Blown rear shock

[Conrad]

Hi all,
I'm new to Mazda and new to this forum. Bought a used 2008 Mazda5 Sport for my wife 3 months ago; it's just out of warantee due to mileage and the left rear shock started leaking oil recently. After reading here and in other forums, it appears Mazda has a problem with suspension components. I inquired at several local dealers for replacement shocks, all are out of stock/backordered with no known ship dates. Ok, I'll go aftermarket, probably better quality. All the auto parts stores in the area either don't list for a 2008 or don't have anything in stock. I found one NAPA dealer with Munroe/NAPA shocks in stock, supposed to fit MY 2006-8. The dealer lists a different part number for 2006-7 and 2008 shocks. My question is, are the shock dimensions the same for 2006/7and 2008? In other words, can I trust that the NAPA shock will actually fit my vehicle? I don't want to get the one off only to find the replacement is the wrong size.
Thanks for your input.

 

[Conrad]

Ok, I'll answer my own question. A Munroe Sensamatic rear shock is about 1/2 inch shorter than the OE shock (made by Ford) but fits the vehicle just fine. I don't notice a difference in ride quality at all. This shock has over 7 inches of travel, so the 1/2 inch difference doesn't appear to be a problem unless you were needing the whole range of travel. I don't drive on any roads that bad.

 

[njaremka]

i have had my rear struts repalced twice now under warranty, and when (yes, "When" not "If") they go again, i'm getting either Bilstein or Koni replacements. no more of this OEM crap.

 

[thaxman]

no more of this OEM crap.

How else could they get the MSRP on these cars below $20K?
OEM is for warranty replacement only! Guaranteed that on many wear tems, the aftermarket world will be a better product. (See also, batteries)

 

[bretthn]

how many years/miles are the shocks covered? my wife's 5 only has 42000 and both rears are blown. it is also starting to sound like the rear mounts are bad too

 

[njaremka]

how many years/miles are the shocks covered? my wife's 5 only has 42000 and both rears are blown. it is also starting to sound like the rear mounts are bad too

the OEM warranty is 36 months / 36,000 miles. if the shocks are replaced, they carry a 12-12000 warranty, or the remainder of the factory warranty, whichever comes last.

 

[Copper5]

I've had my rears replaced, and so has a good friend of mine who also has a 2008 5. His is just a tick over 41,000 kms, all highway, and mine were done around the 35,000 km mark.

 

[MD5]

I replaces all my shocks/struts at about 95k miles because both rear shocks were leaking, and one of the front struts was leaking.

I went with KYB.

 

[Robotazky]

I replaces all my shocks/struts at about 95k miles because both rear shocks were leaking, and one of the front struts was leaking.

I went with KYB.

And...how are they performing so far?

 

[SGT_OKINAWA]

... KYB.

Great choice and I too would like to know how they are doing?

Peace!(rei)

 

[kleptomaniak]

KYBs

And...how are they performing so far?

I replaced all 4: struts and rear shocks. So far so good. under normal driving they're damped a little soft which makes normal steering little vague, and not as communicative as OEMs, but corenering performance is good with better body control in my opinion.

 

[F1 Rox]

Both of my rear were done between 16k ~18k miles. NYC here.

 

[Silentnoise713]

i have had my rear struts repalced twice now under warranty, and when (yes, "When" not "If") they go again, i'm getting either Bilstein or Koni replacements. no more of this OEM crap.

Bilstein and Koni are a little expensive but well worth it.

Avoid KYBs (GR2/AGX both suck). Not sure if Tokico makes struts for the Mz5 but go with them instead if you are on budget and are available for M5. Look online for their damping rates and compare. You get what you pay for.

Had Bilstein HDs, KYB AGX, Tokico Blue (on different cars).

 

[njaremka]

Bilstein and Koni are a little expensive but well worth it.

Avoid KYBs (GR2/AGX both suck). Not sure if Tokico makes struts for the Mz5 but go with them instead if you are on budget and are available for M5. Look online for their damping rates and compare. You get what you pay for.

Had Bilstein HDs, KYB AGX, Tokico Blue (on different cars).

oh yeah, definitely. my first choice will be the koni yellows, then bilstein hd's. i'll be looking at springs at the same time, too.

