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Post by Dulac on Jul 9, 2019 16:49:42 GMT
My SE Nav was going to fail its MOT because of a leaking rear shock absorber. The full price of a genuine replacement part (made in Korea) was £629 + VAT + fitting. The Service Club discount was significant and my usual VX dealer made a modest charge for fitting. I have the old one and it looks 'normal', apart from the fluid that had poured down the stem, but there is no evidence that it was self-levelling. At that price I have to assume that it is. There doesn't appear to be a way to take it apart for repair in the event that the other side fails. Fingers crossed! Other than that, still on the original brakes and Hankook tyres after 38000 miles (I tend to use motorways a lot, without stopping and starting) and the emissions were good (I always use Texaco or Shell diesel with no short hops).
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Richy
New Member
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Post by Richy on Jul 10, 2019 1:27:36 GMT
Hi Dulac
I think they are sealed for life, be careful taking apart I think I read somewhere that one of the internal chambers is pressurised. When I last looked there are loads on a very popular online auction site but given the age of your car I'm assuming you may want a new one.
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Post by victor on Jul 10, 2019 14:39:05 GMT
I checked my rear shock absorbers the other day when I was underneath looking at the exhaust and thankfully they seemed nice and dry. This idea of £629 + VAT + fitting seems horrendous to me, I expect to pay less than £100 for a pair of rear shockers and fit them myself. There was a post on the old board where someone said the self-levelling rear shockers were used with a lighter road spring. You can change over to regular shockers but you have to replace the road springs as well. Looking at the 7-ZAP site there's a bit of confusion over the part numbers, they've got so many No Longer Supplied (NLS) ones but then they end up giving you different part numbers and as far as the springs are concerned, there's no info. Springs are shown as Item ! with the rubber saddle as Item 2 but neither are mentioned in the schedule. |
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Post by victor on Jul 10, 2019 14:41:41 GMT
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Post by Dulac on Jul 10, 2019 17:13:42 GMT
Hi Dulac I think they are sealed for life, be careful taking apart I think I read somewhere that one of the internal chambers is pressurised. When I last looked there are loads on a very popular online auction site but given the age of your car I'm assuming you may want a new one. I think you are right Richy. Can't see any screwed fittings on it and there seems to be no-one on the Internet in the UK who claims to be able to repair self-levelling units. |
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Post by Dulac on Jul 10, 2019 17:21:38 GMT
I checked my rear shock absorbers the other day when I was underneath looking at the exhaust and thankfully they seemed nice and dry. This idea of £629 + VAT + fitting seems horrendous to me, I expect to pay less than £100 for a pair of rear shockers and fit them myself. There was a post on the old board where someone said the self-levelling rear shockers were used with a lighter road spring. You can change over to regular shockers but you have to replace the road springs as well. Looking at the 7-ZAP site there's a bit of confusion over the part numbers, they've got so many No Longer Supplied (NLS) ones but then they end up giving you different part numbers and as far as the springs are concerned, there's no info. Springs are shown as Item ! with the rubber saddle as Item 2 but neither are mentioned in the schedule. Expensive as they are I prefer to keep to the manufacturer's specification only because I tow a 1500kg caravan quite a bit year on year, and the outfit always looks level and drives stable. However, the older the car gets, the more likely I will use alternative parts - but not just yet. I tried to compress the old one by hand but it was absolutely solid and didn't even flinch the tiniest fraction. |
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Post by victor on Jul 11, 2019 15:21:25 GMT
I'm sure you're right Dulac, it's always better to keep them same as original spec where possible. I've never towed with mines but I see the general consensus is that the Antara is a good, stable vehicle for towing and the self-levelling suspension must be a boon for that. I don't think the self-leveling thing is required on mine because it's never all that loaded (unless I'm in it with my wallet, lol) and they're both bone dry so far. I seriously think I'd change them over to standard units if I had problems though, over £1,000 for a pair of rear shockers? Nah. I've had umpteen cars in my life that I never even spent a grand on.
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Post by Dulac on Jul 11, 2019 16:59:18 GMT
I agree with your approach Victor, as a non-tower. Kia Sorento self-levelling shocks are available to buy on t'internet for about £360 each + VAT and I shouldn't be surprised if there is much difference in those against the Antara. Someone in Korea makes them. Your wallet is, of course, legendary and has a built-in mousetrap and fish hooks I hear.
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Richy
New Member
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Post by Richy on Jul 13, 2019 5:05:18 GMT
Hi Victor I have a 2.2 exclusive with the self levelling suspension. Like Dulac I also tow a caravan weighing in at a similar weight, around 1530kg. One real positive about the Antara is the way it handles with and without a caravan. It is the best towing handling car I have ever had. The worst was a 3.2 litre Shogun, that was dreadful, but that is another story. The car also sits at the right height when towing obviously attributed to the self levelling suspension. The part number on mine is 20924216, whilst I don't think a same spec pattern part is available other s/hand unit can be purchased quite cost effectively. This to me is a good attribute of this car and I cannot see why a person would want to change it. Don't forget if this came to light in an accident your insurance could be affected because you have tampered with the handling specification of the car if the shock were changed to different standard alternatives.
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Post by victor on Jul 13, 2019 17:44:00 GMT
Richy, re the Antara handling, mines has the 17" wheels with the balloon tyres 235 X 65 X 17, very comfortable for rough roads and while handling is pretty good in general it can get a bit white knuckley on corners if you push it. If I came across a set of 18" alloys with decent tyres I might prise the wallet open a fraction and see if I could afford them. Does yours have the 17 or 18" wheels?
PS The Shogun, well they've got cart horse springs, haven't they? Used to call them the Pajero until they discovered that means dirty things in South America and Spain. Whoa there Manuel, don't point that thing at me!
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Richy
New Member
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Post by Richy on Jul 14, 2019 3:23:28 GMT
Hi Victor The Shoguns are automatics, well there latest ones are that is the worst part. Never is the right gear, always hunting, even hunts between gears without towing. Drink fuel. I have thought about getting a manual one but only available in vans I think. I really like the look of them but they are just dreadful.
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Post by victor on Jul 14, 2019 8:59:11 GMT
tbh I'm surprised to hear that Richy, I had quite a high regard for Mitsubishi in the past. Used to get their rental cars from Avis, the little Colt automatic which was a delight and the bigger Gallants. Had a few of their computer monitors too years ago, always top notch. It's a gigantic corporation, mainly shipbuilding and heavy engineering and some of their cars were joint ventures with other companies like the Volvo V40 and the Mitsu Carisma. they're an interesting company if you Wiki them.
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