Bump stops

[Jgkram]

While painting my lug nuts today I decided to take a quick look around at the suspensions. Two of my bump stops have basically disintegrated. The rest of the shocks look good and no leaks. I've got 47k on the car (2001). Is it worth the effort to replace just the stops or wait until I need new shocks? Opinions please...thanks.

[thstone]

It depends.

The bump stop keeps the shock from slamming into itself under full compression. Depending on the roads you drive and how you drive, you may rarely use the bump stop or you might use them quite often.

It is not unheard of for a stock suspension to hit the bump stop under hard cornering. If your car is lowered, then its even more likely.

The typical symptoms of worn out bump stops are a feeling like the car is bottoming out, harsh knocks when going over bumps, strange handling in hard corners, and at the extreme - suspension damage.

If you drive the car easy on mostly smooth roads, then you can probably wait until the shocks need replacement. If you drive on rough roads or like to push the handling, you may want to replace them sooner than later.

The biggest risk to the suspension is hitting a big pothole at 85mph. Avoid doing this if possible.

[jdraupp]

I think mine on the rear left may be disintegrated. If I got over a bump at the bottom of a hill, I'll hear an odd sound that almost sounds like the tire rubbing against the top of the wheel well. Thought it might be a bad shock. Might be this? Guessing from your answer it is best to replace the whole shock, not feasible to just do the bump stop?

[itsnotanova]

I've never had a boxster come in with the bump stops 100% intact. Most have completely disintegrated and or there's just a nub of one left. Even with cars that have lower miles than yours.

[Jgkram]

Thanks for the replies. I drive mostly smooth roads so I'll probably wait for new shocks. I thought about just buying a couple of replacements, slitting them lengthwise and tie wrapping them around the shaft. It just seems like waaayyy to much trouble to remove the shock to replace something that wears out so quickly.