Car/shocks?

[tw]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

It's a '96 Olds Cutlass Supreme.

It's bumpy. I can't say it was physically banging or making bangy noises...but it did jerk me around. Like somewhere between bangy and floaty.

Obviously, the ride has changed.

Shocks can be analyzed by anyone. A car is raised enough to see where a shiny stainless steel rod enters the body. Sometimes a human can lift it enough. Othertimes a jack may be necessary. No moisture stains must exist on the body. If it looks like water or oil has been leaking out, then the shocks have been leaking and are defective.

Better manufacturers routinely put a plastic boot over that area to keep dirt out. Some GM products did not. You may have to lift that boot up to see the shock absorber body - where a stainless steel shaft enters. Inspection for leaking shocks is that obvious and definitive.

Another test is to drive down a highway with another car alongside. If the shocks (or something else just as serious) has failed, then that wheel will be bouncing obviously and even on smooth pavement.