Shock absorber failure?

[Oisin]

Hello all - I was just wondering - My car is pretty level apart from the right rear wheel which is about an inch closer to the top of  the wheel arch than the rest of the wheels.  I thought this might be a shock failure (My mechanic had a look and said the spring looked OK)- what do you think?
Oisin

I should have added I noticed this difference happened recently - so feel that it is a failure of some component as opposed to an adjustment that needs to be done.

[Cees Klumper]

As far as I understand it the shocks have nothing to do with ride height when the car is at rest, they only dampen the travel up and down of the wheel. So it would have to be spring related, or spring seat. That, or your left front spring (or left rear) has expanded somehow, pushing the right rear down?

[twistedtree]

Don't gas-filled shocks have some push to them?  If one gasses out I think it could create an imbalance.

[stickandrudderman]

Remove both shocks and see if the imbalance is still present.

[Oisin]

Thanks all for your thoughts - I felt it was worth a post to see if this was a known typical suspension fault.  I suppose the spring must be weakening and compressing more easily.  The cursory look that the mechanic gave it would not have picked up on that.  It hasn't affected ride and it didn't fail the suspension test in the MOT (very rigourous MOTs in N. Ireland - government car laboratories more like) - I think there is a PUB video somewhere on the subject of springs - must have a look.  Thanks again.  BTW as soon as I get a couple of photos together I'll introduce myself properly

[Cees Klumper]

Don't gas-filled shocks have some push to them?  If one gasses out I think it could create an imbalance.

Perhaps they do - but the couple of shocks I've worked with (not many) I was able to press in and pull out, and they would just stay in whatever position I left them. Pressing them in and pulling them out took a lot of effort though! But maybe other types of shocks do have a sort of 'preferred length' that they would want to move to with some force, thus affecting car height.

[Raymond]

The spring rubber at the top of the spring may be perished.  Likewise for the rubber pads on the compensator spring.  Unfortunately, the prices for the spring rubber spacers has gone ridiculously high.  They're more than double what I paid 2 years ago.