Morris Minor Owners Club

One of my front dampers is leaking, looks like the seal round the shaft is the culprit.

The correct course of action is obvious, replace both presumably with reconditioned units.

However, it is cold and damp out there and the thought of working on a car is not attractive.

Am I right in thinking that although its performance is likely impaired nothing untoward will happen so long as I keep topping it up?

Or do I not need to top it up since presumably the lower part of the damper will have some oil left in it?

When we acquired the pickup it had leaking dampers and the performance impairment was very obvious. Putting oil in the top was a waste of time because as soon as we drove it the oil came out.
After a few phone calls I sent them off to Vintage and Classic Engineering in Bala. They specialise in restoring them and they came back good as new just under three weeks later. They’re still going strong and dry.

https://www.vandcengineering.co.uk/

It does really depend on how badly it is leaking. A leaking damper usually manifests as some nasty clonks and rattles. If its leaking so bad that it is rattling then the dampers ought to be replaced. If the leak is minimal, you might be able to top it up for a while before replacing it....