How to check out your own car's suspension system.

Professional mechanic and emmy award winning car talk host Scotty Kilmer shows how you can check out your own vehicle's suspension system. For answers to all your vehicle questions absolutely free, just visit Scotty's site by Googling Scottykilmer.com Scotty answers ALL questions personally.

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Autos & Vehicles

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[fahad186148]

hi scotty,,,i just started feeling vibration and shaking on my E36 bmw,,,today when i jacked the car up and checked the suspension by the method ur described,,,,at 16 ans 12 its was tight and alright,,,,but at 3 and 9 there was play and the cire could move back and forth little,,now what actually needs to be replaced,,ball joints or tie rod??thanks in advance,,hope ur answer helps me alot,,Good work

[scottykilmer]

@fahad186148 generally that's worn tie rods, see if they move when pulling

[criticaboutvids]

Scotty, you say bouncing is bad, but my 2000 Ford Explorer has leaf springs instead of coil springs, so I always assumed that the heavier duty suspension is what did it. Do you think my suspension might be bad?

[scottykilmer]

@criticaboutvids leaf springs are for really heavy weights, and of course, ride much rougher than springs. generally only the shocks wear out on those,not the springs.

[knightnz]

Any way for a layman to safely check the struts themselves?

[scottykilmer]

@knightnz yes, check for oil leaks onthe seals below the shafts.

[scottykilmer]

@CaMaRo1RoC89 Ah, you want everything totally free and not to pay for it. I HATE cheap people. Scotty

[scottykilmer]

@xgrapher comment boxes are not for idiots to comment on free great mechanic advice. Please refrain from future comments. Scotty

[mygtxful]

My mechanic said my struts were bad so I asked how far they would get me. He said all the way to the scene of the accident....doh!.

[matthebest018]

it could also be the wheel bearing not the ball joints

[rizegraymon1]

@scottykilmer but modify suspension = better handling ...:D

[scottykilmer]

@dgaleno2012 if it happenned after you did that work, the spark plug wires could be bad, you could have knocked a vacuum line off, or many other things, Check your work area for such problems first.