As a professional mechanic, you will know that shock absorbers are a vital component of vehicle safety and comfort. However, do you educate your customers about the importance of having their shock absorbers checked and replaced?
The average car owner won’t fully understand the importance of shock absorbers. Therefore, they probably won’t ask you to check their shock absorbers when you service their vehicle. By educating vehicle owners with genuinely useful information you could increase business from existing and future customers.
Monroe is a world leader in the technology behind shock absorbers. Having worked to keep drivers safe on the road for over 100 years, Monroe enjoys a high degree of brand recognition. With a range of shock absorbers for most on-road and off-road vehicles, Monroe shock absorbers have better durability and a higher level of ride handling performance than most other leading brands.
Built to last, the world’s most popular shock absorber brand, Monroe, has some top tips to help you educate your customers.
What Are Shock Absorbers?
Put simply, shock absorbers are pump-like devices that work to smooth out the bumps and vibrations from a road's surface. They help keep a vehicle's tyres on the road by controlling the movement and impact of the springs and suspension. While different vehicles designed for different jobs require different shock absorbers, there are three main types:
Shock Absorbers and Safety
Many elements of driving may impact the wear of shock absorbers. For example;
It is therefore recommended that you check your customers' shock absorbers every 20,000 km and replace them every 80,000 km. Did you know that many Monroe shock absorber products are covered by a three year/60,000 km warranty?
If you are not currently a Monroe Safety Specialist then visit www.monroe.com.au to find out more about the program.
By educating your customers about the importance of shock absorbers, you will be helping to keep them and other road users safe.
Signs of Worn Shock Absorbers
Worn shock absorbers could add as much as 20% to stopping distances. This could prove fatal for drivers, their passengers and other road users. Ask your customers if they have been experiencing any of these potential signs of worn shock absorbers:
You can also check for uneven tyre wear to further indicate to a customer that their shock absorbers require checking.
The Safety Triangle
There are three sides to safer driving and Monroe has created the Safety Triangle to help illustrate this. Shock absorbers contribute to Stopping, Steering and Stability – the Safety Triangle. Shock absorbers work in unison with brakes and tyres and ensure tyres stay in contact with the road. Without them, brakes and tyres just couldn’t do their job.
Stopping: Just one worn shock absorber can increase stopping distance by 2 metres when driving at 50 km/h.
Steering: If tyres lose contact with the road, steering function is dramatically impaired. A worn shock absorber could seriously impair the driver's ability to steer away from trouble.
Stability: Any vehicle with worn shock absorbers will be significantly less stable and may sway around corners, which adversely affects driver control (not to mention passenger comfort).
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Find Out More
The Monroe Website is full of articles and videos about how and why shock absorbers work and safety information you can share with your customers.
Watch the Video
To learn more about the effect of shock absorbers on vehicle control and safety, please watch this short video.
