles the springs should be fine however the shocks will have lost a fair bit of damping ability and will not be performing like when they were new.
  • Nodding_Donkey
    Nodding_Donkey Posts: 2,738 Forumite
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    Check the rear springs for wear at the top. The end of the coil wears away at the next coil down and they break at that point. If you look at the spring the wear will be obvious.
  • onomatopoeia99
    onomatopoeia99 Posts: 6,964 Forumite
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    Tarambor wrote: »
    If the suspension you've got is OK keep it. At 65,000 miles the shock absorbers of the second hand ones you've found will be nearing end of life.


    Amazingly, my car has done double that mileage, is still on the original springs and shock absorbers and they are all still performing well.



    I think people are understating how long this stuff lasts.
    Proud member of the wokerati, though I don't eat tofu.Home is where my books are.Solar PV 5.2kWp system, SE facing, >1% shading, installed March 2019.Mortgage free July 2023
  • prowla
    prowla Posts: 13,162 Forumite
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    onomatopoeia99 wrote: »
    Amazingly, my car has done double that mileage, is still on the original springs and shock absorbers and they are all still performing well.

    I think people are understating how long this stuff lasts.
    Well, I've just had a spring replaced on a car at under 80k, so they can go.


    And, of course, when you go to check out a used car one of the things you do is push on each corner to check the shocks.


    Nobody is saying that they will be pooped, but rather that they may be...
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
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    onomatopoeia99 wrote: »
    Amazingly, my car has done double that mileage, is still on the original springs and shock absorbers and they are all still performing well.

    I thought that on my Mondeo. 133,000 miles, shocks not leaking, car still passing MOT with them, following the wife in the car there was no signs of the wheels bouncing on bumps. I decided to change them after taking the caravan out for the first time in a couple of years and thinking that I didn't remember it handling as it did.

    Couldn't believe the shocks I thought weren't too bad were actually well tired compared to the new ones. The new ones you couldn't push in by hand, the old ones you had to pull out by hand to extend them to their full travel and they could be pushed in and out with ease. After I changed them I happened to be at a mate's garage and he had a Mondeo on his forecourt for sale with similar mileage. Doing bounce tests with the two of them it was startling and the car handles a whole lot better.

    I think if you took a shock off your car and compared it to a new one you'd be quite surprised as well.
  • wgl2014
    wgl2014 Posts: 1,144 Forumite
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    +1 for the last post.

    Shocks performance will gradually reduce over time, not an issue for many people but if you have a sports car or want the handling to be as good as possible they do need replacing from time to time.

    It's interesting to see posts from people who are unsure if replacing their shocks is worth it and are then amazed by the difference, this is quite regular on another forum I frequent.
  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
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    ginashamz wrote: »
    I came across a used set on Ebay for £250 and it came off a RX8 PZ that did around 65k miles.
    Do you know why the suspension was taken off the other vehicle?
    It's possible that it was in a accident that wrote it off and if this was the case, who knows if the shocks are all okay or if one or more is slightly distorted.
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