Rear shock absorber is leacking, so i MUST replace both sides?

Usually, if the shocks have a bit of age on them (maybe counted as mileage...greater than about 30-40,000) it would be advisable to replace both.

Who is going to do this for you, and how much do they indicate they will charge?

Of course you don't have to change both sides if one goes bad, but it's probably a good idea. The assumption here is that both shocks have undergone the same stresses and that both share the same level of wear. In other words, from a prevention viewpoint, it's a good idea to change both. Recently, I had the same problem... i.e., one shock went out while on vacation. I decided to change only one of them because I was on the road and I had to change the offending shock in an Auto Zone parking lot in Mississippi. About a month later, the shock on the other side began to give its "death" signals. I decided to change out all of the shocks at that point. I hate getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

Al Kondo

I had one go out on my old 83 Camry. I replaced only that one. jor

You don't have to replace both, but the ride quality and/or handling will be poor if you do not - one side will be tight and the other side will be bouncy. If one has gone completely already and both have a good amount of mileage on them, the other probably isn't far behind.

I would only consider replacing just the one if this was a premature failure (i.e. within 30,000 miles of installing new struts). In that case it may have been caused by contamination rather than wear, so the other one may still have plenty of life in it. If you think the price is unreasonable, by all means go get a second opinion.

If he wanted the money, he'd only do one of them. Then he could charge again when you came in a short time later to get the other one done because of the goofy handling (and because if one is leaking, the other one will soon be on its way). Definitely cheaper in the long run to replace them both if there is any mileage on the shocks.

--scott

It makes sense - just call around and make sure the price they want to charge is realistic.

Both sides of the car go over the same bumps and wear at about the same rate, so you normally change them as a pair. (Exception being if the shocks are almost new and you got a defective or damaged one.) And the mechanic has the tools out and your car up on the lift, which is why you save a bit of money on labor doing it that way.

If you just change one, it will cost you a lot more to do it all again when the other side starts leaking in a few months or a year.

And also have him check the front shocks/struts now, if you can afford to do them all in one shot. They wear out, too.

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Yes, at least both the left and right rear ones should be replaced. I would replace all four under the assumption they are of equal age to get the most uniform ride.

I agree with the technician, you should replace shocks in pairs, or axle sets is how they are termed. I'd even go the extra step to suggest that if the rear shocks are gone, the front shocks can't be far behind, and they should also be replaced.

My brother has a bad bearing in the rear axle of his Mazda Miata and I'm trying to get him to replace the whole rear set as a group.

Charles of Kankakee

I'm not sure the asme analogy holds true for bearings as for shocks. If the car has considerable miles on it, then yes, replace both. But bearings are prone to different kinds of issues, and just because one is gone doesn't mean the other is about to follow suit.

Well, this car is 5 years old and has over 70,000 on it. It's rear wheel drive, so why would a bearing on just one side be bad?

Charles

It's easy...happens all the time. Passenger side bearings seem to go faster 'cause the wheels get banged more.

He hasn't actually told me which side it's on and I never ride in it.

Charles

In any case, it is common. If you guys feel better replacing both, then have at it. It isn't a particularly difficult job, and if you guys are doing it yourselves then it makes sense, but I don't think I'd recommend paying to do the other side if you are having a mechanic do the work.

For the moment we haven't got anywhere to work on it ourselves. We're getting the Previa fixed first.

Charles

Woa! i did not expect this amount of replies. I guess it will be best to change both shocks.

Thank you all for responding.

Hitting curbs or other abuse concentrated on one side. And I would suggest at a minimum taking the axle all the way apart and at least flush it out, check the other bearings.

But I'd be inclined to do a full rebuild - change all the bearings at once, including the pinion shaft bearings and a good cleanout of the differential, for one good reason: If you've one bad bearing in there and it's had long enough to get totally annoying, you've probably got metal shavings and bits from it floating around in the oil, getting in the other bearings...

Same as in changing both shocks - no sense in doing half a repair, when you'll just have to do it again later. Better to do it all now, and be done with it for another 5 - 10 years.

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Yes, change both shocks and don't look back. It's a must to change both shocks on the same axle.

sorry, I have no idea, just trying to top up a post that's actually on-topic, they are so rare here. Good luck.