Shock Absorber Checking

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23097, 23 July 1938, Page 14 (Supplement)

Shock Absorber Checking

Although shock absorhers play an im- ! portant part in the safety of driving and economy of operation of cars, they : seldom receive proper attention by the average owner. The shock absorbers on a car should Ik? carefully inspected at least after every 5000 miles of driving, when the vehicle is raised from the ground for lubrication or maintenance work. A dead unit ;it either the front j or the back of the car increases diffiI eultv of steering control, in addition to 1 allowing the vehicle to bounce when I travelling over potholes, j Front-wheel shimmy, one of the worst j faults 111 a cat, often results from a ; broken or inoperative shock absorber. ' Skidding and undue tyre wear may | also result from the same cause. A test which may give a clue to an i ineffective shock absorber is to stand lon the front or rear bumper while the I car is 011 the ground. If the absorbers ! are inoperative, the car will bounce too j easily and excessively after jumping off I the bumper bar.