honda crv shock absorbers - how much to replace?

[paneer]

my car went in for its annual service today and apparently driver side shock absorber is leaking and covers on both have cracked.

I've been quoted around 500 to replace. does this sound massively expensive? this was with the dealer and I do plan to take it elsewhere for a quote too.

(and what are shock absorbers)

Garages tend to see women as 'mugs' and will often tell us any amount of nonsense in order to get money out of us.

Tyre fitting companies are the worst offenders and will almost always seek to replace your shock absorbers at great and almost always unnecessary cost - usually by pointing out non-safety-related imperfections and giving you all sorts of bull about 'stopping' distances.

Sometimes, of course, you do need new shock absorbers but usually you don't.

An MOT station is the best place to get an honest opinion.

P.S. They're the 4 springy poles that attach to your wheels (one to each wheel), see here:

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thanks. I point blank said no I cannot afford it (basically I cannot).

it passed its not so assume it's not related?

I'm not a car mechanic in any sense of the term but I'm reliably informed that if your car passes its MOT and it doesn't make a loud 'ker-KLUNK' when you go over a little pot-hole or over a speed bump, your shock absorbers are okay.

thanks.
never heard any noise when going over the many speed bumps on my road.

I had this in a Honda civic 2 weeks ago paid 175 for the drivers side to be replaced had been quoted nearly £300 by the dealer so phone round prices vary greatly

The springs in your car allow the wheels to move up and Doreen when you go over a bump or dp in the road. The shock absorbers "absorb" the bounce of the spring. When the shock absorbers go, the car will keep bouncing, which is not great for handling. The casing can be cracked or rusted, but is not an mot fail. A leak would probably fail, or at the very least I would be unhappy using the car, especially on high speed roads/motorways. It will not fail and leave toy stranded, it would just mean the cars handling would be different on each side.
It is ok to replace one shock absorber at a time.
Get a price from an independent, but my guess is £120 for the shock and 1.5 hours labour to replace...so my local mechanic would do it for £150 to £190.

CRV shock absorbers will likely be expensive. £500 would seem excessive for one. If it's to replace a pair (at the front) then it's probably not outrageous.

Shock absorbers help keep the car level and the wheels on the ground. When you go over a bump they absorb some of the "bounce", so the wheels don't keep bouncing up and down for ages. If they fail they can cause dangerous handling problems and excessive wear on the tyres.

I suggest getting a second opinion from a garage you can trust. Ask around for recommendations if you need to or try Honest John's Good Garage Guide.

You don't say which variant of CRV you have. If it's a mk1 then you can probably get them done for 300-350 for the pair. The parts for the mk2 are a bit higher. Probably 400 ish. Give me more info and I'll check the repair times.

it is an early 2008 ex.

Honda said it was leaking on the drivers but casing cracks on both sides.

thanks!

Did it have a service or an MOT? You said an annual service but then said it "passed" which implies an MOT.
Shocks are not cheap, easily £100 each plus labour. It's up to you if you don't want to fix them, but when one breaks you are in trouble, especially if you happen to be moving at the time. Not all garages are out to fleece people!

I had a service and MOT.

I ended up getting some really good advice from a local garage, I just need to save some money - not cheap which ever way I look at it.