How do you know if the springs or shocks are bad on a 2000 Mitsubishi Galant?

Answer 1

Shocks only do one thing in a vehicle, when a tire hits a bump it wants to bounce like a Basketball and shock absorbers are there to stop the tire from bouncing. Springs and air filled tires are both well designed to bounce, so something had to be done to stop the bouncing. Shock absorbers only stop a tire from bouncing and do it by resisting the bouncing without stopping the ability of the vehicle to give a smooth ride on rough roads. If the tire wants to keep bouncing when you hit a bump, it's a sign of bad shocks. Examine the top of the shocks, if you can see oil leaking out of the top of the shocks, they're done, replace them. On the other hand, if the vehicle leans, sags or bottoms out when it's not overloaded, that's a sign of weak or broken springs.