General Fiat 500 front shock
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General Fiat 500 front shock
Lounge lizard
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Depends if it has lost it's damping effect...
Slight leakage = pass
Severe leakage = fail
Shock absorber not working = fail
Is that slight leakage, severe leakage, or somewhere in between? Obviously there is some element of discretion and the tester is supposed to use his judgement.
I'd say last year you were given the benefit of the doubt.
If you've left it for a year, done nothing and presented it for test with this much seepage, my view is that it would be a fail, and deservedly so. And as has already been said, if it's lost its damping effect, it's a definite fail.
Severe leakage = fail
Shock absorber not working = fail
Is that slight leakage, severe leakage, or somewhere in between? Obviously there is some element of discretion and the tester is supposed to use his judgement.
I'd say last year you were given the benefit of the doubt.
If you've left it for a year, done nothing and presented it for test with this much seepage, my view is that it would be a fail, and deservedly so. And as has already been said, if it's lost its damping effect, it's a definite fail.
Thanks for the reply. The more I read about leaking/weeping shocks, the more confused I become. Handling seems fine but I think I will replace anyway. If I buy parts myself, can you give a ballpark figure for replacement at a garage (both sides)? I can’t imagine it would be sensible to do one side.
Clean it with brake cleaner just before it goes in, probably pass, but they need replacing
About £300 for a garage to replace Inc parts
About £300 for a garage to replace Inc parts
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Ouch. Need to do some ringing around. Anyway, thanks for replying.
You can pick up a pair of shocks for £60, you'll also need new drop links £20, it's the labour that pushes up the price as the car gets older unless you can DIY it's can become quite expensive?
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A perfectionist would replace everything that is shocks,springs,drop links,top mounts,dust covers,top mounting cup, and lower controlarms, depends on how long you're keeping the car, well worth it if keeping for life, what age is the car?
At this age all the front suspension will be toast if original as its a twin air life expectancy could affect decisions, it's critical you use the correct oil not "the correct thickness" if funds available replace everything and keep at least 3 years?
Can you DIY or is it a garage job?
Can you DIY or is it a garage job?
This is a good question. It makes sense to use parts which are likely to last the remaining life of the car, particularly if not doing the work yourself - you don't want to do the job twice, and pay two sets of labour charges.
It also makes sense to change anything else which is logically part of the same job that isn't likely to last the life of the car. If you do it now, it will only cost you the additional parts, and won't add much to the labour.
likely to last maybe another 5-7 years, so worth investing in its future if you're planning on keeping it.
So almost certainly droplinks, quite likely top mounts, perhaps springs if noticeably corroded. All these have to be removed to replace the shocks, so shouldn't add anything to the labour if done at the same time.
You can, but these will be rubbish and won't last five minutes. Perhaps justifiable if doing the work yourself on a car you're only keeping for a short while. but otherwise invest in something decent. I'm guessing a pair of monroes would be around £150 these days - try the GSF website.
If you take it to a reputable independent garage and ask them to replace all the worn parts with decent aftermarket replacements, I'd expect to pay somewhere in the region of £500-£600.
Money is tight just now for quite a few of us, but just remember the cheapest quote now may not work out cheapest in the long term. Any garage can undercut a quality job by using inferior parts and the apprentice!
If you're going to be trading it in in the next few weeks, then just do what you need to get an MOT. Whilst replacing both as a pair is highly desirable, replacing just one will get you an MOT and save you almost half the cost.
And as John says, if this were my car and I were doing the work myself, I'd strip down the whole front suspension and replace anything that was marginal.
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What you need to remember is that the parts prices they quote you are usually more (sometimes a lot more) than the prices they are actually paying for the parts themselves.
Anyone can make money changing a pair of front shocks for £380; whether they can still make money fitting a top quality pair for £380 is the real question.
Unless we know what they're actually going to fit, and whether that includes any other parts, it's impossible to meaningfully comment on whether it's a good deal, or not.
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After reading the replies to my original post, I purchased some Monroe shock absorbers and attempted a DIY change. Starting on the drivers side, I found the top strut plate nut very difficult to remove. Got it off eventually, managed to undo all remaining nuts, and removed the old shock absorber/spring assembly. However, I could not separate the spring from the shock absorber and I was using spring compressors. The large top nut was seized solid. I couldn’t see any way to cut it off. I ended up having to refit the old shock absorber/spring assembly back on the car. Then the top strut plate nut seized completely when attempting to tighten it. The inner Allan key slot eventually gave up so I couldn’t stop the whole shaft rotating. The nut is seized only a quarter way down the thread. So I’m not sure if I can safely get the car to a garage for repair with that nut loose.
Bit p*ssed off as I was so close to completing the job at least on one side. I guess it’s a job for a diy’er but only if you’re prepared to deal with seized bolts/nuts.
Bit p*ssed off as I was so close to completing the job at least on one side. I guess it’s a job for a diy’er but only if you’re prepared to deal with seized bolts/nuts.
The top hat bump stop is only there to stop the front strut falling out when the weight of the car is off its wheels.
Providing you are sensible, you should be just fine. You could even drive to a place of repair (or the local parts factor) with the top hat missing completely.
An option worth considering if you're going to DIY this is to replace the strut, spring & top mount complete. That way, you can cut the top hat off if you need to, and you won't have to undo anything corroded other than the lower strut attachment. It might actually cost less to buy the remaining parts than pay the labour charge at a garage. I'd also change the droplinks when you're there, as they're cheap, and you'll likely have to cut them off the strut anyway.
IIRC GSF sell front springs for under £20.
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Yes they can be awkward
the Panda in my GUIDE for this was younger than your 500 TwinAir,
I used hand tools, but now use power tools.. Lesson learned
Springs, probably different on a Twinair,
My 2 x twinairs were
So I use Shop4parts, as they list virtually every option
Ooh, well spotted!
They are indeed different, and the TA springs are almost twice the price!
But still cheaper than paying the labour charge to swap over the old ones.
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