Do you drive a Mazda 3 or Mazda 5? Do you also hear a slapping or whacking metal noise
coming from the rear? If so, I would continue reading this sentence, because I have shocking
news. Mazda 3s and 5s share the same rear shock design, with a mount at the top particularly
susceptible to corrosion. After wear and tear occurs during normal vehicle operation, the shock
mounts corrode to a point of no return... And completely fail. This leaves your shock smacking
around the inside of the wheel well, potentially puncturing holes into the body or damaging
other components. Luckily, to replace these mounts is pretty straightforward, and actually quite fast too! See below for pictures of this specific failure and keep it in mind when you’re driving your Mazda around town. It’s important to address this failure quickly, as failed shocks can lead to other problems that are costly. A good example of this is tire cupping, the lateral movement of the suspension is dampened by the shocks, it controls the vehicle jouncing (up and down while driving). If the shock has failed, or the mount has failed, the vehicle will “hop” while moving. This causes a bouncing effect on the tire, wearing it down like rolling hills vs the normal even wear we all like to see. Nobody wants to replace tires, those things are expensive and m
ore often than not you likely have to replace in pairs! Get ahead of the curve and keepyour shocks in good health so they don’t... shock you... 😬