Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At Harold's Used Auto Parts Inc in Philadelphia, PA, we strive to keep your truck as smooth and comfortable to drive as the day it came off the lot. Your shock absorbers play a huge role in ride quality; here’s what you should know.

Shock absorbers are hydraulic or gas filled cylinders, fitted at all four wheels on your truck. The springs suspend the vehicle, and allow it to bounce over terrain as you drive down the road. However, springs alone are not enough. Think about a jack-in-the-box...when it pops, the weight on the spring continues to bounce up and down, under the weight of the load on the spring. A truck with no shock absorbers does the same thing. Shock absorbers prevent the weight of the truck from compressing the spring too much, keep the spring from decompressing too quickly, and ensure the truck doesn’t continue bouncing up and down after encountering a change in terrain.

It’s possible you have one or more failed shock absorbers, and don’t realize it. They usually fail slowly, and over time you don’t notice how poor your ride quality has become. Hold on to something on the front of the truck, and try to bounce it up and down...the truck should resist nearly all of your attempt at bouncing it, and settle immediately when you stop. Try the same on the back of the truck Then, try an area near each individual wheel. If you feel a difference or notice excessive bounce, there’s at least one bad shock absorber.

This test doesn’t always work, so if you still think your truck isn’t riding as well as it should, have it inspected next time you come in for an oil change. Our expert mechanics will have your truck riding like new again in no time. For the best diesel repair and maintenance shop in Philadelphia, PA, call or stop by Harold's Used Auto Parts Inc, for all your service needs.