I have a pillar/dash pod and wedge it on place with a Scooby doo teddy. It's just a single pod though. Wasn't wedge here for decoration.
How about some Velcro?
To visually check a shock you're looking for an oily stain down the casing. It'll look wet or like it's had WD40 on it. You can feel it too if you can get your hands in. Could also bounce each corner although it's a bit of a primitive technique. If you test drive the car and it has failed you may notice that shock feels boaty and not as solid as the others. Excessive bouncing will also show a problem.
Glad you've all enjoyed it 😊 I've had mine just over a year and the flashing never gets old. Just don't ask gambit to flash you. Nothing beats the feeling walking out in the morning and seeing a scoob parked up. Along comes that smug feeling "oh yeah! That's mine". Then you start attending meets and shows. It's a whole different feeling sat in traffic caused by 120 Subarus...
I've had a good little group with me down south in Kent. All top bananas. They even came to my wedding 😏