Shock Absorber Info

Periodically people ask about shock absorbers and I always report that I'm very happy with my Monroes, but don't know what they are because the particular model I have was discontinued. Well, I finally called Monroe and got the info on what replaced them

What I have was called a Gas Magnum Plus when I bought them about 10 years ago. That designation has been retired.

Here's where it gets confusing. Of the three major auto parts chains, only Advance (and whatever other stores are in the Parts America network) sells Monroe. Pep Boys and Auto Zone sell Gabriel. I have two Monroe Master Catalogs, but they didn't seem to agree. One came from Advance, the other came direct from Monroe. Turns out that Advance has its own Monroe catalog and they use different names and different numbers for some of the shocks.

So if you're buying from Advance Auto/Parts America, the replacement for the shocks I have are the "Gas-Matic LT" series. If you're buying from a source that uses the normal Monroe catalog, it's the "Monro-Matic Plus" series. According to Monroe tech support, these are the same shock and they are the same as my Gas Magnum Plus shocks.

Thanks for the info, Eagle. A quick check of the Parts America web site (Schuck's Auto in these parts) actually lists the shock for my 88XJ as a Monro-Matic Plus. Pretty reasonable priced, as well. I have a feeling that I will be replacing my shocks not to far into the future.