Is my shock leaking?

[JohannS]

Hi guys,

Just got new tires and noticed oily residues on my front right shock. Please see the pics below.

Brought the Lady to my local Toyota dealer and they say the shock is fine. Please note that I had the 120,000km service just done 2 weeks ago. The issue is that I will leave on a long road trip next week, so this does concern me. Btw, I did mention the upcoming road trip when talking to the mechanic at Toyota.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Johann

 

[paweliania]

The pictures don't work, but my shocks at 110,000 are also leaking. I haven't really noticed any swaying or boat feeling while driving but sometimes when I hit a larger bump I feel like I'm bobbing a little. If your shocks feel fine I would leave them. Even If you go on a long road trip, its not like they will give out midway. That being said, I decided to upgrade to bilstein 5100's. Downsouthmotorsports.com is selling them for 309.99 right now, which is the best price I could find. The ones for the 4Runner show for 329.99 but the FJ;s (which are the same) are for 309.99.

 

[JohannS]

Thanks paweliania, I can see the pics - will sort it out.

Meanwhile can report that she drives just fine, have not noticed any swaying or boat feeling.

I live down in Chile, so everything costs double. Toyota says the original shocks cost about USD 600 per piece!

 

[JohannS]

Now with pics

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Most likely you are not leaking any fluid from the shock (the gas charge may have bled out over time, unable to tell definitively from the pictures.) A general rule of thumb is most OEM shocks will last roughly 50,000miles, excluding performance vehicles and systems such as XREAS and AHC (they tend to last closer to 100k) the shocks WILL wear out regardless if they leak or not. You have to remember that inside the shocks are small valves and sometimes springs, they get work hardened over time and eventually degrade. Think bending a strip of metal back and forth until it becomes weak, now imagine it doing that a few million times over 50,000miles.

The funny thing thing is that you might not feel like you need the shocks replaced because you've gotten used to the degrading performance; much like a frog in warm water that's brought to a boil.

Point being, they don't look like they are leaking, but if those are the original shocks with 120,000km on them, they probably need to be replaced anyways.

Post Note- Another thing to add is that worn/blown shocks increase stopping distance (sometimes doubling stopping distances) and contribute to instability during driving and braking.

 

[Sungod]

It looks like it is leaking from the last pic, but could just be the glare. Shocks don't usually go bad over night, it is a slow progression. You usually won't notice how bad your shocks were until you replace them. 120km is kind of low to need them replaced, but you probably wouldn't be shorting yourself doing it now. Since it isn't critical, I would shop around for the best price. For shocks I would look after market. There is no reason to go OE with shocks. Bilstiens, Tokico, Gabriel, Monroe, the list goes on. Find what is best for you.