Bilstein 5100 front shock issues
#1
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Year: 1997
Engine: 4.0
Bilstein 5100 front shock issues
97 xj 4wd aw4. 100% stock except 2" AAL and pucks. as the title states, less than 1 year old. no off-road use, at all. i contacted builstein and the vendor where i bought them. ill update as everything progresses. they have 0 damage and no leaks. rebound was very strong and way too fast. made the jeep bounce and bobble on the road like a hoopty after 10k miles of use. the rears i installed at the same time are fine. i replaced all of them with monroe sensatracs. 100x better now.
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i'm sure there is a chance. a very small chance. still doesn't explain why it would be perfectly fine for 9 mo and then, overnight, **** the bed. i'm not terribly upset about it. **** happens, i get it. ive used their products on several different applications and always been happy with the performance. i know this is a popular shock recommended highly by several. given bilsteins rep i'm curious if anyone else has seen a similar failure. i also am curious how many of these shocks see 10k+ miles of use...? i want to use this thread as a timeline and possibly as a means of direction for anyone else with a similar issue moving forward. the return process appears to be clunky and time consuming.
edit: i should've named the thread something less aggressive. i'm not trying to bash.
edit: i should've named the thread something less aggressive. i'm not trying to bash.
Last edited by s346k; 06-13-2017 at 02:24 AM.
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The truth is the truth....some on here just don't like to hear it.
I have heard of several problems like you & I have with them, and I too have used them with great satisfaction on other vehicles.
Where did you get yours from ? kinda curious now.
I have heard of several problems like you & I have with them, and I too have used them with great satisfaction on other vehicles.
Where did you get yours from ? kinda curious now.
#6
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gtfo he just said the rears are fine and the fronts are fine too since they still have rebound. Yours are in perfect working order as well, a stiff shock just doesn't go well with the rest of your crap suspension components. get rid of the steins and quit your griping
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The truth is still the truth, sorry you don't like to hear it. And for the record, I wasn't griping, I was simply saying I was gonna watch where this went with his returns/service.
It is interesting that he replaced all 4 with monroe shocks (autozone crap as you called them), and his jeep is 100X better now. Hmmmmmmmm.............crap shocks ride better then bilsteins........who'd thunk ?
.
Last edited by TRCM; 06-13-2017 at 03:19 PM.
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#8
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The truth is still the truth, sorry you don't like to hear it. And for the record, I wasn't griping, I was simply saying I was gonna watch where this went with his returns/service.
It is interesting that he replaced all 4 with monroe shocks (autozone crap as you called them), and his jeep is 100X better now. Hmmmmmmmm.............crap shocks ride better then bilsteins........who'd thunk ?
.
It is interesting that he replaced all 4 with monroe shocks (autozone crap as you called them), and his jeep is 100X better now. Hmmmmmmmm.............crap shocks ride better then bilsteins........who'd thunk ?
.
C'mon, man.
He said the rears were fine. He has replaced them all, his choice, but also said it was fine for 10k miles. It is possible for a failure to happen.
Reserve judgement until he hears back from them.
He also stated he's running AAL's and pucks, not a terrible setup, but not optimal either. Hardware makes a difference.
Also, there's so many components out there, that there's virtually countless ways to set things up, and it's like finding unicorn farts. Hard to get it 100% correct but when you do, you hang on to it, LOL
#10
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Who'd a thunk that replacing blown shocks with something new, no matter the brand, would make a difference?
C'mon, man.
He said the rears were fine. He has replaced them all, his choice, but also said it was fine for 10k miles. It is possible for a failure to happen.
Reserve judgement until he hears back from them.
He also stated he's running AAL's and pucks, not a terrible setup, but not optimal either. Hardware makes a difference.
Also, there's so many components out there, that there's virtually countless ways to set things up, and it's like finding unicorn farts. Hard to get it 100% correct but when you do, you hang on to it, LOL
C'mon, man.
He said the rears were fine. He has replaced them all, his choice, but also said it was fine for 10k miles. It is possible for a failure to happen.
Reserve judgement until he hears back from them.
He also stated he's running AAL's and pucks, not a terrible setup, but not optimal either. Hardware makes a difference.
Also, there's so many components out there, that there's virtually countless ways to set things up, and it's like finding unicorn farts. Hard to get it 100% correct but when you do, you hang on to it, LOL
#11
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Year: 93 2 door
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OP implied the shocks are fine when he stated they still have plenty of rebound. that's a healthy shock regardless of what the butt-O-meter says and I'll bet that Bilstein will agree. With the way the ride quality was described, you'd expect very little rebound and you'd have no trouble compressing them by hand
the good news is now the OP can in good conscious sell the used shocks and re-coup some cash. Don't bother shipping those back in, I would start with a phone call first and see if they can help you run a quick diagnostic by asking you a few questions
the good news is now the OP can in good conscious sell the used shocks and re-coup some cash. Don't bother shipping those back in, I would start with a phone call first and see if they can help you run a quick diagnostic by asking you a few questions
#13
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they have 0 damage and no leaks. rebound was very strong and way too fast. made the jeep bounce and bobble on the road like a hoopty after 10k miles of use.