I have a 1994 mazda protege that was given to me. When I expressed to them that I was going to put shocks on it at some point they said, “great we never put any on it”. So this vehicle has it’s original shocks on it.
The question I have is, Besides the shocks what else should be replaced if nothing has ever been done to them in the history of the car?
How many miles are on this fine automobile?
5-speed or automatic transmission?
Do the shocks/struts allow the car to bounce more than one additional oscillation after you quit bouncing the front up and down by hand? If not, save your $$ for something more pressing.
It is not easy to check shocks any more, the old bounce test is not reliable (false negatives). If the test says you need new, you do, if it does not say you need new, you don’t know.
It is possible that it does not need new, but likely it does.
There is the problem that you really don’t know the true history of this car. The previous owners’ memory is always unreliable. Maybe at one time they replaced the water pump, timing belt, and thermostat but forgot all about that event. It might have been bundled into a 100,000 mile service and they did not read the details on the receipt.
That said, you should consider replacement of those above three items as a simple precautionary measure against major engine problems down the road. Your owner’s manual (if you didn’t get one with the car, go find one) will list suggested replacement intervals for key components.
Good thinking! These proactive measures will give you peace of mind. The shocks and struts I would have examined by a good mechanic (not Midas), as well as the CV joints and boots. My wife’s 1994 Nissan Sentra with 115,000 miles is still on its original shocks and struts, and won’t need any for quite some time. The Mazda Protege is a very durable car, so it may not need much. I would as a good routine, also change the oil, filter and transmission (if Automatic) fluid and filter.
It is a 5-speed.
I think it only does it once. But I will double check to make sure. Thank you
Thank you good sugestions. Here is something the CV Joints and boots were fixed/replaced something to that effect about two years ago I will have to look it up. And all the other stuff is done on a regular basis. Thank you again.
Oh, ya, I almost forgot to put this in there is aproximatly if not more but 120,000 miles on it.
Thanks again.