Car shaking when hitting bumps (especially on highway)
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Car shaking when hitting bumps (especially on highway) My car : Honda Civic LX 2003 Coupe.
So ever since I bought the car (3 weeks ago) it shaked, it was bad on turns so I got new tires. Right now the grip is good on corners, but when I hit bumbs especially when going 65-80 on a highway the car just shakes and I have to hold the wheel so it doesnt go out of control. Would the tires not be balanced? Or maybe it's the shocks for the car? The mechanic told me that at some point I will have to get new front shocks since the car did not have them changed since 2003... (the lady i bought it from didn't maintain it). But he also said that I will see some oil dripping from the shocks when I will have to change them, so I am not sure what is wrong now.
Any help would be great thanks!
So ever since I bought the car (3 weeks ago) it shaked, it was bad on turns so I got new tires. Right now the grip is good on corners, but when I hit bumbs especially when going 65-80 on a highway the car just shakes and I have to hold the wheel so it doesnt go out of control. Would the tires not be balanced? Or maybe it's the shocks for the car? The mechanic told me that at some point I will have to get new front shocks since the car did not have them changed since 2003... (the lady i bought it from didn't maintain it). But he also said that I will see some oil dripping from the shocks when I will have to change them, so I am not sure what is wrong now.
Any help would be great thanks!
Re: Car shaking when hitting bumps (especially on highway)
Sounds to me like it could be either tie rod ends, ball joints, or lower control arm bushings.
Usually when shocks go the ride gets bouncy. An unbalanced wheel will shake even when not hitting a bump.
Usually when shocks go the ride gets bouncy. An unbalanced wheel will shake even when not hitting a bump.
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Re: Car shaking when hitting bumps (especially on highway)
If it's from 03, you're definitely in for some new shocks.
As for the bouncing, it could be a combination. When you (in this case the previous owner) let some parts go without maintenance, they affect the stuff they're connected to. I didn't know one of my springs broke, and rode the car for a long time through all kinds of driving. Without the spring doing it's job, it put added stress on the shock and the lower control arm. That was a learning experience. I ended up taking it in several times until we figured out what it was.
When you take your car in, ask them to check EVERYTHING. The guy I was (past-tense for a reason) using thought it was the first little thing that he found out of sorts. When the trouble persisted, I went elsewhere. That person did a much more thorough job and checked the whole suspension out for me. Instead of paying for multiple jobs, I got it taken care of in one go. Turned out to be several things needed to be replaced because of the spring, most notably the lower control arm.
Long story short - get someone who's willing to check the whole thing out. One part left unchecked for a long time can snowball into multiple parts going out.
As for the bouncing, it could be a combination. When you (in this case the previous owner) let some parts go without maintenance, they affect the stuff they're connected to. I didn't know one of my springs broke, and rode the car for a long time through all kinds of driving. Without the spring doing it's job, it put added stress on the shock and the lower control arm. That was a learning experience. I ended up taking it in several times until we figured out what it was.
When you take your car in, ask them to check EVERYTHING. The guy I was (past-tense for a reason) using thought it was the first little thing that he found out of sorts. When the trouble persisted, I went elsewhere. That person did a much more thorough job and checked the whole suspension out for me. Instead of paying for multiple jobs, I got it taken care of in one go. Turned out to be several things needed to be replaced because of the spring, most notably the lower control arm.
Long story short - get someone who's willing to check the whole thing out. One part left unchecked for a long time can snowball into multiple parts going out.
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