How to determine if MagRide shocks are toast

[BKozS3]

I have an idea that my mag ride is toast, however I want to know if there is a way to test it prior to bringing it to a dealer, in the weird event that they are actually still good. Can OBD11 be used to check the voltage range or some other such litmus test?

[EvoToSQ5]

Easiest would be to see if the shocks are leaking fluid. What issues are you experiencing?


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[MikTip]

You need ODIS.

If the car has 50,000 miles...the dealership will tell you they are bad...

The fronts tend to go bad before the backs...why? cause of bad roads and bottoming out the fronts.

Manual method: Remove a mag ride shock from the car and compress it...if it compresses easily and doesnt rebound...its bad.

If its leaking oil from around the piston chrome...its bad.

[Spinnetti]

Dealer loves upselling these. Took my 20k mile R8 in for unrelated service and they tried to sell me shocks at almost $4,000 each lol.

[BKozS3]

Easiest would be to see if the shocks are leaking fluid. What issues are you experiencing?


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When I pull into and out of my driveway, mild incline I get bouncing and possibly hitting bump stops, not thudding but it doesn't feel dampened. The most obvious thing I noticed was rear wheel hop on launches and if I am parked on an incline and I go to leave the spot I will feel the weight shift to the rear before actually pulling away, so like a squatting.

You need ODIS.

If the car has 50,000 miles...the dealership will tell you they are bad...

The fronts tend to go bad before the backs...why? cause of bad roads and bottoming out the fronts.

Manual method: Remove a mag ride shock from the car and compress it...if it compresses easily and doesnt rebound...its bad.

If its leaking oil from around the piston chrome...its bad.

I am hoping the dealership tells me they are bad actually, I still have about 30 days left on my Carvana warranty and they have so far replaced everything that was bad. They paid for the leaking valve cover and the leaking water pump housing so far.

[BKozS3]

Spoke to the dealership and was told that the last service I had they checked and said the shocks were good, however something is off and I'm not sure what would be causing the squatting in the rear under load.

[steve111b]

So I have had the magride calibrated twice with ODIS. Mine is an RS3 with the ESC traction control (not ESP). If I go up a steep hill flat out in 2nd gear the ESC does not flash. Before the calibration the ESC flashed the whole way up the hill. There are a number of other small improvements. In my experience any shocks will show signs of wear in the 3rd year of ownership. To keep the car in "as new" condition one could change out the shocks, but most people simply put up with the wear and often complain of drivetrain slack(or DSG problems). When in fact the drivetrain slack is worn shocks.

[BKozS3]

Turned out my hop and odd rear end behavior was due to a failed Haldex pump, no codes but that is what the dealership determined, replaced and everything seems good now.

[Kei_Loper]

Turned out my hop and odd rear end behavior was due to a failed Haldex pump, no codes but that is what the dealership determined, replaced and everything seems good now.

Thanks for the follow-up!

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