Front shock absorber leaking

[KevinSt]

The front n/s (passenger) shock absorber is leaking. The oil stain is below the bottom of the weld on the lower spring plate so it needs to be changed. It has failed after only 30k miles which isn't very good. The Skoda part number appears to be 5Q0 412 014 JP. Does anyone know who the OE manufacturer was likely to be for this original Skoda part? I see that Sachs and Bilstein are commonly available for about £80, does anyone have any experience of either and which one is likely to be a close match to the original (minus the leak of course!).

[MoggyTech]

Not sure who the OE is, but if you only want to replace the faulty one and not both sides, you should stick to OEM for even damping on both sides.

[KevinSt]

Hence my question about who the OE manufacturer was likely to be so that I could match the original perfomance. Skoda just say it's a VWAG part but they don't make it themselves. Searching the net many seem to think that Sachs matches the performance of the originals.

[MarkyG82]

If one has gone then Shirley the opposing one is at least worn and not performing at its best.  Why not just replace the pair with some bilstein b4's or similar?  Have heard good things about the B4s including a much increased life compared to OEM.  Although not an upgrade in performance it is an upgrade in longevity.  Seen a few reports of OEM shocks going after ~40kmiles.  And other stories of B4s lasting in excess of 100k.

[alladin1616]

Could anyone please advice me on the same topic. Mine went for a major service and came back with the report that "N/S/F shock absorber - Worn and leaking past cup" - price quoted by the dealer is £372. My extended warranty (with £250 excess) is still valid. Is this something that is covered by warranty and if so would it be cheaper asking the dealer to fix it under warranty or take the car to an independent (where it maybe cheaper/use better parts)? Any thoughts will be very useful. 

[jbastos]

2 hours ago, alladin1616 said:

Mine went for a major service and came back with the report that "N/S/F shock absorber - Worn and leaking past cup"

You might want to check this thread, apparently a little oil is normal, I sure hope so as I was also advised both my front shocks are leaking a little when I went to get two new tires, car is only 3 years old and 52000km.

 

 

Edited 27 June, 2018 by jbastos

[mrgf]

Whilst 30,000 miles is not great, its not awful either. It will depend on driving styles, road conditions etc so you may be a little hard on the vehicle or have poorly surfaced roads where you drive, mainly. I would suggest at that mileage, replace the pair. Bilsteins are worth a look and if you pick them up yourself from one of the well known car parts specialists, (With discount codes,etc) get them fitted from a trusted local fitter and get the tracking down, again, by a well trusted centre, you will almost certainly save cash.

[ntl123]

I had a leaking passenger shock 

it was an advisery on its first mot once I bought it just after that Got it serviced earlier this year got told about it and I decided to use my third party extended warranty to replace it I wonder if there is something wrong with the shocks? A bad batch maybe or something

[alladin1616]

Thanks for the updates. The car has done 41000 miles. I was  told about light misting when mot was done last year (when I asked the dealer at that time about replacement, he said it was not a problem and all VW vehicles has this problem). 

 

Anyways I got a call from the dealer to say that they will do one side for £230 (if I am not using the extended warranty- excess is £250) - seems they are trying to make money (as they reduced the price from £370 to £230). But when I asked what is the manufacturer recommendation on replacing shock absorbers (if it was to replace both or just one) she said she doesnt know and asked me to call today. Asking around in other garages in Cambridge, the price for both shock absorbers fitted comes around £370. 

 

 

[jbastos]

18 hours ago, mrgf said:

Whilst 30,000 miles is not great, its not awful either. It will depend on driving styles, road conditions etc so you may be a little hard on the vehicle or have poorly surfaced roads where you drive, mainly. I would suggest at that mileage, replace the pair.

I have a major service soon and I'll see what they say about that, but still seems like very few kms to need new shocks, last VAG car I had was an MK4 Gold which I bought with 135.000km and sold with 165.000km still on the original shocks.

 

 

Edited 28 June, 2018 by jbastos

[ntl123]

I had one side done Kwik fit 150 quid 

[alladin1616]

Hello, need some help (again) regarding which shock absorber will fit 2.0 TDI manual. I have found the below links but not sure if I should go for 50 or 55 mm housing diameter. Also it seems the first website is considerably cheaper than the other 2. 

1.  https://www.buycarparts.co.uk/skoda/octavia-5e3/58761/10221/shock-absorber?criteria[100]=VA 
2. https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Skoda_Octavia_2.0_2015/p/car-parts/suspension/suspension-and-steering/shock-absorber/?635443220&1&bf439d6db05162585fcf312e64f0001f9f505a80&000925
3. https://www.carparts4less.co.uk/cp4l/c/Skoda_Octavia_2.0_2015/p/car-parts/suspension/suspension-and-steering/shock-absorber/?635443220&1&bf439d6db05162585fcf312e64f0001f9f505a80&000925

Should I buy any other things in addition to the shock absorber, like top mount? 

 

Also, does anyone know if the shock absorber replacement is a task that can be done by a competent mobile mechanic or should I have to take it to a dealer? 

