Blown?
Higher spring rates, custom wheels and tires can lead the MS3 shocks to premature failure. Not to mention the weather and road conditions in your area. Of course the best way is to make a visual inspection of the shock when it is off the car. You should have the replacement kit on hand if they are blown. For now, remove the wheel and check for oil leaking. A suspension shop or experienced garage can help confirm this. A blown shock can have little rebound and compression left so a bounce test can tip you off here too. Usually when shocks go the creaking clunking noise is from other suspension parts as the damper does'nt work any longer.
My OEM shocks were changed at 25,000. I had one leaky front strut and it is only driven in sunny Northern California weather. The only way I was able to tell that it was gone was entering Turn 8 at Thunderhill in Willows, CA at 100 mph. The car pushed and wanted to drift after a loud clunk noise. I thought the car was going to track out into the weeds, but managed to stay on course. I have the stock suspension with the original tires and the shocks on my other cars were changed at 40,000 at the earliest.
I feel that the stock shocks for our car are inadequate and one of the weakest parts on this vehicle. You can't go wrong with new shocks in my opinion, especially Koni, Bilstein as they are rebuildable. That being said, car noises are very hard to diagnose.
Good Luck!
