New shock absorbers required?

[ferg55]

Hi all,

I've had my S80 with the Active 4C set up for a few months now, and it has just clocked 140k miles. I think it is on the original shocks. Recently the ride has got very "crashy" on rough roads, particularly at the rear, with poor ability to absorb even minor bumps in the road. This is combined with a lot of "pock-pock" noise, although no actual knocking.

I'm guessing it could be either shock absorbers or bushes, and as the 4C shocks are expensive I'd like to rule these out if possible.

So, are there any specific symptoms / handling characteristics I can test for to rule out (or in) failure of the shocks, as opposed to other components?

I'm hoping it will be something less expensive which needs replacing!

Thanks in advance.

Simon