 

Thanks

[Scout151]

Would place money on them been Sachs   From factory 

[KevinSt]

In the end the main dealer's parts department offered me a discount on a genuine shock making it cheaper than anything I could buy elsewhere. Fitting it wasn't too bad, it only took me a couple of hours and now it has passed the MoT.

[automass]

Hi,

Sorry to bring this thread alive. my query perfectly fits here.  thats why instead of opening a new thread I am bringing this thread live.

 

When i had my MOT 4/5 months ago, guy said, my shock absorvers were misting. i didn't bother to look the shock absorver myself at that time. recently i did hit the curves very badly which caused two left tyres busted including dent on the front nearside alloy.  anyways, my tyres were almost hitting the mimimum required tread depth. so, i changed all four of them. Main point is, today as i got my front discs and pads changed i saw the shock absorvers and they looked like they have got leaks. please see the pictures.

could someone advice me if these look normal to you or you think they are busted.

[Carlston]

3 hours ago, automass said:

Hi,

Sorry to bring this thread alive. my query perfectly fits here.  thats why instead of opening a new thread I am bringing this thread live.

 

When i had my MOT 4/5 months ago, guy said, my shock absorvers were misting. i didn't bother to look the shock absorver myself at that time. recently i did hit the curves very badly which caused two left tyres busted including dent on the front nearside alloy.  anyways, my tyres were almost hitting the mimimum required tread depth. so, i changed all four of them. Main point is, today as i got my front discs and pads changed i saw the shock absorvers and they looked like they have got leaks. please see the pictures.

could someone advice me if these look normal to you or you think they are busted.

 

It looks like you need new front shock absorbers. They shouldn't be leaking oil like that. If you don't change them, I doubt the car will pass the next MOT.

 

Edited 4 March, 2021 by Carlston

[automass]

I checked the shock absorver awhile ago and didnt see any trace of oil at all.  were they oil or water, I am confused now. do they leak only when you drive the car?

[J.R.]

Are they still damping?

 

In my country during the CT test each wheel is tested on a vibratory plate with an oscilloscope type read out of the damping, whilst they have to be quite bad to fail you can see if they are still working as they should be or degraded/imbalanced, once any degradation shows I would change them even if I could not see a leak, they dont get better and they get worse quickly.

 

On the other hand I do not get concerned about misting, a tiny amount of oil goes a long way.

[Carlston]

If you were to clean the shock absorbers and not drive the car, you probably wouldn't see any more oil coming out.

 

It's when the car is driven and the shock absorbers move up and down that oil will come out.

 

I agree with J.R. that you can pass the MOT with some misting (a little oil that has come out) as long as they are still damping properly. However, once you start to loose quite a bit of oil they will no longer damp properly.

 

Worn shock absorbers, as well as having a negative effect on the car's handling and braking, will cause the tyres to wear out quicker.

 

Good quality shock absorber can often (but not always) last 10 years or more, although this does depend on mileage to quite a large degree.

 

It must be quite disappointing for a 2017 Octavia MK3 to have leaking shocks. How many miles has it done?

[Redboy]

4 hours ago, Carlston said:

 

It must be quite disappointing for a 2017 Octavia MK3 to have leaking shocks. How many miles has it done?

The shock absorbers will have been factory tested on extended mileage runs and a proving ground. Although they should cope with a number of overloads, they're still built to a price and can't always cater for unsympathetic driving styles. Besides the mileage and knowing that it has hit a curb with sufficient force to burst 2 tyres, it may have simply run over too many potholes or speed humps without slowing down, regularly overloaded etc. 

[Breezy_Pete]

7 hours ago, J.R. said:

Are they still damping?

 

In my country during the CT test each wheel is tested on a vibratory plate with an oscilloscope type read out of the damping, whilst they have to be quite bad to fail you can see if they are still working as they should be or degraded/imbalanced, once any degradation shows I would change them even if I could not see a leak, they dont get better and they get worse quickly.

 

On the other hand I do not get concerned about misting, a tiny amount of oil goes a long way.

I don't think the current UK MOT involves any functional check of the shock absorbers; just visual. @Ju1ian1001 may be able to confirm?

[Westbury63]

Two options as I see it.

 

1: Replace the shocks. Not hugely expensive to buy, CarPart4Less have them listed @£70ea.

2: Clean the area. Take car for a decent drive and assess leakage.

 

Either way, they do look shot and time for replacement.

 

5 hours ago, Carlston said:

Worn shock absorbers, as well as having a negative effect on the car's handling and braking

This is a very good point. Stopping distance can be increased by 20% with worn/defective shocks.

https://www.monroe.com.au/what-are-shocks/shock-absorber-safety.html

[automass]

The car is on 41605miles. Last night I inspected the plate if there was any oil stored from the dripping or misting..but couldn't find anything other than dirt..i will drive a bit today to test.

[Westbury63]

3 minutes ago, automass said:

The car is on 41605miles

 

I would be promptly along to my Skoda dealer and ask them to seek good will. That shouldn't fail at such a tiny mileage.

 

Not that it helps you, but my Mk1 Octavia was on its original shocks at 160k when I sold it on. 41k is barely run in.

 

[cheezemonkhai]

Late to the post, but there was a tsb for leaking shocks as my local dealer checked my car during a service.

 

the tsb was for prematurely leaking shocks.