 

[J.P.]

Ours too...

I just noticed (in the last couple of days) oil spots on the driveway under the left rear. Sure enough, the left rear shock is leaking heavily. Our 2009 5 has just over 30000 km, and mostly highway as well. This will be the first trip to the dealer since new, so it should be interesting to see how the warranty service goes. My last experience was with my 2001 Protege, and they were brutal. Since it has only been on the road for a year and a half, I won't be considering aftermarket at this point.

 

[Compton]

2008 mazda6 rear suspension.

are the back wheels supposed to bow in a little at the top? idk if its supposed to or not. kinda new to this. its going to the shop tomorrow but would like to know what it could be before then.
thanks.

 

[KBrian]

If your Mazda is a 6, you may want to repost on that forum. If it is a 5, most 08 and newer 5's had upgrades to the rear suspension to correct the toe, but that does not mean yours doesn't need to be checked.

 

[southpawboston]

as far as OEM shocks being "crap"... i dunno. i suspect it's less of a parts quality issue and more of a design issue. the mazda5 is based on the same platform as the mazda3, but with a modified rear suspension to handle the extra weight of the vehicle and extra weight of two additional passengers sitting right on top of the rear axle.

before my 2010 mazda5, i owned a 2006 mazda3 which had 42,000 miles at trade-in. according to both forum consensus and dealer techs, the mazda3 suspensions were so well engineered that they never came in with problems (except for a few minor problems with the early mazda3 years-- 2004-2005). in 42,000 miles of boston-area potholes and heavy city driving, my mazda3 was as tight and noise-free as the day i drove it off the lot. i never had abnormal treadwear, never had suspension noise, never a leaking shock, and never needed an alignment.

so, i suspect that the mazda5 has some serious suspension design issues that are causing the shocks to wear out prematurely. it seems that maybe the shocks are just poorly matched to the requirements of this car's suspension. but i doubt that they are crappy just because they are OEM.

also, the mazda3 was so perfectly balanced in its ride and handling, that in the hypothetical event of needing a shock or strut replaced, i would stick with OEM in a heartbeat. since the mazda5 has obvious problems with shocks, i might be tempted to go aftermarket if (when) this problem happens to me.

 

[Robotazky]

as far as OEM shocks being "crap"... i dunno. i suspect it's less of a parts quality issue and more of a design issue. the mazda5 is based on the same platform as the mazda3, but with a modified rear suspension to handle the extra weight of the vehicle and extra weight of two additional passengers sitting right on top of the rear axle.

before my 2010 mazda5, i owned a 2006 mazda3 which had 42,000 miles at trade-in. according to both forum consensus and dealer techs, the mazda3 suspensions were so well engineered that they never came in with problems (except for a few minor problems with the early mazda3 years-- 2004-2005). in 42,000 miles of boston-area potholes and heavy city driving, my mazda3 was as tight and noise-free as the day i drove it off the lot. i never had abnormal treadwear, never had suspension noise, never a leaking shock, and never needed an alignment.

so, i suspect that the mazda5 has some serious suspension design issues that are causing the shocks to wear out prematurely. it seems that maybe the shocks are just poorly matched to the requirements of this car's suspension. but i doubt that they are crappy just because they are OEM.

also, the mazda3 was so perfectly balanced in its ride and handling, that in the hypothetical event of needing a shock or strut replaced, i would stick with OEM in a heartbeat. since the mazda5 has obvious problems with shocks, i might be tempted to go aftermarket if (when) this problem happens to me.

I have a '93 Mazda MX3 with over 220,000 miles with the stock shocks/struts and they are fine. Granted the struts are oil and gas, which is pretty high tech, they are still OEM and Mazda so I suspect the shocks on the 5 are at least decent. That said, they blow out all the time. Whatever.

 

[Rocket]

so, i suspect that the mazda5 has some serious suspension design issues that are causing the shocks to wear out prematurely. it seems that maybe the shocks are just poorly matched to the requirements of this car's suspension. but i doubt that they are crappy just because they are OEM.

We, if I can speak for the board, more or less feel the same way.