I recently got new struts on the back of my car. When I drove it away, I felt my car bouncing When I called the auto shop they told me that was normal, that in a few days, the new struts would settle and the bouncing would stop or be less noticeable. Is this true? Or should I demand another new set be put on as the struts they installed may be defective?
Give it a little time. The struts have been laying on their side and air has gotten in places it needs to get out of. If they aren’t better in a few days, take them back.
Okay. Thank you. That makes me feel better. Thanks again for the advise.
I agree with Mustangman.
Drive the vehicle to see if the valving in the struts adjust.
If there were air in the struts it would mean that the struts were defective. This is because the struts are gas charged with nitrogen to prevent foaming of the hydraulic fluid within the strut as it moves up and down rapidly.
Tester
Not true at all. All struts need some expansion volume. Many use plain old air for that. Some use pressurized nitorgen. Some use air trapped in closed cell foam. Monotube designs use a floating sealed cup to segregate the nitrogen.
The first two are most common and those gases can, indeed, migrate to places that shouldn’t because they were laying on their side in storage. That gas needs to get pumped out of the places it doesn’t belong before they stop bouncing.
I used to design these parts for a living. Not all use pressurized nitrogen. Some use plain old air floating around the factory. Twin tubes are used in greater volumes than monotubes, especially for struts, because of lower cost and lessor friction.
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