Which replacement car shocks

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rb99

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#315082 12-Jun-2024 12:11

Any thoughts please -

Our decade old(ish) Mazda 3 failed its WOF. It needs two rear bump stops.

A Mazda dealer said best to get proper Mazda parts which include bump stops and dampers all in one, adds up to $930.

A Shock Shop said can just get bump stops, but might as well get new dampers (the Ultima brand apparently) as well, seeing as its about the same for labour, and the dampers are more than a decade old anyway, for $618.

Hence the question, is the more expensive option worth the extra or not ?

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rb99

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#3247854 12-Jun-2024 13:02

Way I look at these things, is that the dealer makes more of their branded gear, but its 100% confirmed to work etc, hence the cost.

But, 3rd party, can sometimes be better as they tend to experiment a bit more and find better options etc which work fine as well.

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scuwp

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#3247874 12-Jun-2024 13:34

For typical car use, the aftermarket shocks will be good as gold. They fit non-OEM shocks all the time without problems.

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Jvipers2

214 posts

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#3247895 12-Jun-2024 15:06

Similar to what others have commented, going with dealer you'll be guaranteed of the bump stops and dampers fitting and suiting your 3.

Going with a 3rd party, it's 50/50 either you get someone who knows what they're doing or you get someone who thinks they know what they're doing.

If you're fortunate, you might chance upon a 3rd party with the exact same bump stops and dampers as the ones your dealer uses but without the Mazda packaging...that way you save $$$ but get what you need.

Otherwise, run a Google search on the brand and model the 3rd party is quoting to see if there's any +ve or -ve feedback for your 3.

Good luck!

lxsw20

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#3248116 12-Jun-2024 17:10

3rd party will be fine, they either fit or they don't. It's not like Mazda make the shocks themselves, they just OEM them.

tweake

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#3248119 12-Jun-2024 17:17

with a lot of middle of the road cars, ie not high end or sports cars, factory shocks tend to be the cheapest pile of crap they can get away with. also almost every car manufacture buys in their shocks., ie very few main stream brands make their own.

most of the time you will get better performing aftermarket shocks than factory shocks (assuming you don't buy the cheap nasty brands of shocks).

Scott3

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#3248120 12-Jun-2024 17:25

I had one of my shocks start leaking on an old Primera (15+ years old), and suspension place replaced the rear shocks with air shocks.

Likely the impact of coming from end of life rear shocks, but it absolutely transformed the ride.

johno1234

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#3248153 12-Jun-2024 18:58

Our trusty Prado failed WOF on rear shocks. We got a local garage to replace them with third party shocks. Can’t remember the brand but it was familiar. Anyway the handling of the car went from dangerous wallowing to manageable. It’s a really good thing to fix.

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geoffwnz

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#3253415 26-Jun-2024 11:02

Ultima is an adequate aftermarket replacement shock for a generic daily driver. Had them on the old Corolla after it's original ones lost their ability to damp. Depending on how far gone the current ones are, you'll notice a potentially significant difference.

Labour cost of bump stops only vs full shock replacement is the same as the shocks have to come out to get the bump stops fitted.

Unless Mazda OEM is a particularly known good brand (like Subaru using Bilstein or KYB) then I would think Ultima would be fine.

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